| Back in June, many politicians were avoiding the press and would not step up for sound principle on how state funding ought to be done. But State Treasurer, Ken Miller, was not shy about any of it. Here's what he said, at the time.  | For Immediate Release: June 28, 2017 Statement of State Treasurer Ken Miller OKLAHOMA CITY - State Treasurer Ken Miller issued the following statement concerning his vote against final certification of the FY-18 budget during a meeting Wednesday of the State Board of Equalization. "I have labored over this decision and have my own interpretation of the duty of this board. I reject the notion that equalization board members do not have the authority to exercise judgment and vote their conscience. "I believe in co-equal branches ofgovernment and the checks and balances that brings. I do not believe this board should be a rubber stamp. ''If this budget, and the new revenues therein, are worthy of certification, it's hard to imagine one that is not, which would then beg the question of why today's action is even necessary. ''As a former appropriations chair, I have empathy for the great efforts and good intentions of budget negotiators this session. Even so, this budget has problems: violation of the spirit and probably the letter of the state constitution, estimate issues stemming from legal challenges, and continued structural imbalance caused by dependency on one-time funds. "My vote today is not meant to browbeat or cast aspersions, but simply one of conscience.'' Treasurer Miller is commended for his plainly-stated advocacy for making sure the state manages funds properly. |
| Others; like Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, did not go on the record. He avoided repeated calls from the press and citizens. Then, when the supreme court threw out the massive new taxes, Lamb claimed that he was always sure that the taxes were a violation of the constitution. State Auditor, Gary Jones, eventually went on the record when Tulsa talk radio host, Pat Campbell, pressed him. Jones said the taxes were wrongly passed. But both Jones and Lamb certified the ill-fated budget anyway. Jones says he has a different understanding of the duties of the State Board of Equalization. Gary Richardson was the most committed to overturning the unconstitutional taxes and protecting the peoples' constitutional rights in this case. He filed the suit himself. He used his own personal resources and did not seek financial help from others. He hired a great legal team to assist & represent his case. We have no public record from other declared Republican candidates for governor, including Kevin Stitt, Mick Cornett, or Dan Fischer. |  |
