Stadium expansion approved by OU Regents

The University of Oklahoma’s Board of Regents approved a policy which — at a later date — could allow OU to sponsor a charter school, endorsed a $15 million expansion of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and made major changes to its retirement policy during its December meeting.

The board met Wednesday at the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

With all seven regents attending, the group endorsed phase four of a multi-million dollar expansion project of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

That project, athletic director Joe Castiglione said, would include renovation and improvements to the football team facilities; including the locker room, shower and restroom areas located in the Barry Switzer Center.

“This will allow us to address the need for additional space for sports medicine,” Castiglione said. “We also anticipate building a team room.”

Castiglione said the project includes refurbishing the west mezzanine of the stadium. An area, he said, “that’s been abandoned for a number of years.”

“With that we can expand offices, and add some to space to take care of our fans,” he said.

Total budget for the project, documents show, is $15 million; of that figure, $12.5 million is the “guaranteed maximum price” for construction.

University officials also took the first step toward sponsoring a charter school with the adoption of four-page policy, by a quick, 7-0 vote.

“The policy is required to allow the university, if we were to decide to, to enter into an agreement to sponsor a charter school,” OU president David Boren said. “But any such agreement would be brought back to the board.”

That policy, he said, would “open the door” to the possibility of a charter school sponsorship.

“This would give us an opportunity to help meet some special needs,” Boren said. “To go into areas of education where there are particular areas of specialty and implement new ideas in education. This would allow us to receive applications.”

State law allows charter schools in districts which have an “average daily membership” of 5,000 or more and which are located in counties having more than 500,000 in population.

Only Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, Boren said, are eligible for charter schools.

“Clearly, an application would have to come from Oklahoma City or Tulsa county,” he said. “And we would bring it to you at that time.”

Acknowledging the high cost of health care, the regents approved major changes to the university’s retirement policy.

Recommended by OU’s Contribution Strategy and Health Insurance Options Committee, the new policy is the first “in a series of recommendations” proposed by the group.

Under the proposal, new employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2008, would be responsible for 100 percent of the cost required to participate in OU medical and dental plans upon reaching retirement.

“The employees, upon meeting retirement eligibility, would continue to be eligible to participate in the university’s medical and dental plans at retirement,” the proposal states, “... but would be responsible for 100 percent of the cost, less any applicable Teacher’s Retirement System contribution.”

Those employees would “continue to be eligible for other retiree benefits currently listed in the Retirement Policy,” including free parking and library privileges.

The university picks up “a majority” of the cost of health benefits for its retired employees.

The new policy, Boren said, was necessary because of the rapidly escalating cost of health care. “This is no way changes our current responsibility to current employees or retirees,” he said.

Boren said the change was reflective of “what is happening in the private and public sector.”

“We are simply not able to guarantee new hires ... that when they retire, we will pay virtually the whole cost of their participation in their health insurance benefits. By taking this action today, we protect ourselves with new employees from undertaking obligations that we might not be able to meet.”

In other action, the regents approved:

• A resolution honoring Andrea DenHoed, who was named a 2008 American Rhodes Scholarship recipient, the university’s 27th Rhodes Scholar. DenHoed, Boren said, is a letters and international studies major from Aurora, Colo., and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Oxford in England.

• Awarding a posthumous Doctor of Philosophy degree to Dr. Monty Menhusen.

• A professional service agreement with HCA Health Services of Oklahoma for $2,513,400 per year.

• A professional service agreement with Academic Physicians Insurance Company for $918,666.

• Spending $7,506,000 for renovation of the Basic Services Education Building for Medical Student Education Facilities.

• An $850,000 advertising contract with BVK Advertising Services of Westmont, Ill., for a collaborative advertising contract with the OU medical Center and the Health Sciences Center on behalf of OU Physicians.

• $134,630 contract with Midwest Towers, Inc., for cooling tower repair.

• $175,000 to Central Oklahoma Parking and Transportation Authority for the purchase of three buses.

• Choosing the architectural firm of McFarland, Davies Architects PLC to plan, design and oversee construction of OU’s North Tulsa Clinic project.

• Spending $296,800 to purchase a flow cytometer from BD Biosciences of California.

• Authorizing OU administrators to acquire property located at 1420 Lincoln to use for parking space “for the foreseeable future.”

• Spending $141,300 with the Segal Company of Chicago for benefits consulting.

• Hiring Oklahoma City’s Elliott+Associates Architects to provide professional services for the university’s Boat House project.

• Spending $126,643 with Lumenate, Inc., to provide Sun Microsystems hardware, software and maintenance services.

• Spending $190,000 for sports video production services with Oklahoma City-based Visual Image, Inc.

• Changes to the Regent’s Fund Statement of Investment Policy.

