War of words: Stitt and Drummond at odds over state officials holding dual positions

Gov. Kevin Stitt continued his war of words with Attorney General Gentner Drummond Friday. The two Republican officials have different interpretations of a law about holding more than one position in state government.

A lawsuit, filed by the governor's office this week, is intended to provide clarity on the statute and isn't meant to be adversarial, Stitt told media at his regular news conference on Friday.

In announcing the lawsuit, Stitt said he thought it made sense to appoint "the best people in Oklahoma" to run state agencies and also have them serve in his Cabinet as advisers.

He said the recent AG's opinion that Tim Gatz, director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, could not also be a Stitt Cabinet member "is flat wrong, and in order to continue working to make Oklahoma a top 10 state, a court will need to fix the mess the opinion created.”

Drummond's opinion last week, requested by state Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, said Gatz, who also headed the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and was Stitt’s secretary of transportation, could not hold all three roles at the same time.

Gatz resigned his position just after the opinion was released and since then, the governor has harshly criticized the opinion, calling it a head scratcher.

“... We think we win this,” the governor said at the news conference, adding that it was standard and normal to have department heads serving as cabinet secretaries. “Why wouldn’t I have Secretary Blaine Arthur, who runs the Department of Ag, be my adviser on agriculture issues, right?"

Senate passes bill allowing secretary exemptions; Stitt not sure about signing yet

On Thursday, the state Senate passed Senate Bill 1196, which exempts the secretary of agriculture and the secretary of workforce development from the provision that says a person cannot hold two positions in government at the same time.

Friday, Stitt told the media he didn’t think the legislation was necessary and that it would be redundant when the statute is clear. He said he hadn't seen the legislation yet and was not sure whether he would sign it.

Stitt, who called Drummond's opinion "politically motivated," said, “This is the first time an attorney general has tried to come in and you know, pick on a Cabinet secretary.”

Stitt added that Cabinet secretary positions are an advisory role, noting that Dr. Deborah Shropshire, Oklahoma State Department of Health secretary, receives her salary from the department, and that she is a volunteer on his Cabinet.

“If we can’t call them Cabinet secretaries anymore, and they’re just called advisers for the governor, OK, just tell me what the rules are, but stop picking on, you know, great state employees that have worked in state government for a long time,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Stitt aims to keep secretaries in dual roles despite AG opinion