Oklahoma AG Drops Governor’s Refiling Of ClassWallet Lawsuit
State Attorney General Gentner Drummond dismissed a lawsuit Monday that was filed by Gov. Kevin Stitt last month. The case was against a Florida vendor involved in a pandemic relief program that misspent federal dollars. Drummond holds the Stitt administration and State Superintendent Ryan Walters responsible — not the company.
An investigation in May 2022 by nonprofit news outlets Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier initially revealed hundreds of thousands of dollars misspent on items like Christmas trees and power washers through a federally funded program aimed at getting virtual learning resources to low-income families. That was all with written blanket approval from the then-CEO of the nonprofit that oversaw the program — Ryan Walters. A state audit later found nearly $2 million in questionable expenditures.
Oklahoma’s former attorney general filed suit against the Florida company that disbursed the funds, ClassWallet. But Drummond dismissed it when he took over, saying it was the fault of “state actors,” not the company.
The Tulsa World reported this weekend Governor Kevin Stitt requested Drummond refile the suit last month, which he declined and instead pointed blame at Walters and the Stitt administration.
Stitt refiled through a private attorney. But in a Monday press release, Drummond announced he has assumed control of the lawsuit and dismissed it. He says he QUOTE, “will not sit idly by while taxpayer funds are threatened by frivolous suits for political cover.”
Special Elections Taking Place Across Oklahoma
Voters in 57 Oklahoma counties will head to the polls today, with a big focus on school bond proposals.
Voters in the Edmond Public Schools district will decide the fate of a $147 million dollar bond package that, if passed, would fund the construction of a new elementary school, a new middle school and a new Freshman Academy at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
More bonds will be considered in three Tulsa-area school districts, including Jenks and Bixby. But, the largest funding sought in the area comes from Sand Springs. That district is asking for approval of nearly $115 million dollars to build a new addition to Clyde Boyd Middle School and upgrade the press box at Charles Page High School.
Norman Councilmembers Election
In Norman, half of the city's eight wards will head to the polls to choose their councilmembers.
City Council seats for Wards 2, 4, 6, and 8 are up for election today.
Ward 2 has five candidates running, including current Ward 8 councilmember Matthew Peacock, Norman Care-A-Vans cofounder Russell Rice, political science professor Aleisha Karjala, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Oklahoma executive director Jeff Dismukes, and Ray Howerton.
Ward 4’s current councilmember, Helen Grant, is running for reelection against retired accountant Judy Moss.
Ward 6’s candidates are pastor Jerry Drewery and banker Joshua Hinkle. Ward 8’s candidates are healthcare worker Kyle Hurley and National Guard veteran Scott Dixon.
Moore To Elect New Mayor In 3 Decades
Voters in Moore head to the polls to decide who will become the city’s next mayor.
Jeff Arvin and Mark Hamm are on the ballot. The winner will become Moore’s first new mayor in 30 years.
Current Mayor Glenn Lewis is retiring from public office. Lewis has been Moore’s mayor since 1994.
He led the city through unprecedented economic growth during the last 3 decades, despite deadly tornadoes that struck the city in 1999 and 2013.
State Election Board Approves New GOP Members For Oklahoma County
Oklahoma County’s Election Board has two new Republican members.
The Oklahoma State Election Board appointed two new Republican members to the Oklahoma County Election Board, following the removal of two GOP members.
Former state lawmaker Wayne Pettigrew and Ernie Wiggins, a retired pharmaceutical sales representative from Edmond, were appointed.
The nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Watch reports both individuals underwent questioning about their experience and understanding of election processes before being unanimously approved by the State Election Board.
The appointment of Pettigrew and Wiggins was endorsed by Ken Warner, chairman of the Oklahoma County Republican Party. He says he’s confident in their ability to uphold election integrity.
Lawmakers Consider Industrial Hemp Task Force
Oklahoma lawmakers are eyeing a new Industrial Hemp Task Force. A bill creating a group to study the crop sailed through Oklahoma’s Senate Agriculture Committee Monday.
Hemp was grown throughout the U.S. during the 1940s. And one of the measure’s authors, state Sen. Roland Pederson, says people already know it’s a viable crop for Oklahoma.
“I think we could produce it as good as anybody in the nation as far as climate and everything goes," said Pederson.
Oklahoma legalized hemp in 2019, shortly after the nation made it legal in 2018.
Pederson helped conduct an interim study on the crop last year and one of the recommendations of that study included creating a task force.
State lawmakers, agencies and research universities would appoint members to the group.
Pederson says they would study industrial hemp to support the industry. But this excludes the production of hemp flowers for therapeutic purposes like CBD.
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