Rep. Lamons Responds to ME Investigation

House Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, responds to the request today by House Speaker Chris Benge and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee for an OSBI investigation into the State Medical Examiner’s Office:
“I fully support and appreciate the House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tem calling for this investigation.

We need a quick response to this situation and I applaud them for taking the lead on this extremely important matter,” said Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa.

Legislators Gone Loco — and Other Oklahoma Officials Acting Badly

Sketches: Oklahoma has
something special to share
By David Gerard
Sketches from Three Rivers

Most states don’t do politics like we do it here.

I haven’t heard back from a television producer yet, but I expect to.

I pitched a new reality show — “Legislators Gone Loco.” It has a subtitle, too. The complete title is “Legislators Gone Loco — and Other Oklahoma Officials Acting Badly.”

My suggestion was to film our Oklahoma legislators and officials in action and daily life.

Why leave reality TV to supermodels, cops and criminals, and people abandoned in rugged outposts when a wealth of entertainment resides in state government?

For instance, in January, Rep. Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, the former speaker of the House, explained his lapses in filing timely income taxes for two years and property taxes for six years.

He said he was too busy in the state Legislature, serving us. Hah, try the too-busy excuse next time you’re late.

Oh, and don’t forget Cargill’s friend, Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, who was delinquent 13 years in paying property taxes on his home.

Blackwell’s excuse: He had a misunderstanding with the county treasurer’s office.

Now that’s great reality television, and Blackwell wasn’t done. He wrote a letter complaining some people were on a search-and-destroy mission to get rid of honorable legislators like him.

This is great stuff — better than dumb crooks, well, maybe not quite as good, but close, and hey, we have our crooks, too.

Former state Sen. Gene Stipe, while on probation for making illegal campaign contributions, was accused of doing it again. More than 80 years old and in poor health, a federal court ruled he was mentally incompetent, but Stipe and his attorney maintained he’s competent.

Sure, he’s competent. Before his conviction in 2003, he was in court three times, defending himself against tax evasion charges and two fraud charges. I’d say he has shown great competency in what he has done during his 53-year political career.

Oh, then this is the best.

State Labor Commissioner Lloyd Fields apologized last month for a practical joke. The public doesn’t know exactly what the prank was about — that’s why we need reality TV to follow our politicians — but Fields, apparently after some drinking, tried to leave a bull riding event in Oklahoma City with a bull rider’s guitar.

This is precious, and really, it could only happen in Oklahoma — a state official dashing out of a rodeo with a guitar that doesn’t belong to him, to be apprehended by the bull rider's friends, to be taken to the county detox center, and yes, to not have any charges filed against him.

Most states don’t do politics like we do it here.

We shouldn’t keep this wonderful stuff to ourselves. We should share it with the country.

We need to share one other thing, too — our state Ethics Commission.

Yes, we have one. Guess where? In the basement of the Capitol, in a little room with only seven employees, one investigator, and all these rowdy officials to watch over.

Each year, the office goes to the Legislature for more money, but the commission’s operating budget is half what it was five years ago. The commission’s entire budget this fiscal year is only $517,000, in a state with a $7 billion budget.

Commissioner John Raley told me the office was severely understaffed and underfunded.

“We have a backlog of cases because we have limited resources when it comes to investigations,” Raley said. “Sometimes it takes months to respond to allegations that are made.”

Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, put a bill before a House committee to adequately fund the Ethics Commission. Raley said a majority opposed it. He said one legislator called it a “political stunt.”

I expect to hear from the reality show producer any day.

Reach Gerard at 684-2920 or dgerard@muskogeephoenix.com.

Omnibus Specialty Tag Bill Clears House

Legislation dealing with a wide range of specialty license tags was approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.

House Bill 3353, by state Rep. Randy Terrill, creates and
modifies several state specialty car tags. The provisions of the bill were created by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.

"For efficiency reasons, we took several individual specialty tag bills and rolled them into one measure," said Terrill, a Moore Republican who chairs the House Revenue and Taxation Subcommittee.

"After an exhaustive examination, we felt these were
the best proposals submitted this year and worthy of
further consideration. I appreciate the hard work and
cooperation of all the legislators involved."

The legislation creates several new specialty tags,
including the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom Veteran License Plates that would
be available to any honorably discharged or current
member of the United States Armed Forces who served
in those conflicts.

