TURLEY, Okla. — While listening to viewers at the Tulsa State Fair, 2 News heard from Estevan Vezelici about his concerns in the community of Turley, just north of Tulsa.
Some, like Vezelici, move to Turley to find cheaper living and some quiet. Vezelici chose Turley when he moved to Oklahoma from Colorado.
“It seems like they’ve been kind of subtly divesting from there, even before I got there,” Vezelici said.
Turley recently lost their tag agency and post office. Meanwhile, newer homes are starting to creep in next to, or in some cases right over, the older ones.
“I think it’s going to be bad for the people in the community; it’s going to make it harder for them to live there,” Vezelici said, “It’s gonna push people out.”
Some of the issues in Turley are because of a leadership vacuum. The community doesn't have a city government, so citizens rely on state and county officials, like County Commissioner Stan Sallee – who represents Turley.
2 News asked him about some of Vezelici’s concerns. As for the new housing, he said it’s a good thing.
“If a community has a lot of needs and you have a lot of dilapidated structures, it’s a good option", Sallee said, “Especially if you’re a homeowner that has invested in your property, you’d like to keep the property values up, I would think.”
Estevan said Turley needs help.
“I’d like to see a lot more reinvestment in Turley,” Vezelici said, “I think it’d be good for the people in Turley and it’d be helpful for the people who are already struggling as it is.”
However, Vezelici wants to see that in the form of affordable housing and new business. He’s against people buying up cheap land and building big.
Salee said Turley residents are welcome to call him anytime but should know his power is limited.
“A lot of times we get those calls that are out of our wheelhouse,” Sallee said, “They just assume the county government has full autonomy, and we don’t. We’re limited on what we can do.”
In Vezelici’s opinion, the people in Turley have unlimited potential.
“I think the community over there … they care about each other,” he said.
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