In Norman: Voting in the dark

Wrapped in blankets and huddled around a portable kerosene heater, Pat Collins, Laura Wilcox and Corene Siglin sat in the dark at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church’s Parish Center.

They arrived at 6 a.m.

They came prepared — coffee, snacks and things to work on if they got bored.

And they’ll be at St. Joseph’s for a while; at least 12 hours.

Still, for the trio — precinct workers for the Cleveland County Election Board — Tuesday was just another day; there was an elction to work and Collins, Wilcox and Siglin each had a job to do — that is, inspector, clerk and judge.

They welcomed voters, checked names against the precinct list, handed out ballots and answered questions.

Only this time they did their jobs in the dark and cold.

The weekend’s ice storm may have downed power lines and left more than 25,000 Norman residents without power, but it didn’t change the world for the employees of the Cleveland County Election Board. Tuesday was election day, and the vote went on.

“People are voting, the election is happening,” Collins said. “Even without power. It shows us we can survive.”

With about 80 pecent of the election board’s precincts without power, election board staffers did things “the old-fashioned way,” said Paula Roberts, Cleveland County’s election board secretary.

“People voted,” she said. “They voted in the dark, but they voted.”

Sure, the ballots are the same. And there’s a big blue voting machine in the lobby. But for this election, Roberts and her staff hand processed a majority of the ballots.

With flashlights.

And portable heaters.

A lots of coffee.

“We’ve stored the ballots in the voting machines at each precinct and then brought the ballots here, to the election board office, and counted them.”

Once at the election board office, the ballots were hand fed into three voting machines stationed at the lobby to tablulate results.

Those machines, Roberts said, were powered and working, thanks in part to a loaned electric generator.

Roberts said Cleveland County District 3 Commissioner Rusty Sullivan brought her office a gas-powered generator, which provided some heat, light and powered the voting machines, allowing workers to process Tuesday’s election results.

“We do have some power,” she said. “We’ll be able to count the ballots with three machines we’ve got set up in the lobby.”

But at the vast majority of the county’s 70 precincts, electricity was Tuesday a rare commodity Tuesday.

“We did things by hand,” Roberts said. “But each precinct had a cell phone. They all know the procedure. Things went pretty smoothly.”

Back at St. Joseph’s, Collins, Wilcox and Siglin took the storm and the problems it caused in stride.

“It’s not that bad,” Wilcox said. “We watched it rain and tried to stay warm.”

As she spoke, the precinct’s 10th voter walked through the door.

Using a flashlight, Siglin showed the woman where to sign her name in the precinct book; Wilcox handed her the ballot.

A few minutes later, another ballot was cast.

“We set up close to the door to take advantage of the light,” Collins said. “But there wasn’t much at 6 a.m. this moring.”

As the woman left, Collins handed her an “I voted” sticker.

“Here’s you a sticker,” she said. “You earned it today.”

So did the staff of Cleveland County’s Election Board.

“It’s been a weird day,” Roberts said. “But we’re going to make it.”

Collins agreed.

“The post office isn’t the only one who works in rain, sleet, snow and hail,” she said.

Church responds to former pastor's lawsuit

MOORE -- Dr. Jimmy Lady, the former associate pastor of the Moore's First Baptist Church, was fired from his job for "unacceptable ministerial services, disruptive conduct, interfering with other employees' work and excessive unexcused absences," and not because church officials thought he was bipolar, recently filed court documents charge.

Those documents are the latest filed in a civil lawsuit against the First Baptist Church of Moore.

In his suit, Lady claims he was fired because church officials believed he was bipolar. Additionally, Lady said church leaders spread "false rumors about his mental health through the community."

"Although a man of God, Dr. Lady cannot ignore the dramatic, adverse effects these untrue and unfair accusations have had on him and his family," Lady's attorney, Andrew Hicks said.

And while Lady's suit said the former associate pastor is seeking $10,000 in actual damages and $10,000 in punitive damages, at least one court document puts the figure much higher.

In an Aug. 17th letter from Hicks to church officials, Hicks says settlement in the case "will require the Church to pay Dr. Lady $2 million in compensation for his lost wages, retirement benefits, mental anguish and attorneys' fees."

Church officials continue to deny Lady's allegations.

In a 156-page motion to dismiss filed Nov. 17, the church -- through attorney Steven Lewis of Edmond -- claimed Lady was fired from his job for poor performance.

"During his third year on staff, some church members and employees began complaining about Pastor Lady's ministry," the church's motion said. "The complaints continued to grow and after several months of seeking the Lord's will, church leaders decided that it was necessary for Lady, as well as for the church, that Pastor Lady be directed to seek other employment."

Lady, First Baptist's senior pastor Kevin Clarkson concluded, was "a double minded man and unstable in all his ways."

Lady's accusation that church officials spread "false rumors about his mental health" also was denied by Clarkson.

