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Last week I attended a session on gaming at the Sovereignty Symposium. When I walked into the room shortly before the session started, I looked around for a place to sit. I usually like to sit in an open row so that I have plenty of elbow room to take notes.
After a glance around the room at the Skirvin Hotel, I spotted former long-time state senator and Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson sitting by himself in a fairly empty row. I strolled up to Hobson, introduced myself, for which he remembered me, and sat down next to him.
I asked Hobson how he was doing, spending the past legislative session as an outsider for the first time in more than two decades. He had one word - vindicated.
When I asked Hobson to explain, he gleefully reminded me of the battles he had in the Legislature convincing his fellow lawmakers what an economic tool gaming would be to the state. The new figures released during the symposium from the National Indian Gaming Association back up Hobson’s argument. The casinos which have sprouted in Oklahoma during the past few years have been an economic boom for the state. Revenue to the state has continued to increase and set new records. By the end of this month, the state’s take on Indian casinos through the compacts should top $100 million for the past year.
And this has come during one of the worst recessions America has experienced.
So Hobson sat through the session with a grin on his face, knowing the fights he put up to help bring gaming and casinos to Oklahoma were all worth it.
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State Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, has no regrets about missing a day of Legislative session and failing to vote on a bill his leadership held over and therefore extending the current session. The Senate was set to adjourn for the year on Friday when House Bill 1170 came up for a final vote. The measure would create a new central intelligence officer to oversee most of the state’s technology needs. But the bill was short of passage by one vote, leading the Republican-controlled Senate to hold the vote open for four hours trying to get that last vote. When it became apparent the bill was going to fail, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee introduced a resolution to extend the session one more day, costing taxpayers nearly $12,000.
There were a few reasons the bill failed to get enough votes – 21 Democrats voted no, Republican Sen. Harry Coates also voted nay and Sen. Russell was out of town.
While the Senate was held in suspended animation for four hours, rumors went amuck on Russell. He was out of the country; no he was just out of state. He was being flown in on a private jet and whisked to the Capitol to cast the winning aye vote. No to that one as well.
On Tuesday when the Senate took up the measure again, Russell, in attendance this time, rose to spoke during debate. He explained, in a somewhat stern tone, he missed the vote because he was giving a speech at the Air Force Academy in Colorado honoring fallen soldiers for Memorial Day ceremonies.
After the Senate adjourned sine die, Russell sat in his office and explained why he spoke on the matter.
“Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned my commitment to elective office. I was speaking at the Air Force Academy and was honored to do so.”
The freshman lawmaker is a decorated war veteran and aided in the capture of Saddam Hussein during America’s invasion of Iraq.
Russell told Oklahoma Gazette he was invited to speak after famous actor Chuck Norris was unavailable. Russell was contracted for the speech back in February. It was the second time he has missed a day of session due to a speaking engagement. Russell said now that he is retired from the Army, with a family to raise including children who are in their teens, this is the expensive part of his life.
The senator defended his actions of last week and reiterated his commitment to the voters of Senate District 45 as his No. 1 priority.
“It is, except Memorial Day weekend. Then it’s to the fallen soldiers.
“I make no apologies.”
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According to a new poll, most of the Republican-sponsored ballot measures for 2010 get heavy statewide support.
A survey done by SoonerPoll.com shows massive support for state official term limits, making English the state’s official language and implementing voter identification on election day. All three issues earned more than 80 percent favorable support in the survey. All three will be on the ballot come November of 2010.
The survey also found lukewarm support for the state lottery and school consolidation. Results of the lottery question found the respondents split, 45 percent to 45 percent. A majority favors school consolidation, 47 percent to 32 percent, but nearly 20 percent left the question unanswered.
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While Barack Obama gets high praise on a national scale for the job he has been doing as president, a majority of Oklahomans still have problems with the new president.
In a poll out today by SoonerPoll.com, a slight majority of Oklahomans disapprove of the way Obama is doing his job, 48 percent to 47 percent. That is 20 points below the latest national poll by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal which has Obama’s approval rating at 68 percent. The numbers are the same when asked how Obama is handling the economy.
On most of the poll’s questions concerning the president, a majority of Oklahomans give unfavorable remarks on issues from cutting the deficit to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. The one area a majority of the state does agree Obama has improved is the country’s image around the world. A majority of 54 percent said Obama will likely improve the image while 43 said he will likely will not.
