Del City leaders are petitioning for a grand jury investigation into an Oklahoma County commissioner for alleged corruption amid ongoing attempts by the county to declare sovereignty over a contentious new jail site .
Del City Mayor Floyd Eason; state Rep. Andrew Fugate, D-Del City; and Gina Standridge, Mid-Del Public Schools board member, filed a petition Tuesday in Oklahoma County District Court against District 3 County Commissioner Myles Davidson . The petition requested a grand jury investigate Davidson for “corruption in office and willful maladministration.”
The trio alleges Davidson has acted “for personal or private interest gains, and with no regard for the constituents of Oklahoma County District 3 or the citizens of Oklahoma County,” according to the petition.
Davidson has fallen under intense criticism for his actions during recent negotiations for a proposed jail site at 1901 E Grand Blvd. near the boundary between Oklahoma City and Del City.
Petitioners allege commissioner was 'negligent in his ethical duties'
Many residents called for Davidson to recuse himself after it was discovered he’d held a decades-long friendship with a part owner of the proposed property, Patrick Garrett, and that he had accepted donations from Garrett during his successful 2022 campaign for the commissioner seat. He denied, however, that the donation swayed his support for the potential jail site.
Petitioners also claim Davidson was “negligent in his ethical duties” when he failed to properly disclose all of his campaign contributions with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission . The petition also mentions an open records request, filed by Standridge, seeking documents and communications between Davidson and others about a potential “land swap” for the Crooked Oak School District.
Text messages later obtained and shared with The Oklahoman showed conversations between Davidson and an oversight committee appointee discussing, among other topics, a potential new tax increment finance district centered around the current downtown jail site and a strategy to use federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for a mental health facility at the proposed new site.
Petitioners say that Davidson should be investigated for corruption “because of his unethical and wrongful use of his authority as a public official to vote, rather than abstain” from matters involving the East Grand Boulevard site due to several alleged conflicts of interest.
More: Del City opponents want detailed look at Oklahoma County's jail plans
They also accuse Davidson of “willful maladministration” because of what they described as his “unethical” withholding of information from the Open Records request.
“Mr. Davidson has shown little regard for the moral and ethical integrity of his office as Oklahoma County Commissioner and developed a culture of mistrust between the residents of Oklahoma County and the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners, as well as a general lack of accountability and transparency,” the petitioners wrote.
In a statement Tuesday, Davidson reiterated that petitioners Eason, Fugate and Standridge “have neglected to reach out to me regarding this situation” and that he “would be happy to have a conversation” with them.
“As of now, I’m not a party to this debate,” Davidson said. “The facts are clear: my vote on the relocation of the jail is based on the critical need for modern, humane detention facilities that can better serve our community. Our current facilities pose significant risks and challenges. I’ve been a leader on this issue and will continue to lead regardless of any criticism or grandstanding.”
Related: Missing campaign finance reports may cost Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson
Petition comes amid jail planning, scrutiny
The petition was filed a week after the Board of Oklahoma County Commissioners filed its own request for judicial review, asking a district judge to rule in the county’s favor regarding a special use permit to rezone the E Grand Boulevard site for the jail project.
The Oklahoma City Council voted 7-1 to deny the county’s permit in May , with Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone, the representative for the area containing the proposed jail site, arguing that the project was not adequately funded. Residents voted in 2022 to approve a $260 million bond package to fund construction of a new jail, but recent estimates show that projected costs will actually run more than $600 million .
The city had previously offered land near the Will Rogers World Airport as a possible location for a new county jail site. The city withdrew this offer, however, when Federal Aviation Administration requirements showed that the land needed to stay compatible with airport use purposes if it was going to continue federal funding for improvements and maintenance.
In the judicial review petition last Tuesday, assistant county district attorneys argued that county commissioners had sought the city’s approval for the proposed jail site in good faith, even though they claimed, “City approval is not clearly required by law.” Attorneys also evoked a familiar image from the syndicated “Peanuts” comic strip to describe “the City’s deteriorating respect for the County’s governmental authority and the inability of the City to recognize the limitations of its own authority.”
The county twice “has selected a proposed jail site location that the city officials and staff appeared to support only for the City’s voting boards to swoop in at the last minute like the cartoon character Lucy and pull the proverbial football out from under the County,” attorneys wrote. They also claim that the city has, “in bad faith,” withheld payment from the county for any costs of municipal inmate housing for the past fiscal year.
Attorneys further argued that because the need for a new jail was in the vital interest of all of Oklahoma County residents , including Oklahoma City, that the city council had acted “outside of its zoning power and authority” and that city officials had made “an unlawful attempt” to control county detention facilities by municipal ordinance.
The county is requesting through “superior sovereign immunity” that the court should block the city’s denial of the county’s zoning permit and to further prohibit any attempt from the city to stop the county from building the jail project at the E Grand Boulevard site.
A spokeswoman for Oklahoma City said she could not comment on the litigation involving the city.
More: Schematic designs for new county jail aim to reduce criminal justice needs, designer says
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Del City leaders petition for grand jury investigation into Oklahoma County commissioner
Most Popular
Comments / 0