That provision was authored by state Reps. Randy
McDaniel (R-Edmond), John Auffet (D-Stilwell) and
Wallace Collins (a Norman Democrat whose district
includes the Veterans Center).

"We should support and encourage all the brave young
men and women who make great sacrifices to serve
our country overseas during a time of war," McDaniel
said.

"All American soldiers who put themselves in harm's
way deserve recognition for their sacrifice and service."

McDaniel, who served in the Oklahoma Army National
Guard for 11 years, noted the state already issues
special military tags for veterans of other wars.

House Bill 3353 also creates the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation License Plate. The bill requires
that $20 of the $35 generated from license fees for
each diabetes plate be deposited in the Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation License Plate
Revolving Fund to pay for treatment research efforts.

State Rep. Lucky Lamons, a Tulsa Democrat and
former police officer, is author of the diabetes plate
provision as well as language creating a Tulsa Police
Department Memorial License Plate. The bill requires
that $20 of the tag fee for the police plate be deposited
in the Tulsa Police Department Memorial License Plate
Revolving Fund.

A provision authored by state Rep. Eric Proctor would
create In God We Trust License Plates that will be
designed in consultation with the Oklahoma Family
Policy Council.

"Our nation was founded on the principles of
religious freedom and this plate will give
Oklahomans the opportunity to acknowledge
the historical foundations of our country,"
said Proctor, D-Tulsa.

A provision authored by Terrill will create a
Department of Corrections License Plate that
earmarks $20 from each plate fee for the
Oklahoma Correctional Employees Memorial
Foundation.

"Our corrections employees endure a harsh and often
dangerous work environment for relatively little pay,"
Terrill said. "It is appropriate that the state create a
funding mechanism to memorialize DOC employees
who have been injured or killed in the line of duty."

State Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs, authored a
provision creating an Armed Forces Veterans
Motorcycle License Plate. The plates will be issued
to any current member or honorably discharged
member of the United States Armed Forces.

Duncan is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National
Guard and Battalion Commander of the 2/189th
Regiment, a Regional Training Institute in Oklahoma
City.

In addition to creating new license plates, House Bill
3353 also amends law affecting several existing specialty plates.

For example, the bill abolishes the Northern Cherokee
Nation of the Old Louisiana Territory License Plate.

"The Northern Cherokee Nation plate was creating a
lot of confusion because its design is similar to
legitimate tribal tags and because there is no official
federally recognized tribe by that name," said state
Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Pryor Creek. "It was time to get
rid of it."

The bill also restricts the issuance of Civil Emergency
Management License Plates to only individuals
providing proof of their involvement in the state civil
emergency management system.

"There have been cases in recent years where people
have impersonated emergency responders at the scene
of a tragedy," said state Rep. Ken Luttrell, a Ponca City
Democrat who authored that provision.

"That's unacceptable and we hope to reduce that
activity by ensuring only true emergency responders
can obtain one of these specialty plates."

House Bill 3353 also expands the issuance of Gold
Star License Plates to include the spouses of members
of the United States Armed Forces killed during a war.
State Rep. George Faught, a Muskogee Republican who
authored that provision, noted that the Gold Star plate
is currently issued only to parents of a soldier killed in
action.

Another provision authored by state Rep. Jerry
Shoemake, D-Morris, would allow university police
officers to obtain Police Officer License Plates.

House Bill 3353 passed the Oklahoma House of
Representatives today and now proceeds to the state
Senate.

The new House speaker is already showing his differences in leadership style

The new House speaker is already showing his differences in leadership style

By MICK HINTON World Capitol Bureau
2/10/2008

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.

Papers cite more in illegal election funds

Tony Thornton and Michael McNutt in the Oklahoman, has a story in today paper about two more abstract company owners making illegal campaign contributions to Jeff McMahan.

Papers cite more in
illegal election funds

By Tony Thornton and Michael McNutt

Court records unsealed Friday accuse two abstract company owners — including the chairman of a new state board assigned to regulate the industry — of making illegal campaign contributions to state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan.

McMahan had to rely heavily on Randy Dittmann for his 2006 re-election campaign because the main money source for his 2002 campaign, Steve Phipps, was under grand jury investigation, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.

Also included in the affidavit are transcripts of taped conversations in which McMahan's wife allegedly tells Phipps that “as long as we all stick to the same story, we'll be fine.”

The affidavit is part of FBI agent Gary Graff's request in August for a warrant to search the McMahans' Tecumseh home.