Gov. Brad Henry continues to get high marks from Oklahomans with 66 percent approving of Henry while 28 percent disapprove. Both of Oklahoma’s United States senators also received favorable marks with Jim Inhofe getting a 62 percent approval and Tom Coburn earning a 60 percent.
A majority in the poll said Oklahoma’s financial institutions should not receive federal bailout money, 50 percent to 35 percent.
Sixty-five percent of those polled considered themselves evangelical Christians.
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Over the weekend, The Oklahoman published a story aimed at exposing the group behind an attack ad against the Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee. However, the story failed to mention one very important disclosure: its own.
The attack ad goes after Coffee’s recent admittance of falling behind on paying his personal income taxes, which totaled about $28,000. Coffee paid the taxes last November after the IRS placed a lien on his house. Coffee took out a loan to pay the taxes. The ad encourages the public to contact their state senator and ask Coffee to do the right thing, implying Coffee should step down.
The Oklahoman story delved into the group which was funding the ad and reported it’s a group with ties to Democratic lawmakers. The story goes on to say the recent fight over lawsuit reform, also known as tort reform, of which Coffee is the Senate’s major sponsor, may also have something to do with the ads.
But what the story left out was its own ties to the tort reform effort. David Thompson is publisher of The Oklahoman and president of OPUBCO Communications, which operates the newspaper’s Newsok.com Web site. Thompson also happens to be president of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, which is a major backer of lawsuit reform.
This is not to suggest Thompson orchestrated the story. But Thompson's ties to the newspaper and the lawsuit reform effect could have been disclosed.
Here is an excerpt from an Oklahoman story on Dec. 12, 2008 when Thompson took over as chamber president:
“Thompson outlined several areas that he plans to focus on during 2009. But, even during an economic recession, the chambers priority will remain ‘economic development, economic development and economic development,’ he said.
First among his points of emphasis was continued development of the chambers planned $18 million headquarters at NW 4 and Broadway. Thompson also called for projects to position Oklahoma City as a competitive visitor destination, and development of a long-range plan for mass transit.
Thompson said efforts to create a business-friendly legislative and regulatory environment are top priority.
‘And, yes, I mean lawsuit reform and, yes, I mean workers comp reform,’ Thompson said in a line that drew applause.”
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This week has not been a good one if you are Drew Edmondson or David Prater. The state attorney general and Oklahoma County district attorney learned three men their offices put on and kept on death row have been removed and are getting new trials.
James T. Fisher has twice been convicted for the 1982 murder of Terry Gene Neal. Fisher’s first conviction was overturned by a federal appeals court citing ineffective counsel. A new trial was held and Fisher was found guilty again. The second conviction and death sentence was tossed on Thursday by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for the same reason.
Oklahoma Gazette has written extensively about this case. The circumstances not only surrounding the case, but the events which led to court reversals, are bizarre and unpredictable. Fisher’s first attorney was found to be ineffective in part because of the attorney’s disapproval of Fisher’s gay lifestyle. The second attorney had a drug and alcohol problem which affected the defense’s investigation into potential holes in the case.
Soon after Fisher’s reprieve from death row was announced, a federal appeals court granted the same result to two men convicted of murdering a teenage girl. Yancy L. Douglas and Paris L. Powell were sent to death row for the 1993 murder of 14-year-old Shauna Farrow. Unlike Fisher’s case, the court put the blame on the prosecution saying testimony given by one witness was unreliable due to the prosecution’s promises of helping the witness with a drug case.
Just off the top of my head, I would say this has been a historic week for the Oklahoma criminal justice system. Three men in two different cases released from death row on the same day by two different courts. When has that happened?
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You can tell from the look on Glenn Coffee’s face his political future was over. From his tone when speaking to reporters and from his demeanor inside the Senate chamber, Coffee gave the impression of man who was told his paycheck had not arrived yet.
It’s amazing how political careers can end in just a few days. Last week, during an impromptu press conference on tort reform, Coffee was sprite and vigorous; a man of confidence with things going his way. But by the end of the week, after an Associated Press story about failing to pay his taxes on time and receiving a lien from the IRS, Coffee’s sprite had fizzed out.
Sitting at his desk on the Senate floor, Coffee looked around as though he was the only person in the chamber while other senators explained resolutions. Some colleagues walked over and shook Coffee’s hand as though it was his last day at work.
