Oklahoma governor apologizes for disparaging remarks, celebrates session victories
Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks at a media briefing March 5 at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday he had apologized to a state senator after making disparaging remarks about him and his wife last week.
Stitt also defended his choice for interim commissioner of the state mental health department, despite his lack of experience in mental health.
Stitt drew the ire of lawmakers Thursday as they worked late into the night and into the early hours of Friday morning to overturn over 40 of his vetoes.
He posted a video Thursday afternoon calling on voters to closely watch how lawmakers vote on veto overrides and said the bills he had vetoed were bad for Oklahoma.
Later in the evening as lawmakers prepared a measure to fire mental health Commissioner Allie Friesen, the governor, who had appointed and ardently supported Friesen throughout the agency's financial disarray, put out a statement that drew a senator's wife into the mix.
Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, were the authors of the measure to fire Friesen. It said the Legislature had 'lost confidence' in her ability to lead the state agency.
Stitt called Friesen's firing a 'politically motivated witch hunt' and questioned if Rosino and West had something to gain by firing her.
'Josh West and Paul Rosino need to first answer what they stand to gain from Allie Friesen being removed,' he said in his Thursday statement. 'What are they trying to keep covered up? What conflicts of interest are they trying to hide? Is Senator Rosino trying to help his wife avoid responsibility for her role in the finance department there? Oklahomans deserve answers.'
Rosino, who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and co-chairs a select committee investigating the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services' finances, said Thursday his wife works as a 'low level, part-time' employee at the agency.
Stitt's statement, compounded with his video calling on Oklahomans to vote out lawmakers who voted to overturn his vetoes, led to dozens of lawmakers publicly calling Stitt out Thursday night.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said Friday morning the video Stitt had posted frustrated lawmakers and disrupted 'good faith' negotiations between the Legislature and the Governor's Office.
He also said it was 'beneath the dignity of his office' to attack a senator's wife.
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said Friday he was disappointed by the governor's comments.
'You know, we all say things sometimes that we wish we could take back. But this wasn't something that was said out of context,' Paxton said Friday. 'It was something written down and approved that was put out. And in my nine years here, I've seen lots of things where there's lots of criticism of members. I've never seen something like that on a member's spouse.'
When discussing the measure to fire Friesen in the Senate, senators were unified in speaking against Stitt's comments – all but one of the senators who rose to debate the measure spoke against the statement. The Senate voted 43-1 to fire Friesen and the House voted 81-5.
But Wednesday afternoon, Stitt apologized and said 'it was my fault' for letting emotions run high.
'I do regret that. I called and apologized to him and his wife,' Stitt said. 'I let the emotions get the better of me and I should not have done that. … I'm just trying to point out any kind of conflict. We have to make sure that, you know, if you're in the pharmaceutical business, you shouldn't be running pharmaceutical bills. If you're in this industry, you shouldn't be running this bill.'
Rosino could not be reached for comment, but a Senate spokesperson confirmed he and his wife had accepted Stitt's apology.
The Republican governor also defended Rear Admiral Gregory Slavonic as his choice to temporarily fill Friesen's position as head of the mental health department.
Slavonic has a long history working in government and previously ran the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs, but has no experience in mental health.
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'He's not a mental health expert, he's more of a business person,' Stitt said Wednesday. 'He's somebody that I think can do the job.'
The agency needed supplemental funding from the Legislature for this budget year and has been embroiled in investigations and audits following reports of financial disarray, including being unable to make payroll.
Stitt took a victory lap as he celebrated successes from the legislative session.
He said Oklahoma is now on the path to eliminating the income tax after the Legislature passed a .25% income tax cut, with further cuts when revenue reaches specified levels.
Stitt also applauded legislation he said eliminated various fines, fees and court costs for people recently released from incarceration, a priority he mentioned during his State of the State address at the beginning of session.
Expanding apprenticeship and internship programs in Oklahoma was another victory Stitt brought up Wednesday.
'This was an amazing session,' he said. 'I thought it was one of my best sessions we've ever had in seven years.'
Reporter Ylleana Berryhill contributed to this report.
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