Gov. Brad Henry appointed Roth to the corporation commission in June 2007. Roth is running for the unexpired term that goes through 2010.

He said getting out and meeting people at events such as Monday's picnic have been great.

"It's the best part of public service, interacting with the public," Roth said.

LeAnn Stevens-Larr? said she thought the picnic would be a chance to gain each candidate's perspective on topics.

"I came to learn about the candidates that I don't know much about," she said.

Stevens-Larr? said she grew up in Oklahoma but moved to France. She's back in Norman working on her dissertation and studying for her Ph.D. in American literature.

"I'm so lucky to be here during election season," she said.

Meghan McCormick 366-3539 mmccormick@normantranscript.com