Monday was not Coffee’s last day as president of the Senate, but his immediate political life is on a ventilator. At a caucus meeting with his fellow Republicans, a humbled Coffee apologized for his tax mistake and took full blame for the mess. Rumors sifted through the Capitol that an effort was underway to remove Coffee as senate president. But Coffee emerged from the meeting still head of the Senate, however his future as an Oklahoma leader is practically flushed.
Coffee had been considered a candidate for higher office including state attorney general, lieutenant governor or even the Congressional seat Rep. Mary Fallin is giving up to run for governor. Not anymore. As former Speaker of the House Lance Cargill found out last year, people can forgive mistakes, but not when it comes to failing to pay taxes. Coffee might as well campaign on raising taxes as opposed to defending why someone who didn’t pay taxes should be awarded with a statewide office.
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The state Senate honored one of the greats of government and political reporting. Former Oklahoman reporter John Greiner was bestowed the full appreciation of the Oklahoma Senate as well as the press gallery Monday afternoon.
Senate Resolution 9 commends Greiner for his nearly four decades of covering the state capitol. The resolution was sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Glen Coffee.
"John was somebody who was a champion for news, free speech and transparency," Coffee said on the Senate floor with Greiner standing beside.
A 1964 graduate of OU, Griener served in the Army and retired at the rank of colonel. He covered seven governors at The Oklahoman’s capitol bureau and was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993. His last day at the capitol was back in October.
"I am truly humbled by this," Griener told the Senate. "Covering the Legislature and politics is fun and exciting."
He received more than one round of applause from the Senate, as well as the pool of reporters sitting up in the press gallery. Afterwards, every senator came up and shook Griener’s hand.
John’s departure is a great loss, not just for the newspaper industry but for the public as well. Oklahoma citizens need government watchdogs like John Griener.
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Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson is sitting on the edge of being a great crusader or poultry terrorist. And it’s uncertain which way the egg is going to crack.
Since he was first elected in 1994, amid a Republican tidal wave that year, Democrat Edmondson has been one of the state’s most popular elected officials. He routinely wins re-election by double digits, including 2002 when he trounced well-known and well-financed GOP challenger Denise Bode who hit Edmondson hard over the gays and boy scouts issue.
Edmondson has earned his reputation through his lineage, experience and toughness. It’s hard to pin the liberal label on Edmondson since he is a staunch supporter of the death penalty and has spearheaded efforts for more and faster executions.
Edmondson also gained recognition for his efforts in the fight against big tobacco and the millions of dollars the settlement has brought to the state. His office threw away partisan stickers after the prosecution and conviction of former Democrat state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher.
But Edmondson’s latest crusade might be his toughest and could cost him an election and legacy if the case goes against him. The state AG is suing poultry companies to get them to stop dumping chicken litter in Oklahoma streams, lakes and rivers. The battle has brewed for a few years now with a trial set later this year. If everything goes Edmondson’s way, his plan to run for governor next year will be set in motion.
The poultry companies are not sitting on their eggs and have put up a stern fight. However, the latest episode finds Edmondson skating out in the middle of the ice pond.
An E. coli outbreak in the Oklahoma northeastern town of Locust Grove is not only pitting Edmondson against the chicken companies, but the state Health Department and the federal government. Edmondson claims the water in the area was “very likely” contaminated by the chicken farms litter runoff into the Illinois River and caused the illness which has led to one death. The state Health Department said they couldn’t find any evidence of Edmondson’s claims, which caused the AG to fire back the Health Department “botched” their testing. Findings from the Centers for Disease Control also fail to back up Edmondson’s chicken litter claim.
This is a dicey role for Edmondson to throw. If he wins, he may go down as Oklahoma’s best AG. But if he loses, a legacy and governor’s office probably fades away.
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The 2008 election is only a few months old, but already a poll is out showing the top contenders for the 2010 governor’s race.
Conducted by SoonerPoll, the survey asked Oklahoma voters their choices for the gov spot.
On the Republican side, several names have been mentioned as possible candidates including Congress members Mary Fallin and Tom Cole along with state Sen. Randy Brogdon and former Congressman J.C. Watts. In the SoonerPoll, Fallin has a comfortable lead over Cole 53 percent to 31 percent. Brogdon comes in with barely 1 percent.
On the Democrat side, two names have emerged - Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and attorney general Drew Edmondson. In a head-to-head matchup, Edmondson has a sizeable lead over Askins, 42 percent to 28 percent.