The affidavit remained sealed in Oklahoma City's federal courthouse for the last five months, as did a separate court filing showing what was seized.

They were unsealed Friday, when Jeff and Lori McMahan appeared in Muskogee's federal court to face a nine-count indictment accusing both of accepting bribes and illegal contributions from Phipps.

The affidavit is based primarily on information provided by two unnamed informants. Those informants are Phipps and Tim Arbaugh, who oversaw the auditor's abstract division for McMahan, The Oklahoman confirmed. FBI agents recorded conversations between Arbaugh and Lori McMahan, according to the affidavit.

Phipps pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy involving bribes paid to former legislators. He is cooperating with investigators as part of his plea agreement.

The affidavit alleges Phipps spoke to Jeff McMahan in code when discussing illegal campaign contributions he made through other people, called “straw donors.”

Dittman denies claims
Gov. Brad Henry appointed Dittmann in November to the Oklahoma Abstractors Board, which legislators created amid reports of McMahan's ties to Phipps.

Dittmann, 51, was recommended by the Oklahoma Land Title Association and state Reps. Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, and Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, said Paul Sund, Henry's spokesman. Dittmann is on the land title association's board.

According to the affidavit, Arbaugh told McMahan in 2006 that Dittmann was reimbursing employees who made straw donations to McMahan's campaign.

“How many more employees does he have?” the affidavit quotes McMahan as asking Arbaugh.

Asked last week if he was aware of any illegal contributions being made to McMahan's campaign, Dittmann said, “Any of the campaign stuff, I don't know anything about.”

On Friday, he said: “I have no idea what employees donated funds to anybody's campaign by the use of a credit card. I have never given an employee an illegal bonus for anything. I'd like to see this affidavit ... before I make any further comments,”

To read the full story, click here

Ok Demo Party Calls on GOP Leadership to Come Clean about Ethics Violations

Oklahoma Democratic Party Calls on House Republican Leadership to Come Clean about Ethics Violations

Dr. Ivan Holmes, Chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, called on Speaker Lance Cargill and House Republicans to do the right thing by coming forward with the truth about allegations of illegal campaign contributions and expenditures. Revelations about tens of thousands of dollars being funneled from the accounts of Republican lawmakers into the Oklahoma County Republican Party to assist Republican House candidates all over Oklahoma come at a time when the GOP has been plagued by scandal after scandal.

“Despite lip service about family values and morality, the culture of corruption in the Republican Party goes from the State House to the White House. Time and again they have broken the law and violated ethics rules in pursuit of power for the Republican Party, not for the good of Oklahoma or their constituents,” stated Holmes. “It is time they come clean and place statesmanship ahead of partisanship.”

Gary Jones, Chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, has confirmed repeated reports that the Oklahoma Ethics Commission is investigating House Republicans for diverting checks written to the Oklahoma State Republican Party to the Oklahoma County Republican Party for use by their targeted House candidates. Sources have named House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, and Rep. Trebor Worthen, R-Oklahoma City, chairman of the House political action committee that raises money for candidates, as the targets of this investigation.

Even former Republican Speaker of the House Todd Hiett has called on Speaker Cargill to come forward with the truth, "Cargill obviously felt like he was on solid ground. I honestly hope he would come forward with the legal ground that supports that action."

“Not only did Cargill and Worthen mislead the voters of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, but they also misled their own legislative members who believed they were legitimately donating to the State Republican Party,” stated Holmes. “I hope Republican Representative David Dank will join me in calling for his House Republican Leadership to step down as he did for other elected officials who are currently under investigation.” Dank announced he will introduce ethics reform legislation similar to legislation introduced previously by Representative Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, that had been killed in committee by Republican leaders.

Is It Pork Barrel Spending? You Decide...

"Earmarks" are getting a lot of attention in Congress right now. However, the process of using taxpayer money to fund pet projects is not exclusive to Washington, D.C. Oklahoma state lawmakers have been using the same pork-barrel spending system for decades. News On 6 anchor Terry Hood in a News On 6 Investigation reports on why it became so popular.

"We could've used a whole lot more," said former state senator J. Berry Harrison.


Earmarks helped make J. Berry Harrison a popular man in his hometown. In his 16 years in the state Senate, he approved all kinds of handouts for his district. One of the biggest was a $100,000 grant for the renovation of Fairfax's famous Tallchief Theatre. Harrison agrees with the old saying that it's only pork-barrel spending when you don't get any.

