Jones Calls For Auditor Office Reforms, Claims McMahan's 'Straw Donors' Gave $80,000

Gary Jones today called on the Legislature and the governor to implement immediate reforms in the Oklahoma State Auditor’s office to "help prevent scandals like the current one involving straw donors and the funneling of state funds to Gene Stipe and his partner Steve Phipps."

And appearing on the "Tailgate Political Hour" on radio station KTLR Wednesday afternoon, Jones alleged the total Auditor & Inspector Jeff McMahan received from illegal donors will be $80,000 or more. He said the lower total now being discussed simply represents a matching of names of straw donors to the campaigns of Governor Brad Henry and Congressman Dan Boren to McMahan's donor list and is not a complete picture of money funneled into McMahan's campaign.

Jones, the Republican nominee for the office in 2002 and 2006, said a first reform would be to remove the abstract division from the authority of the state auditor’s office. "The auditor should not be regulating, they should be auditing," he said. "Since the law was changed giving the state auditor control over abstractors they have become the primary funding source for campaign contributions to their hand-picked auditor candidate. This would also stop the practice of approving or disapproving abstract permits in exchange for campaign contributions."

Jones said employees in the office should be merit employees, freeing "them from pressure to contribute and campaign in order to keep their jobs. This would also allow employees of the office to assist in any investigations that might be forthcoming now or in the future."

Jones said he proposed these changes during his campaign and while there may be the need for further reform, these two changes would address concerns as to how and why the scandal developed in the first place.

"Creating a professional working environment where employees feel they can report wrongdoing even when it involves their boss is important especially when you are dealing with the taxpayer’s money," Jone said.

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