Public relations nightmare averted
Capitol Spotlight for weeklies for week of July 1, 2007
By Jim Campbell
OPA Capitol News Bureau
Oklahoma skirted a public relations nightmare replete with ghoulish images and potential public outrage at service snarls in a time of grief.
Legislative leaders announced they will provide nearly $1 million by March 1 to head off a predicted calamity in the state medical examiner's office that was sure to focus an unwelcome spotlight on Oklahoma.
Chief Investigator Kevin Rowland had warned in letters to district attorneys and funeral directors that lack of funding could lead to a lengthy backup in death investigations, life insurance claim payments, bodies to be removed from the state for burial and cremation permits. 
Saying it was not a "scare tactic," Rowland visualized bodies overflowing from autopsy labs stacking up in refrigerated trucks outside the agency. Loss of accreditation was certain, he said.
The warning, less than a month after the 2007 Legislature ended, apparently was triggered by the chief medical examiner's impending departure for another job, which coincided with retirement of the deputy chief medical examiner. Rowland said the agency lacked the money to offer competitive salaries for replacements.
The $980,000 in an agreement by House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, and Senate co-presidents Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, and Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, will go for salaries - boosting the chief medical examiner from $185,000 to $235,000 and the deputy from $162,807 to $185,000.
New funds also will permit hiring of three more pathologists, with salaries to be raised from a $l20,000-$146,000 range to a $150,000-$185,000 range.
Another $57,500 will go for equipment, fixtures and continuing education.
The amount in the deal matches that requested by Rowland, who said it should allow the agency to recruit new physicians and perhaps keep some considering departure.
Cargill issued a statement saying his office would have responded sooner had it been told of an impending crisis.
"While we continue to have serious concerns about why problems about the medical examiner's office were not brought to the attention of legislative leaders until about a week ago," said Cargill, "we are committed to funding public safety needs."
Gov. Brad Henry told reporters he will work with the Office of State Finance to make sure money is available to fill positions until March.
"We certainly don't want to stack up the load any more than it already is in the medical examiner's office," he said.
Cargill also cautioned, "We will scrutinize every dollar of funding the medical examiner's office receives. And as we have begun to do with other state agencies, we will look for opportunities and cost savings, as well as explore possible opportunities for consolidation."
The medical examiner's office made a funding request at the outset of the session but did not follow up or emphasize urgency, lawmakers said.
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Former State Rep. Mike Mass, facing sentencing on mail fraud conspiracy charges, was publicly reprimanded by the State Ethics Commission on three counts of violating ethics rules by failing to report almost $140,000 in income.
 "During the years 2004, 2005 and 2006, Mass filed financial disclosure statements which failed to report substantial income, much of it from consulting fees," Commission Chairman James Loy said.
Amounts obtained by subpoenaing various bank accounts were listed as $42,000, $49,500 and "at least $46,790.27," he said.
Loy said the commission found the material facts were not in dispute.
"The three counts show a deliberate intent to hide income, which the law requires be disclosed," Loy said.
The former chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee pleaded guilty in federal court at Muskogee to the same charge as Pittsburg County businessman Steve Phipps, a former business partner of former state Sen. Gene Stipe, D-McAlester.
Two companies owned by Phipps provided about $100,000 of the money.
Phipps admitted paying legislators kickbacks in return for $2.7 million in taxpayer funds. 
Federal prosecutors have reported Mass received about $250,000 in kickbacks between 2000 and 2005. He pleaded guilty to the charge in April.
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Freshman Democratic State Sen. Andrew Rice of Oklahoma City plans to travel the state to gauge support for a race next year for the  U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Jim Inhofe of Tulsa, who is expected to seek another term.
A Website was established some time ago by Kurt Hochenhauer devoted to urging Rice to run. Rice said he has been gratified by expressions of support.
"It appears that most of you agree that Oklahoma deserves a U.S senator  who will tackle our greatest challenges with common sense, not partisan ideology," Rice said.
No proven statewide vote-getters among the Democrats, such as Gov. Brad Henry or Attorney General Drew Edmondson, have indicated intentions to run. 
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