However, in a sworn statement, Clarkson acknowledges using the word "bipolar" in meetings with Lady and his wife, but claims he was "ministerially reaching out" to the couple.

"I did use the word bipolar in my meeting with both Pastor Jim Lady and his wife," Clarkson said. "But it was in the manner of non-physican, pastor ministerially reaching out to them, asking them in they thought Jim Lady might need help or counseling."

Clarkson said he did not use the word (bipolar) in "a defamatory or derogatory manner" and did not use it with intent to "harm" Lady.

"I used the word as a simple statement of Christian concern to encourage Pastor Lady to consider seeking help."

Clarkson also denied church officials defamed Lady in public.

"All ministers, personnel team members and staff who were aware of the personnel decision were directed to keep the matter confidential," Clarkson said. "There were instructed not to tell anyone about Pastor Lady's departure."

But Clarkson did acknowledge speaking about Lady and using the word "bipolar" in meetings with some church staff members.

"I made a similar comment in a private discussion of the personnel team, but the statement was not made outside of a very small core group of fewer than seven church leaders," Clarkson said. "I also mentioned the term at a staff devotion meeting, since they were the ones who had been experiencing the direct conflicts with Pastor Lady and who had been observing his behavior and performance up close."

In their motion, church officials asked the court to dismiss Lady's suit and quash his efforts of discovery.

"The relationship between the plaintiff as a former ministerial staff member and as a member of the defendant church is a constitutionally protected relationship which is protected from discovery and judicial intrusion as a religious freedom under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution," the motion says.

A hearing on the motion is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 19 in Cleveland County District Court before Judge Bill Hetherington.

COMMENTARY: About those "anchor babies..."

Maybe it’s because I’ve spent the past several weeks at the hospital, dealing with an infant with a cardiac problem.

Or, it could be because I like being a father.

Or maybe it’s because my wife is a public school teacher.

Whatever the reason, I’m sick and tired of a human child being referred to as an “anchor baby.”

Anchor baby.

The very phrase is a grating, cynical term meant to dehumanize the child of non-resident.

Anchor baby.

A political catch phrase used by those “round ’em up and ship ’em out” politicians.

Anchor baby.

A racist phrase that needs to go away.

Whether a child is a blond haired, blue eyed Christian, a Muslim, Jew or Hispanic the fact is they are simply, a child.

A human with a soul.

And they, too, have the right to a spot on this earth.

But some would change their status.

State Rep. Randy Terrill’s latest proposal to deny children born on U.S. soil American citizenship is an affront to human dignity and our country’s Constitution.

Now, I’m sure the ink won’t be dry on this paper before I hear from Rep. Terrill and the rest of the American First crowd.

Heck, I get blasted by those guys all the time. Big deal.

Because I stand with Tulsa Catholic Bishop Edward J. Slattery.

Slattery recently issued a pastoral letter — only the second in his tenure — in which he said Mr. Terrill’s anti-immigration legislation, HB 1804, “creates an atmosphere of repression and terror designed to make it impossible for those illegal immigrants who have settled here to find a stable, secure life for themselves and their children, many of whom are native born citizens with civil rights equal to our own.”

Now for the record this isn’t some wild-eyed, tree-hugging liberal (which is what those who have opposed HB 1804 are usually called) writing. This is the Catholic Bishop of Tulsa.

And the good Bishop Slattery is right.

Oklahoma’s new immigration law — and Rep. Terrill’s newly announced changes for the next session — are morally wrong.

I find it ironic that Rep. Terrill and some of his GOP cronies will gladly wave the banner of Christianity when it’s important to one of their pet ideas, then without pausing for a breath, run the other way when Christian leaders dare to disagree.

Further, Terrill’s statements that Oklahoma Catholics were just trying to protect their growing Hispanic base — language only a politician would use — by complaining about HB 1804 are disingenuous and show a deep misunderstanding of the Christian faith, at best.

But, remember, we were talking about anchor babies.

And a baby — whether its parents are here legally or not — born on U.S. soil is an American citizen, end of story.

Sorry, you cannot change that fact.

By dehumanizing the children of immigrants, Rep. Terrill is hoping that he can sell some modern day snake oil to a crowd frightened that another 9/11 type incident will occur here in Oklahoma.

I understand their fear.

But focusing it on babies is, quite possibly, one of the lamest ideas to come down the pike since Jim Crow laws.

By making immigrants the cause of all our problems — they are draining our resources, stealing our jobs, keeping our kids from going to college, responsible for the Seven Deadly Sins, the primary reason for global warming, and the reason there isn’t prayer in school — Rep. Terrill and his buddies are simply exploiting the politics of fear.

Don’t buy it.

All this group has done is to distill fear down into a single, caustic phrase: anchor baby.