This stuff is already getting good.
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Rep. Randy McDaniel, R- Edmond, has only been in the legislature a few years therefore his major legislative accomplishments can be listed on a post-it note. But he loves Ronald Reagan.
Every year McDaniel has trekked up to the state Capitol to represent the people of District 83, he brings with him a resolution honoring the legacy of the 40th president of the United States.
For some reason, he believes this is of utmost importance to spend lawmakers’ time away from the budget, health care, education and other meaty issues and instead focus on a dead president.
The first year was fine, but this is getting beyond tiresome.
Well, today when McDaniel took to the podium re-fantasize about his childhood days of looking up to Reagan, some members of the House decided they wanted to remember the former president as well. Rep. Richard Morrisette, D-Oklahoma City, brought forth amendments which pointed out Reagan’s ability to drive up the deficit to historical proportions and try to get ketchup designated a vegetable among other things.
But after points of order, rulings of the chair and other mayhem, the amendments were pushed aside and McDaniel got his Reagan Day resolution through. This all took half an hour -- tax dollars at work once again.
Oh, but McDaniel did treat everyone to cake and punch afterwards. A great way to remember Reagan.
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Did anyone else see our own ultra-conservative senator Tom Coburn give a big man hug to Pres. Barack Obama after the state of the union speech? Holy cow! Tommy C giving the big ups to the prez who he will probably oppose on most issues. Talk about bipartisanship.
Of course, the two did work closely together while both were in the Senate on transparent government. And Coburn has talked in friendly terms about Obama while the Democrat was running for president.
But still, to give the big H on national television, knowing his state voted against Obama more than any other state. Wow! That’s courage.
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Angela Monson has only been on the job for a week and is learning that running a school district is a far cry from being a state senator.
Monson defeated Kirk Humphreys for the right to sit in the Oklahoma City school board chair's seat Feb. 10. She previously served as a state senator before term limits forced her from office.
Monson told me before speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Capitol Chamber of Commerce she is trying to get up to speed on the pressing issues of the district, meeting with staff and talking to parents.
One of the first issues being pressed upon is what to do with the 2007 bond issue. District patrons approved a $217 million bond package for new construction, technology and new buses among a host of items. But Superintendent Karl Springer says a mathematical error will cause the bond issue to fall short of providing the voter-approved funds or it will cause the delay of construction projects for several years.
Monson said the bond issue was important to the district and its patrons, and that it’s a matter of selling the bonds at the appropriate time to meet the statutory requirement of fulfilling the voter mandate. She has yet to sit down and discuss the situation with Springer but she believes the situation will be resolved.
“We can do this,” Monson said. “We can fulfill the obligation made to the voters. We just have to be prudent.”
Monson said she is aware that some people involved with the bond issues even question whether a problem exists.
“If it’s a timing issue, then that’s all it is we can time it just right. If it’s more than that, we’ll continue to address that.
Monson said she and Springer will sit down and discuss the matter next week.
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If the Legislature wants to find ways to shore up the massive budget shortfall the state faces this session, eliminating electricity use for debates on meaningless bills might be one to consider.
Take Thursday for example. Rep. T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, brought up a resolution to express the Legislature’s desire not to have Guantanamo Bay detainees sent to Oklahoma prisons should President Obama follow through on his plan to close the Cuban prison. (A brief lesson, Shannon’s bill was a non-binding resolution which means it has absolutely no power, authority, enforcement…nothing. It’s just a piece of paper that says the state likes or doesn’t like something.)
And how long did the 101 duly elected members of the House of Representatives spend debating a resolution which will do nothing? A whole hour.
Yes, while the town of Lone Grove recovers from a devastating tornado which killed nine people; while the state’s revenue now falls $900 million behind what it needs to function, the honorable gentlemen and ladies from all corners of Oklahoma spent one hour of electricity arguing over who is a detainee, who is a terrorist and whether anyone would like to see video tapes of people falling out the World Trade Center terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
There were moments of a lack of etiquette evident in the chamber. After berating his fellow lawmakers for opposing the resolution, Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, turned his back to Rep. Ed Cannady, D-Whitefield, who was speaking against the resolution. The House has a strict decorum about showing respect to each member, even in times of heated debate. As soon as Cannady finished and Shannon spoke to close debate, Duncan spun his chair around and gave Shannon honorable attention.
After the session ended, one legislator mumbled in the hallway, “Exercise in futility.”
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