Oklahoma governor names cabinet secretaries after controversy • Oklahoma Voice

OKLAHOMA CITY – After losing a public battle over Cabinet secretaries, Gov. Kevin Stitt quietly renamed them “chief advisers.”

In the meantime, he has reinstated his former transport minister as one of his “advisors”.

However, it was unclear on Friday whether the name change was enough to circumvent a court ruling in May that barred cabinet secretaries from holding other leadership positions at the state level.

“The governor began considering this change when it became clear that a particular official was increasingly interested in targeting state employees for political purposes,” said Meyer Siegfried, Stitt’s spokesman.

Siegfried did not specify which government official he was referring to.

Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Senator Mary BoringD-Norman, both have questioned Stitt’s appointments of state officials who serve in other capacities.

The name change was first reported by QuorumCall, a subscription-based online messaging and bill tracking service.

After Drummond announced on February 28 Opinion On the grounds that members of Stitt’s cabinet could not hold office simultaneously, Tim Gatz and Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell resigned from their cabinet posts.

Gatz had been Secretary of Transportation. He retained his position as head of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, but resigned as head of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

Pinnell had been Minister for Human Resources Development.

On March 7, Stitt and three of his cabinet secretaries met sued Drummond. Minister for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Shelley Zumwalt later removed her name as Cabinet Secretary and from the suit, leaving Blayne Arthur and Dr. Deborah Shropshire as plaintiffs.

Zumwalt is executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.

Arthur served as Secretary of Agriculture and remains head of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Shropshire is head of the Department of Human Services but has not been confirmed as Human Services Secretary.

In a statement issued on 31 May commandOklahoma County District Judge Richard C. Ogden wrote, “Cabinet secretaries are officers or officials of the State of Oklahoma and are not exempt from the statutory prohibition on dual office.”

Stitt announced that he would appeal and renamed his cabinet secretaries to chief advisers.

Gatz returned as chief transportation adviser.

Siegfried said Stitt’s decision to change the name “was further solidified when the senate has chosen to neglect his duties to give advice and consent to the Governor’s nominations and not even hold hearings on two of his Cabinet nominations this session.”

Siegfried said he did not know if and how much the consultants would be paid.

Drummond’s office did not respond Friday to a question about whether the title change addressed his concerns about holding dual offices.

“Our office’s response is that we are pleased with the judge’s decision and look forward to defending it on appeal,” said spokeswoman Leslie Berger.