Tulsa City Council Won't Approve Business Cards For Mayor's Wife

By Emory Bryan, The News on 6

TULSA, OK -- The Tulsa City Council will not create an ordinance that would approve of the Mayor's wife having official City business cards.

The City Council considered the ordinance after an ethics complaint was filed over Mayor Bartlett's wife, Victoria Bartlett, being issued a $16 box of business cards to use in her role as a volunteer. The cards carry the City of Tulsa seal, which could violate a city prohibition against non-employees making use of the official seal.

Councilor John Eagleton proposed the ordinance to clear up any confusion over the use of the cards, but he was alone in wanting to take action on it. The other Councilors wanted to drop the idea and let the ethics complaint run its course. Several Councilors suggested the complaint was petty and silly.

Councilor Jack Henderson didn't want to do it because of the precedent it might set.

"My concern is that if we decide that we want to let spouses of mayors get business cards, then we'll expand it to the kids and then to the grandparents... and we'll have this whole city running around with business cards because they are tied to the mayor," Henderson said.

Other Councilors didn't want to pursue it so the controversy would go away as soon as possible.

Councilor Bill Christiansen said, "I think it's a shame that the mayor's wife has been even subjected to this" and Councilor GT Bynum agreed. "I think it's a shame that a city volunteer is the center of being an ethics complaint for being a city volunteer," said Bynum.

Councilor John Eagleton said, "I disagree with all of you. The mayor's wife spends a lot of time working for the City of Tulsa. I don't have a problem with it and I don't know why you all do. Let the girl have her cards."

8/27/2010  Related Story: Tulsa City Council Might OK Business Cards for Mayor's Spouse