The head of a major Oklahoma agency announced his resignation Monday, days after the state’s chief law enforcement officer sent the governor a letter questioning his actions.
Rick Rose resigned as head of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and as state chief operating officer, a post he held since August 2024, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Monday. His resignation is effective Sept. 26.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond last week sent Stitt a letter accusing Rose of “refusing to process a statutorily authorized transaction for my office – presumably at your instruction.”
Rose refused to process the purchase of vehicles for agents in his office, Drummond wrote.
“His stated reason for doing so is that I have not responded to an unrelated inquiry from his office seeking information he already has,” Drummond wrote.
Drummond asked Stitt to remove Rose from office if he was not acting on a request from Stitt. Drummond said if the action came at Stitt’s request, the governor’s actions “represent a serious misuse of your authority, causing direct harm to the ability of my law enforcement agents to do their job.”
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services handles a number of functions for state agencies and offices, including finance, human resources and information technology.
Drummond’s office provided the letter shortly after Stitt announced that Rose was leaving office.
Drummond asked Stitt to take immediate action to resolve the matter.
Stitt’s office and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an Aug. 18 letter received by Drummond, Rose asked the agency to fill out a form with questions about why the office’s staffing had increased since 2019. It was not clear how many offices and agencies received the letter.
The questionnaire indicated the Attorney General’s Office had a staffing level of 201 in 2019, a figure which rose to 321 currently. The Oklahoma Legislature over the years has assigned the office additional responsibilities.
Drummond, who is running for governor, became attorney general on Jan. 9, 2023, after defeating John M. O’Connor, who Stitt tapped to replace Mike Hunter, who resigned.
Rose previously served as chief of staff and special counsel to former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, who termed out and is running for governor.
Drummond said he believes his letter to Stitt played a role in Rose’s departure.
Stitt and Drummond have disagreed on numerous issues, including the use of state dollars for a Catholic charter school, tribal relations and dual-office holding.
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