Oklahomans Say Farewell To Senator Coburn At Town Hall Meeting

Senator Tom Coburn said farewell to his Tulsa constituents at his final town hall meeting; he's retiring two years before his term ends.

For a man announcing his retirement, Coburn doesn't seem to be slowing down, but constituents and supporters are still very sad to see him leave.

It's a farewell tour ending close to home for Coburn, an OSU graduate and a respected Muskogee doctor.

8/12/2014 Related Story: Senator Tom Coburn Makes Last Official Appearance At Tulsa Chamber Event

"The way he stood up for us, in the senate on the floor, I mean his values, what he believes in just reflects Oklahoma and we're going to miss him," one supporter said.

Another said, "They'll never make another one like him, so, I really am sorry to see him go."

The Senator has served Oklahoma for more than 15 years; first in Congress and most recently in the U.S. Senate, but this time he said it's outside the legislature that needs his attention.

“I'm going to work on constitutional convention, a convention of the states because I don't think Washington is going to fix itself" Coburn said. "Spending time with grandchildren, you know I have a granddaughter that's about to be a freshman at Oklahoma State this year, so for the last ten years I've kind of missed really key moments of her life and I'd like to not do that with the other six.”

Even in retirement, Coburn said he's optimistic about Oklahoma's future.

“Oklahoma's great, because Oklahoma’s got great people. You know the culture, the character of Oklahoma is really neat, and that's the greatest thing about serving in the Senate is you get to represent that," he said.

Wednesday's town hall meeting didn't seem to be much of a farewell because there was a sense that Coburn still wants to be very active in the political community in Oklahoma.

It maybe a goodbye for now, but what the future holds for Coburn, we will just have to wait and see.