Tulsa Mayor Wants Legal Opinion On Politicians Serving On Boards

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett is asking for a formal legal opinion on whether elected officials can serve on city boards and authorities. The opinion could clarify whether a city councilor can serve on the TARE board and whether his votes as a councilor create a conflict of interest when it's a matter related to TARE.

The opinion also could have implications for the Mayor, who by virtue of the office, serves on several boards and commissions.

Bartlett said he is asking City Attorney David O'Melia to research the law and issue an opinion. In the past, when questions arose about dual service roles, the legal department provided only advice or an informal opinion, which does not carry the weight of policy, as does a formal legal opinion.

Patrick said Tuesday he was considering resigning from TARE, after O'Melia advised him to recuse from votes by TARE that would end up before the Council, and to recuse from votes by Council on TARE issues.

01/31/2012 Related Story: Tulsa City Councilor Considers TARE Board Resignation

The recusal put Patrick on the sidelines for the vote to recommend Tulsa's trash hauling contract, and for a council discussion of TARE's request for the authority to borrow money.

Patrick was appointed to TARE by Bartlett. "If it does come to pass that David decides to resign, we'll look for some other good people" said Bartlett, who supports having elected officials on boards - depending on the board.

Bartlett said "There are several boards where I serve and generally that works pretty well. One of the attributes of the boards and authorities is that they are somewhat out of the political fray, so they are not influenced as much by politics, which can be good, and can be a problem."

Bartlett said in many cases he prefers to have regular citizens on board, "where they're not really influenced by what local political wind might be blowing because tomorrow it will be blowing a different direction."

The City Council has scheduled a meeting for Thursday January 9th to discuss and possibly vote on giving TARE the authority to borrow money.