Hat Tip to OK1 NewsOklahoma Corporation Commission Filling (ShortTerm) 2008. Rob Johnson, Jim Roth, Dana Murphy fillingHat Tip to Mike @ The McCarville Report Online
FRIDAY, JUNE 06, 2008
Johnson Protests Murphy's Candidacy
The Oklahoma Election Board's website tonight contains an entry indicating that Republican Rob Johnson has filed a protest against the candidacy of Republican Dana Murphy. Both seek the GOP nomination to fill the two years remaining on the term for the office now held by Democrat Jim Roth.
The listing shows a hearing date on the protest of June 13th.Hat Tip to Mike @ The McCarville Report OnlineSATURDAY, JUNE 07, 2008
Murphy Says Johnson's Challenge Unfounded
'Grasping at straws'
Oklahoma Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy said today the attempt by Rob Johnson and his campaign consultants to challenge her filing for office is nothing more than a desperate attempt to create something out of nothing.
"Rob Johnson and his consultants are grasping at straws because he can't challenge my qualifications. If you watch the video of my filing, you will clearly hear the Election Board clerk ask me if I wanted to be listed as 'Dana L. Murphy' or 'Dana Murphy'. I advised him 'Dana Murphy', he requested that I sign 'Dana Murphy' and I did. The Election Board clerk then scratched out the 'Dana L. Murphy' signature."
Murphy also stated that "In addition to this clarification, he also requested that I add either short or long term with the Commission office to the form and I added short term."
A hearing is set by the Election Board on Johnson's challenge for June 13th.
Murphy believes this ploy is just more evidence of the lackluster campaign on the part of Rob Johnson. "He has no hands-on, working experience at the Commission and little, if any, knowledge and background in matters regularly decided by the Commission affecting Oklahomans every day."
Murphy spent almost six years as an Administrative Law Judge at the Commission hearing over 5,000 cases; she owns her own energy law practice and she worked as a geologist in the oil patch for ten years. Murphy has also represented clients before the Commission and testified as an expert geological witness in cases at the Commission.
"Johnson's only apparent claim to fame is that he is a two term state legislator and worked as a congressional aide/gopher. His campaign is already stalling. This is his feeble attempt to cloud the fact that he has no qualifications for this office."
Murphy believes this to be a diversionary tactic used by Johnson's consultants before and currently in use in other races. Johnson, his consultant Fount Holland and former Representative Trebor Worthen, who is working on his campaign, are no strangers to controversy and the use of old guard politician "smoke and mirrors" tactics.
"For me, it's about serving my fellow Oklahomans. They deserve the very best," added Murphy. "What our state doesn't need is more self serving politicians who are more interested in serving themselves than serving our state."Hat Tip to Mike @ The McCarville Report OnlineSATURDAY, JUNE 07, 2008
Johnson Responds To Murphy's Statement
A spokesman for State Rep. Rob Johnson's campaign for Corporation Commissioner said today that Dana Murphy's response to a challenge of her candidacy by Johnson is meant to distract voters from her own mistake. "Thanks to her recent press release, Dana has confirmed exactly what we suspected: that she filed an invalid declaration of candidacy," said spokesman Rep. Trebor Worthen.
"Since she is an attorney, I would think she would know better than to alter a notorized document," said Worthen. "Someone seeking an office that is charged with interpreting laws and regulating a key part of our economy should be competent enough to follow our election laws, just like hundreds of other candidates. But given Dana's history of altering documents, I'm not surprised at this kind of behavior."
Worthen's statement said that, "In 2002, when Murphy first sought a seat on the Corporation Commission, her two Republican opponents produced evidence of document forgery involving an oil and gas lease, and accused her of other unethical behavior. Though Murphy was quick to deny the allegations, she has never fully answered the questions surrounding those issues."
"Dana likes to talk about her qualifications for office. I believe the first qualification is to have a high standard of ethical conduct," said Worthen. "Her past actions call in to serious question whether she has the proper ethics to be a public servant." A hearing to determine whether Murphy will remain on the ballot will be held this coming Friday, June 13.
Commissioner Full Term
