Oklahoma County government has seemingly been in a constant state of change or commotion since January of 2005. It was in that month that my former boss, Stan Inman, led the effort to eliminate the budget board system and give commissioners more control over the budgeting process of the county. This was a very unpopular decision with the other county officials, who believed they were being excluded from the process. From that point forward, there were numerous public disputes between the Board of County Commissioners and the other county officials – including a lawsuit against the Board – and culminating in Stan’s electoral defeat last fall. It was supposed that with a new commissioner things would quiet down at the county. However, this year we have seen charges brought against Commissioner Rinehart for campaign violations, and we are in the middle of a special election to fill the seat of Commissioner Roth, who was appointed to the Corporation Commission. So the turmoil continues. If Commissioner Rinehart is convicted (and I’m not making any assumptions one way or another), there may be another special election for his seat as well. Interestingly enough, despite all of the commotion surrounding or between county officials, the actual work of the county continues to be performed. Some have argued that this reflects the little value of having elected officials in many of these positions. In fact, Commissioner Roth was a strong advocate for changing the entire system of county government. But the drive for that kind of reform has perhaps vanished with Roth’s departure from the Board of County Commissioners. It is often our perception that whatever is happening now is the best or worst that things have ever been. In this case, people make comments like “This is the worst I have ever seen it in county government,” or “It’s never been this bad.” But the truth is, it has been at least this bad, if not worse. Three were multiple county officials indicted in both the eighties and nineties, and friction between elected officials has cost more than one commissioner their seat before. And I think the system is designed to create friction between county officials. We’ve invited Oklahoma County Treasurer Forrest “Butch” Freeman on to the program today to give us more of a historical perspective on county government, as well as to get his thoughts on the upcoming special election, the charges against Commissioner Rinehart, the as-of-yet unsolved issue of the county jail, and whether or not he believes the continued upheaval gives credence to those, like Commissioner Roth, who have argued for a change in the system f county government. Treasurer Freeman is the “Dean” of county officials in Oklahoma County, and has seen quite a lot of change since he first took office in the early 1990s. he certainly knows county government inside and out. Freeman has not only been a serious power broker (my term – not his) in county government, but he has been heavily involved in legislative issues for county governments across the state. He chaired the County Government Legislative Committee (CGLC) for a time. The CGLC is the lobbying arm for county governments across the state. Its influence is well recognized by legislators of both parties. On a personal note, Treasurer Freeman may be the most friendly and upbeat elected official at any level. I have never seen him turn away someone from his office. He usually has a big smile on his face and he enjoys visiting with people. I believe he still works his own counters from time-to-time, assisting constituents with their questions, complaints, or concerns. Posted at 6/27/2007 01:22:00 PM