The new House speaker is already showing his differences in leadership style
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two days after Republican Rep. Chris Benge of Tulsa took over as House speaker, he invited Democratic minority leader Danny Morgan to meet with him.
Morgan said he had only one face-to-face meeting with Benge’s predecessor. Time will tell whether there is a new spirit of bipartisanship in the Legislature.
“So far it looks very good,” said Morgan, D Prague. Democratic Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, cochairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he had not been inside the speaker’s office since a Democrat held the post. But Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, said he was warmly greeted when he went over to congratulate Benge.
Benge noted that every House member comes to the Capitol to represent more than 30,000 constituents, so their voices deserve to be heard.“At the end of the day, we may well disagree,” Benge said, but it is still important to hear both sides.
Benge spent time last week inviting Republican members to meet with him individually in the speaker’s office. Rank-and- file members are expecting that they will have more of a voice than they had with former Speaker Lance Cargill.
Cargill had a specific agenda including merit pay for teachers and more tax cuts.
But Benge is viewed as a consensus builder who will adhere to what the GOP caucus wants.
At least for now, Benge does not aspire to higher office, unlike the last two speakers.
Todd Hiett ran for lieutenant governor and Cargill was thought to have his sights on the governorship down the road.
While Cargill bristled when asked a tough question, Benge pauses, then calmly responds. Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, whose House district adjoins Benge’s, said the new speaker is quiet in demeanor.
When Benge presides at a meeting, there is a calmness that envelops the whole room, Lamons said.
Benge’s election as speaker Monday marked only the second time in state history that a Tulsan has held the post.
Democrat Johnson D. Hill was named speaker in 1944 but resigned from office only six weeks into the session.
Benge’s immediate task as speaker is to mend his own splintered House Republicans after he narrowly edged out Rep. Dale DeWitt, R-Braman, in a closed caucus meeting.
Two weeks ago, Cargill stepped aside amid controversy over his failure to file his federal and state tax returns on time and being delinquent in paying property taxes on his Harrah law office for six years in a row.
Just days after Cargill stepped down, Speaker Pro Tem Gus Blackwell, R-Guymon, confirmed that he had been late in paying his property taxes 13 years in a row, taking him out of the speaker’s race.
Majority Leader Greg Piatt, R-Ardmore, remains in his post, although some Republicans point out that he accepted a controversial $5,000 contribution from a Texas insurance businessman after carrying a key amendment for him. Others who received contributions returned them.
Although Cargill stepped aside, his leadership team essentially remains in place.
Blackwell is still speaker pro tem, an elected position. He continues to preside over most daily sessions.
Benge has decided to stay with the same team, at least for now. On Friday, Benge announced he was adding Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, to his leadership team to assist in negotiations with the Senate.
DeWitt said he thinks Benge needs to re-examine his leadership team.
“Chris has got to look at some areas of leadership and make some tough decisions,” he said.
“Not only the caucus but the public wants to see some changes,” he said.