"Probably the criticism might come from another senator's district who would like to have the money for himself," said J. Berry Harrison.

"The money that was spent in my district, or whoever got it, is probably the best money spent," said State Rep. Lucky Lamons, (D) Sand Springs.


State representative Lucky Lamons says earmarks allowed him to help all kinds of worthy causes. But he acknowledges some state lawmakers found a way to abuse the system.

"Was there an avenue? Sure. My father used to have a saying, he used to say, 'son, not all knights are noble not all maidens fair,'" said State Rep. Lucky Lamons.

The state legislature uses appropriations bills to spell out how it spends most of your tax dollars. But party leaders also set aside millions of dollars for certain lawmakers to earmark as “special project" or "pass through" money. The money earned that name because it "passed through" Oklahoma's 11 sub-state planning districts, called Councils of Government, or COGs for short.

Legislators have been funding earmarks through the COGs for decades, making it difficult to track who asked for them, and where the money actually went. The News On 6 contacted each individual COG and dig through five years' worth of documents. We uncovered millions of dollars of your money being spent on earmarks from Altus to Vinita, from Broken Bow to Beaver.

You paid to fix the fence at the confederate cemetery in Atoka.

You bought two ceremonial bugles for the VFW post in Sand Springs.

Spent $260,000 to promote tourism at the Har-Ber Village at Grand Lake.

Paid for a rodeo to benefit the town of Chelsea.

Lights at the ballpark in Verden.

You spent $100,000 for international recruitment at the Nigh Institute in Edmond. You built a health facility in Beckham County.

You paid the salary of a translator at Birth Choice of Oklahoma.

And you furnished the cash to complete the "Headin' to Market" statue at the Stockyards in Oklahoma City.

"Did some people take advantage of it? You betcha. Are they under investigation? You betcha. Is one going to go to the penitentiary? Pretty much it looks like it is," said State representative Lucky Lamons.

Lucky Lamons is referring to Mike Mass. Mass is the former Hartshorne state representative who pleaded guilty to mail fraud in what prosecutors say was a scheme to use the “pass-through” system to set up his own kickback. He’s awaiting sentencing in an ongoing federal investigation that involves at least three other former legislators.

"I think the governor saw this and thought there was some inappropriate money being sent and that's why he vetoed it," said State Rep. Lucky Lamons.


The Governor turned off the special project pipeline in 2005, but not before lawmakers used millions of dollars for questionable earmarks. The University of Tulsa got $20,000 to buy video equipment for its football team. How would a private university receive state funds for its athletic program?

"They're all constituent requests. Whatever projects that I would have supported were all constituent requests," said former state senator Kevin Easley.

According to records from the Eastern Oklahoma Development District, a COG based in Muskogee, Kevin Easley earmarked that money. Easley lives in Broken Arrow, and is a TU graduate. Now the CEO of the Grand River Dam Authority, Easley says he does not recall details of the earmarks he sent through the EODD when he was a state senator. That would include the $225,000 which records show he earmarked to a group called the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation.

"That was a project that the voters of Broken Arrow voted for, and supported and constituents had asked for," said Kevin Easley.


Broken Arrow voters did approve a million-dollar bond issue to buy land for a new community center on the east side, a project that is still in the planning stages. But those voters may not have known about Senator Easley's personal connection to it.

"My wife's a volunteer and once the land is secured she will continue to be a volunteer," said Kevin Easley.

But the chairman of the foundation says Easley's wife was more than a volunteer.

"She worked hard on, putting all this together," said Larry Allison with the BA Community Center Foundation.

Broken Arrow realtor Larry Allison says the foundation hired her as executive director. He also says one of the board members is her father. That means two of former senator Easley's family members were involved with the foundation, when he earmarked $225,000 in state funds for it.

News On 6 asked Larry Allison. “You can see where that, why some people might object to that." Larry Allison responded, "Well, I can tell you that she worked very, very hard in what we were trying to accomplish. And that's all I can tell you. How other people look at it is their problem."

The News On 6 wanted to talk to Dee Ann Easley about her work with the Broken Arrow Community Center Foundation, but she never returned our phone calls. Governor Brad Henry used a line-item veto to temporarily halt earmarks, but there is no law to stop

KOTV - 11/28/2007 10:00 PM - Updated 11/29/2007 6:08 AM