Candidate for Bartlesville Ward 4
Editor's Note: This voter guide has been updated since its original publication. For a complete record of changes, additions and updates made after publication, see the Transparency Report at the bottom of this page.
Bio
I am Amanda Veley, a lifelong Bartlesville resident, mother, small-business owner and community advocate running for Ward 4.
I grew up in Oak Park, attended Oak Park Elementary and have spent my life working and raising my family here. I have owned my business since 1998 and serve as Vice President of the REBO Foundation.
My background in legal research and advocacy taught me to ask questions, follow documentation and understand the importance of accountability.
My campaign is focused on Bartlesville’s future.
I believe we need a master strategy connecting water, infrastructure, workforce development, aviation, manufacturing, housing and neighborhood investment to long-term economic growth.
My approach is simple:
Need → Engineering → Cost → Funding → Construction → Completion → Results
Bartlesville has a proud history of innovation. I believe we can think bigger again and build the foundation that allows the next generation to live, work, build businesses and raise their families here.
1. Why are you running
Why are you running for Bartlesville City Council, and what experience or perspective do you believe you would bring to the council?
I am running because I see what Bartlesville can become, and I want to help build the plan to get us there. I have spent months listening to residents, researching City documents and studying our water, infrastructure, neighborhoods and economic-development opportunities. Now I want to turn that research into action.
My focus is forward: water security, infrastructure, workforce development, aviation, manufacturing, strong neighborhoods and responsible economic growth.
My vision connects those pieces.
Secure our long-term water supply. Build the infrastructure necessary to use it. Improve water, sewer, drainage and streets. Leverage outside funding. Develop aviation and manufacturing opportunities. Strengthen workforce training. Recruit employers that create good-paying jobs.
Economic growth can then strengthen the revenue base supporting neighborhoods, public safety and quality of life.
For major projects, my standard will be:
Need → Engineering → Cost → Funding → Construction → Completion → Results
What do we need? What does engineering tell us? What will it cost? What funding is available? When will construction begin? When will it be completed? What results did we achieve?
My focus is execution, growth and what Bartlesville can become.
2. Your top priorities
What are the three most important issues facing Bartlesville during the next five years? What specific actions should the City Council take to address them?
My three priorities are water and infrastructure, economic growth and responsible government.
First, water. Bartlesville has long-term water strategies underway. I want to move those efforts toward implementation by advancing the Hulah and Copan options, completing necessary engineering, determining infrastructure needs and costs, identifying funding and establishing realistic construction timelines.
Second, infrastructure. Water lines, sewer, drainage and streets are the foundation of growth. I want neighborhood-level capital planning—including Ward 4 and Oak Park—that identifies needs and establishes a path from engineering through completion.
Third, economic growth. I want aviation, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, skilled trades and locally grown businesses connected directly to workforce development.
Funding must be part of the plan from the beginning.
Before placing additional burdens on residents, we should aggressively pursue available federal and state grants, low-interest infrastructure programs and appropriate partnerships.
Our airport shows the potential of leveraging outside funding. Its current hangar and utility expansion is being funded primarily through FAA and Oklahoma aerospace grants.
My strategy is:
Build the infrastructure. Leverage outside funding. Train the workforce. Create jobs. Grow the economic base. Reinvest in Bartlesville.
3. Endeavor 2045
Bartlesville adopted the Endeavor 2045 comprehensive plan following a community planning process. Which parts of the plan should receive the highest priority during your term, and are there portions you believe should be changed, delayed or reconsidered?
I want to broaden the vision of endeavor of 2045 and begin to execute it.
A comprehensive plan gives us direction. My priority is turning that direction into projects with engineering, funding, timelines and measurable results.
My framework is:
Need → Engineering → Cost → Funding → Construction → Completion → Results
Water is foundational. Bartlesville is pursuing additional Copan storage rights and Hulah flood-control reallocation. I want those efforts to be advanced. While we determine the engineering and infrastructure necessary to put additional water supply to use, establish costs, pursue outside funding and develop realistic construction schedules.
Then apply that same discipline to water lines, sewer, drainage, streets and infrastructure supporting future residential and economic growth.
We should identify federal and state grants, low-interest programs and partnerships early so funding is part of the project from the beginning.
Then we build economic development on that foundation: aviation, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, workforce training, redevelopment of underused properties, housing and responsible commercial growth.
By 2045, success should be measured by more than plans.
It should be measured by what we completed and what those investments produced for Bartlesville.
4. Jobs and economic development
Bartlesville has long depended on major employers including Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips. What should the city do to diversify the local economy, attract employers and create or retain well-paying jobs? What role should the Bartlesville Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce play?
My economic-development strategy connects water, infrastructure, workforce and aviation.
Employers need reliable utilities, suitable property and trained workers. We should build all three into one recruitment strategy.
I see Bartlesville Municipal Airport as more than an airport. It can be part of a larger aviation, aerospace and advanced-manufacturing economic hub.
The City is already leveraging FAA and Oklahoma aerospace funding for new hangars and water and sewer extensions. I want us to build on that investment.
I want the City, BDA, Chamber, Tri County Tech, regional education partners and employers working toward common goals:
Identify target industries. Determine their infrastructure and workforce requirements. Prepare sites and facilities. Develop training pipelines. Recruit employers. Connect trained residents directly with jobs.
