Jun

16

The Oklahoman Says Initiative Petition Process Broken

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The Oklahoman had a good editorial n the broken initiative petition process in our state.

Reducing the number of signatures needed would help fix things. But that would require amending the constitution, which would take a petition drive — fat chance — or the Legislature letting the people vote on the idea. Maybe it’ll happen someday. Certainly, two out of 23 petitions getting to the ballot is striking. As Meyers put it, the status quo is simply “beyond the reach of any reasonable sized group of citizens.” Direct democracy? Hardly.

Reducing the number of signatures needed would help fix things.

Jun

16

McMahan Can … Resign

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It took long enough, but embattled and now former state auditor and inspector Jeff McMahan tendered his resignation to Governor Henry today.

It was a one-sentence letter, according to news reports. No word on who the Gov will appoint to replace McMahan.
Meanwhile, McMahan and his wife await sentencing after being found guilty on bribery charges.
Another page in the book of a corrupt Oklahoma politician is turned.

Jun

12

OFRG In the News

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The Tulsa Beacon covered the announcement of OFRG’s legislators of the year.

Jun

11

McMahan Trial Delayed

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Not sure why, but a “juror issue” delayed the federal trial for disgraced state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan.
Why is McMahan still getting a paycheck from the state? Yes, he’s innocent until proven guilty but elected officials should be held to a higher standard (especially an “auditor and inspector” accused of taking bribes) so he should resign or be fired.
When is Governor Henry going to ask him to step down? Henry should do the right thing by Oklahoma taxpayers and tell McMahan he needs to go.
The Sunshine Review blog is covering the whole sad episode.
By the way, U.S. District Judge James Payne is officiating. Best judge name ever!

Jun

11

Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money

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Rising energy prices helped Oklahoma’s revenue collections rebound for the month of May.

Let’s hope the momentum continues this month!

Jun

6

Kuh-ching! Governor Signs More Bonds into Law

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Yesterday, the governor signed a bill letting the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority issue $25 million in bonds for the projects along the Arkansas River in the Tulsa area.

Tulsa area voters last year rejected a tax increase to do the same thing. The Legislature and Governor Henry, though, decided to use the state credit card to pay for the projects.

When you add the higher education bonds a few years ago and the proposal from this year, you see the state is carryign $1 billion in bond debt.

Jun

5

Businessman Says He Gave Gov. Henry $70,000 in Illegal Campaign Funds

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The trial of state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan is turning out to be better than any American soap opera or Latin American telenovela. It looks like seven Democrats were the beneficiaries of illegal campaign contributions.
SE Oklahoma businessman Steve Phipps, who has been a key figure in the McMahan corruption trial, testified this week he gave Governor Brad Henry $70,000 in illegal campaign contributions a few days after Henry took office.
Phipps testified he sought the governor’s support for a chicken-litter project involving a company he owned. Phipps said the governor was supportive of the idea but that the project never got off the ground.
Of course, the governor’s office says Henry knew nothing about the illegal contributions until 2007 when the feds began sniffing around the Phipps/McMahan scandal. Henry announced in March 2007 he was donating $35,000 in campaign funds to the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Oklahoma National Guard Relief Fund.
Stay tuned loyal viewers because like every good soap opera, this story is bound to have more twists and turns!

Jun

5

Election Season Officially Underway

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Now that candidate filing is over, election season in Oklahoma is officially underway.
At the Legislature, several GOP members decided against seeking re-election - most notably former Speaker Lance Cargill. Majority Floor Leader Greg Piatt and Energy Committe Chairman Dennis Adkins also threw in the towel.
At the federal level, there were no surprises. State Senator Andrew Rice filed against U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe. Each member of the House delegation drew opponents.
It will be interesting to see if voters have election fatigue thanks to the Never Ending Presidential Campaign.