Nations: Cargill's resignation expected

OKLAHOMA CITY — While some of the state’s political leaders were caught off guard by House Speaker Lance Cargill’s resignation Monday, some members of Cleveland County’s legislative delegation said they weren’t too surprised.

Monday, Cargill resigned as speaker, following published stories that indicated he had failed to pay his property tax on time, did not file state personal income tax returns and is under an Ethics Commission investigation because of his fundraising activities.

State Rep. Bill Nations, D-Norman, said Cargill’s tax problems had been the “topic of discussion” among House members for several months. “Personally, I’m not surprised,” he said. “I know there’s been a lot of discussion (over this) for a while.”

And while Nation said he “hated to see anything bad” happen to Cargill, he said Cargill’s resignation “might be the best thing for the GOP caucus this legislative session.”

“Him continuing as speaker would have made it very difficult for the GOP to operate in the House,” he said. “There would have been a cloud over him. With the welfare of the citizens of the State of Oklahoma in mind, (the) resignation is probably the best thing.”

Moore Republican Paul Wesselhoft agreed.

“Rep. Cargill is not a victim of the media,” Wesselhoft said. “He brought some of these problems on himself and now he’s having to face the full responsibility of that. I’m sure it was a tough decision for him to make.”

Cargill’s resignation, Wesselhoft said, makes for a “brighter future” for the GOP. “We can move forward now that we have this resolved.”

But other political experts say Cargill’s resignation — coming just a week before the beginning of the next legislative session — could hamper some of the GOP’s legislative agenda.

Don Hoover, an Oklahoma City Democratic campaign consultant said Cargill had no choice but to resign because House Republicans had spent “a great deal of time” talking about tax issues and tax cuts.

“The Speaker of the House is the face of the Oklahoma Republican Party right now,” Hoover said. “They’ve talked a lot about tax cuts and tax polity. So I’m not surprised there’s pressure to make a change.”

And that change, Hoover said, is going to throw Republicans “off their game.”

“The timing is unfortunate for Republicans,” he said. “Mainly because it’s the beginning of the legislative session. Now there’s lots of dust in the air and it will take some time for it to settle.”

Still, Hoover said the House Republicans should survive with their majority intact.

“I would say it will have minimal impact on maintaining control of the House,” he said. “The Republicans have a solid majority. They are not in control because of Lance Cargill, they are in control because for years Oklahoma has been trending in the GOP’s direction.”

Cargill is the second House leader to be forced out of his position in recent history. Eighteen years ago, on May 17, 1989, then-Speaker Jim Barker, a Democrat from Muskogee, was forced out the speaker’s office following a 72-25 vote.