We should inventory underused industrial and commercial properties and actively market spaces capable of supporting new employers.
The BDA and Chamber should play important roles in recruitment, retention and business development, with measurable outcomes tied to public investment.
Bartlesville has a history of innovation. I want us thinking bigger about what we can build, manufacture and create here.
Let’s give companies a reason to choose Bartlesville—and give our young people a reason to build their futures here.
5. City spending and taxes
When balancing the city budget, where do you believe Bartlesville should spend more, spend less or maintain current spending? Are there city services or programs you would eliminate or significantly reduce?
My budgeting philosophy is fund necessities first and make every dollar work harder.
Water, sewer, streets, drainage, public safety and essential infrastructure should be priorities.
I support regularly reviewing discretionary spending, outside contracts, administrative costs and programs for duplication, measurable results and opportunities to operate more efficiently.
But responsible budgeting isn’t only about cutting. It is also about bringing outside dollars into Bartlesville.
For major investments, the process should be:
Need → Engineering → Cost → Funding → Construction → Completion → Results
Once engineering establishes the scope and realistic cost, we should identify available federal and state grants, low-interest infrastructure programs, partnerships and other appropriate funding before asking residents to carry additional costs.
Not every project will qualify for grants, and many programs require local matching funds. We should be transparent about that from the beginning.
For every major investment, I want to know:
What does it cost? What outside funding is available? What is Bartlesville’s responsible share? What result will residents receive from that investment?
Responsible spending and economic growth work together.
Control unnecessary costs. Leverage available funding. Invest in necessities. Grow our economic base.
6. Public safety cameras and privacy
What is your position on Bartlesville's use of automated license plate reader cameras? How should the city balance law enforcement benefits with residents' concerns about privacy, data retention and government surveillance?
Public safety matters, and so do constitutional rights and privacy.
I support providing law enforcement with tools that have legitimate public-safety purposes, including locating missing or vulnerable people, recovering stolen vehicles and investigating serious crimes.
But technology should never receive a blank check.
My standard is necessity, limited access, appropriate data retention, documented use and oversight.
I want clear policies governing who can access automated license plate reader information, the legitimate purposes for searches, how information is retained and how misuse is addressed.
I also support periodic Council review of the program’s costs, policies and documented results.
Technology changes quickly. Government policy should keep pace with those changes.
If public-safety technology is funded by taxpayers and collects information involving the public, residents should understand the rules governing its use.
Supporting law enforcement and protecting individual rights are not opposing goals.
Good government should protect both public safety and individual liberty.
7. City manager and council roles
What do you believe is the proper relationship between the City Council and city manager? Where should council oversight end and the city manager's authority over day-to-day operations begin?
The roles should be clear.
The Council governs. The City Manager manages.
The Council establishes policy, priorities and budgets and provides oversight. The City Manager and professional staff are responsible for day-to-day administration and execution.
I respect that separation.
Councilors should not personally run departments or micromanage employees. At the same time, oversight is not micromanagement.
For major projects, I want Council and the public to be able to follow:
Need → Engineering → Cost → Funding → Construction → Completion → Results
The Council establishes priorities and expected outcomes. The City Manager and professional staff determine how to execute those priorities efficiently and lawfully. Council then monitors progress, evaluates results and communicates them to the public.
If a project changes substantially in cost, schedule or scope, Council should receive accurate information so it can fulfill its oversight responsibility.
I want that accountability applied across our growth strategy—water, infrastructure, aviation, workforce development, economic development and neighborhoods.
Everyone should understand the objective, funding, timeline and responsibility.
Clear roles. Clear goals. Clear funding. Clear timelines. Completed projects. Measurable results.
Campaign finance: According to the candidate's 2026 Pre-General Report filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission's Guardian system on Oct. 26, 2026, the campaign reported raising $0.00 and spending $0.00. The filing deadline was Oct. 26, 2026.
For more information about the candidate, please find the links below
Transparency Report
Editor's note
Sept 17, 2026 2:30 pm
The Wiley Post invited this candidate to participate in our 2026 Bartlesville City Council candidate questionnaire but did not respond to our request. Every candidate received the same questions, deadline and opportunity to participate.
Editor's note:
Sept 17, 2026 6:01 pm
Amanda Weir Veley told The Wiley Post that she did not receive our original request to participate in the candidate questionnaire. As a courtesy, The Wiley Post has provided Veley with the same questions sent to every other candidate and an opportunity to respond.
If Veley submits responses, they will be added to this voter guide. She will receive the same questions and her responses will be published under the same guidelines as those of the other candidates.
Editor's note:
Sept 18, 2026 11:55 am
The candidate has submitted their responses to The Wiley Post candidate questionnaire and the guide has been updated.
Editor's note
Oct 27, 2026 4:12 pm
Campaign finance information has been added to The Wiley Post's 2026 Bartlesville City Council election guide, including reported contributions, expenditures and links to available filings through the Oklahoma Ethics Commission's Guardian system. The guide also identifies candidates for whom no filing or registration was found as of the review date.
Editor’s Note: The Wiley Post provided every candidate with the same questions, deadline and opportunity to participate. Candidate responses are published exactly as submitted and have not been edited for spelling, grammar, clarity, length or content.
To ensure fairness, once the voter guide is published, no late responses, revisions or additional candidate statements will be accepted. This ensures no candidate can change an answer or submit responses after reviewing another candidate's published answers.