TRANSCRIPT
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley. The State Board of Education was scheduled to hold its August meeting on Thursday, but the meeting was canceled the day before, and some of the board members are invoking a seldom used state law to schedule another meeting. Shawn, is this action unusual?
Shawn Ashley: Yes, it is. The statute allowing the majority of the board to call a special meeting has been on the books since 1971, 54 years. In the 30 years I've been at the Capitol, I can't recall this provision ever being invoked. The meeting notice is on the Secretary of State's website, a legal requirement. But as we record this, the State Department of Education has yet to post a notice or an agenda for the meeting, another legal requirement. Bob Burke, the attorney for the board members who invoked the rule, said he would go to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday to seek a writ of mandamus to force the department to post an agenda if it had not done so. So, this is a still developing story.
Dick Pryor: Also on Thursday, State Representative Michelle McCane, a Democrat from Tulsa, hosted a forum at the Capitol with education advocates from around the state. What was the purpose of that event, and what did they talk about?
Shawn Ashley: McCane said she originally called for people to gather on Thursday afternoon because it would give them an opportunity to speak with one another and elected officials about their concerns regarding education. When Thursday's state board meeting was canceled, McCain said the forum seemed even more important. Parents, educators, and education advocates discussed what they see as immediate and long-term problems facing the state, concerns about Superintendent Walters, and the support of children and educators. Multiple parents and educators said they are worried about students being left behind in classrooms where they do not seem to have adequate support.
Dick Pryor: State Attorney General Gentner Drummond has weighed in on the controversy over whether the Oklahoma Highway Patrol can stop serving in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. First, Shawn, the backstory, and then what has Drummond determined?
Shawn Ashley: The Oklahoma Highway Patrol announced in July, it would shift resources, troopers, out of the metro areas and into rural areas where it has a smaller presence, leaving the majority of traffic enforcement on the interstates to metropolitan and suburban police and sheriff's departments. In an opinion Wednesday Drummond said, in part, “this office concludes that the OHPs primary law enforcement authority respecting traffic related defenses on Oklahoma's interstates is a mandatory duty that cannot be abdicated in favor of local law enforcement, either in urban or rural areas.”
Dick Pryor: One of Governor Kevin Sitt's longest-serving advisors and agency heads is resigning. Steven Harpe announced his resignation as executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, that it will be effective at the end of September. Did he say why he's leaving?
Shawn Ashley: Harpe said he will be returning to the private sector. Now keep in mind, Harpe was one of Stitt's first recruits from the private sector to government service in 2019, Stitt’s first year in office. Harpe joined the Office of Management and Enterprise Services as Deputy Director of Technology and then became the agency's director in January of 2020 and led it until October, 2022 when he was named Executive Director of the Department of Corrections. Harpe has a long resume in the private sector, so it's not surprising he was able to find another job or another job was able to find him as he moves out of government service. And keep in mind, we are about to enter Stitt's final year in office. So, we likely will see other high-profile appointees returning to the private sector or taking other government leadership roles.
Dick Pryor: Indeed, it's a common practice. Senate and House Democrats will start a series of community discussions – Capitol Conversations - on September 4th. The House Republican Caucus is doing something similar - what they call their Capitol to Community Tour. Members of Congress have done this for years, but is this something new for state legislators?
Shawn Ashley: It is and it isn't. It's not uncommon for legislators to speak with their constituents at public forums in their districts. And during the 2022 redistricting, a lot of members praised the road show that they did to bring in constituent involvement into the redrawing of those districts, particularly now Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, who chaired the Senate's efforts in that regard. You know, at the same time, our federal legislators seem to be doing this less and less and are missing out on hearing directly from the folks they represent.
Dick Pryor: Thank you, Shawn.
Shawn Ashley: You’re very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find video of Capitol Insider segments on the KGOU YouTube channel. Audio and transcripts are at kgou.org and look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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