OKLAHOMA CITY -- The state Ethics Commission expressed alarm Friday that an effort may be under way to make the campaign watchdog group powerless.
Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, informed commissioners that he had discovered a clause slipped into a measure that would take away the commission's power to name its own director, "whose duties will be defined by the Legislature."
Voters established the Ethics Commission by approving a constitutional change in 1990 that set up the independent body whose major duty is monitoring political campaigns, including those of legislators.
"This is alarming when the heart and soul of the Ethics Commission is not only to operate in a nonpartisan manner but to have total and absolute independence," said Commissioner John Raley of Ponca City.
Reynolds told the commission that he learned it was former House Speaker Lance Cargill who requested the language, which Reynolds said later would "destroy the commission."
However, Cargill issued a statement that Reynolds' claim "is 100 percent false."
Cargill said he did not learn about the controversial provision until Friday.
"And today, Reynolds spun a web of deceit about me for the commission that was completely false and reckless," Cargill said. "There is no better proof than (Reynolds') actions today that the commissioners should be very careful about believing anything Rep. Reynolds said."
Rep. Ken Miller, whose House Joint Resolution 1099 contains the ethics change, also said Cargill did not have a role in getting the language inserted into the measure.
The House approved the resolution on Thursday. Cargill, R-Harrah, noted that Reynolds voted for the measure. Reynolds countered that first he managed to get the title stricken from the bill, meaning it will have to return to the House for another vote.
Cargill, who stepped aside as speaker in late January after news reports about his tax problems surfaced, had asked the House staff to put together a bill calling for changes to bolster the governor's power, which he had proposed in a "100 Ideas" book, said Miller, R-Edmond.
The Ethics Commission reportedly has been investigating activities of the House Republican political action committee in the 2004 elections, when Cargill was chairman of the PAC.
Rick Farmer, director of the House committee staff, put together the measure calling for making the directors of four agencies gubernatorial appointees. Farmer decided on his own to include the ethics director, Miller said.
Miller said Friday that in retrospect, it probably was not the best idea to take away the Ethics Commission's independence, which had been authorized by a vote of the people.
"The Ethics Commission will be taken out of the bill as soon as I can change it," Miller said.
Meanwhile, ethics commis sioners put on their April 18 agenda to discuss their budget problems. The commissioners said they will invite House and Senate leaders and the governor to attend.
Reynolds had proposed giving the commission about $300,000 more in funding after Ethics Commission officials said they have cramped quarters in the basement of the Capitol and have had to borrow paper to operate.
Miller noted Friday that their request would be a 70 percent increase at a time when there are few budget dollars.
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