Randy Terrill — and here, I include Gov. Brad Henry, because I hold him responsible for signing this stupid immigration law to begin with — should have to spend an afternoon volunteering in the pediatric ward of the OU Children’s Hospital.

Maybe there, after they sat with the parents of an infant struggling to survive, or helped the nurses in the intensive care unit, would they begin to understand.

I wonder if after such a visit we’d see the term “anchor baby” any more.

I wonder if both men would step out of their political skin long enough to understand the human side of the immigration issue.

I hope they would.

But then again, maybe not.

Commissioners create trust to finance, operate new jail

Cleveland County Commissioners recently have created a trust to finance and operate the county’s new jail to be constructed on Franklin Road, east of U.S. Highway 77.

Records indicate a new public trust — the Cleveland County Justice Authority — was created by a unanimous vote on Tuesday, Oct. 9, during a regular commission meeting.

“A resolution...establishing the Cleveland County Justice Authority as an Oklahoma Public trust, accepting the beneficial interest in the Cleveland County Justice Authority created by a trust indenture for and on behalf of Cleveland County, Oklahoma,” county records show.

The justice authority joins at least two other county trusts, including public facilities authority and the home loan authority. The county also has “two or three other trusts” which are inactive, county bond attorney Glenn Floyd, said.

Trustees for the authority are the county’s three commissioners: Rusty Sullivan, George Skinner and Rod Cleveland
Sullivan will serve as chair of the new trust, while Skinner will serve as vice-chairman. Denise Ellison, an administrative assistant in the commissioner’s office, was named as secretary and county employee Brenda Wakeman will serve as assistant secretary.

Floyd said the trust was necessary because county officials plan to fund the new jail with revenue bonds.

“Those revenue bonds could be issued over a long period of time, maybe 30 year bonds,” he said.

The county’s current jail — located downtown — was built with ad valorem tax revenue. But that option, Floyd said, probably wouldn’t fly with county voters for the new facility.

“The consensus that I’ve gotten from the commission over the last three or four years is that they feel that there’s too many people against it,” he said.

That feeling apparently extends to members of the commission itself.

Earlier this year, during his campaign for the District 1 seat, commissioner Rod Cleveland’s platform included the statement “no new ad valorem tax increases.”

However, with costs for the jail being estimated in the $20 to $50 million range, county officials say they must have the ability to raise revenue for the facility.

“For a county, without having a general obligation election, the only way to finance a new jail is to have an authority that issues debt,” Floyd said.

By creating the trust, Floyd said, the county had “a mechanism for issuing long term debt that’s payable from a revenue stream other than ad valorem taxes.”

Those funds could come from the county’s general fund or from a sales tax, he said.

A sales tax increase would require a public vote.

“If they decide to finance (the jail) with sales tax backed issue, there would be a vote of people,” Floyd said.

However, the amount needed for the jail and the way those funds will be raised has yet to be decided.

Currently, county officials are working with Norman architect Ben Graves to finalize the jail’s design. Graves and members of his committee said earlier they hoped to have the jail’s design completed by mid-November.

Registration deadline Dec. 2 for political hopefuls

Come Dec. 2, if you don't change, you can't run.

Potential political candidates -- and those who are sure about their political plans -- have until Sunday, Dec. 2 to change their voter registration or register to vote, state election officials confirmed today.

Fran Roach, assistant state election board secretary, said state law requires candidates to be a registered voter of a political party six months prior to the filing period.

Filing period for the 2008 election cycle is June 2 through 4.

Candidates who don't register by the deadline or who don't change their registration by the deadline, would not be eligible to run for state office.

Cleveland County Election Board Secretary Paula Roberts urged potential candidates to compete their registration now.

"If they want to make sure, they should get their registration done by Nov. 30 at the county election board office," she said.

Changes also can be made at tag agencies, public libraries and the post office.

"People should make sure they have their registration date stamped while they are standing there," Roberts said. "That's the date we go by."

The rule is part of state law governing elections.

"To file as a candidate for nomination by a political party, to any state or county office, a person must have been a registered voter of that party for the six month period immediately preceding the first day of the filing period," the law states.

Political hopefuls wanting more information should call the election board at 366-0210.

Centennial Project A Success

M. Scott and Karen Carter are pleased to announce the complete of their Centennial Project, Kenneth Zachary Clark Carter. Zach was born at 8:45 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at OU Children's Hospital. He weighted 6 pounds 13.5 ounces and was 19 inches long. Zach and his mother are doing fine.

Zach — a red head — may have been born breech, but he came out full of piss and vinegar, having whizzed all over his doctor at the age of about 5 minutes old — in fact, he was encouraged to pee on the doctor again, by his nurses.

Zach's arrival has bent a few deadlines and delayed some work here at the Red Dirt Political Report, but rest assured we'll be back in a few days.

Hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

M.Scott, Karen & and the latest Carter, Zach.