Butler, Cloud win commission races

Tuesday, September 17th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Democrat Keith Butler of Ada and Republican Jeff Cloud of Oklahoma City won their runoff runoff contests for Corporation Commission by convincing margins on Tuesday.

With 1,788 of 2,235 precincts reporting, unofficial returns showed Butler getting 62 percent of the vote over Jeff Tomlin of Muldrow and Cloud getting 58 percent over Dana Murphy, also of Oklahoma City.

Cloud and Murphy are former employees of the three-member commission, which sets utility rates and regulates the trucking and oil industries.

The runoff winners advanced to the Nov. 5 general election and will face independent Roger Bloxham of Tulsa.

An open race for Corporation Commission developed after Republican Ed Apple announced he was resigning after seven years on the panel.

Cloud, 41, is chief of staff for Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humpreys. He has held several jobs in government, including being a lawyer at the commission.

Murphy, 42, of Oklahoma City was administrative law judge at the commission for six years before resigning to run for office.

A geologist, Murphy ran on a platform of modernizing the agency to make it more accessible and encouraging environmentally friendly businesses in the state.

Cloud was backed by several prominent Republicans, including former Gov. Henry Bellmon and U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts. Cloud had worked for both Bellmon and Watts.

During the campaign, Cloud and Murphy accused each other of improprieties in fund-raising.

In the primary, Cloud led Murphy by 1,256 votes, 78,705 to 77,449. State Sen. Mark Snyder finished third and endorsed Cloud.

Butler, an attorney and businessman, got 49 percent in the primary to Tomlin's 37 percent. A third candidate got 14 percent, forcing a runoff.

Butler, 45, is a former municipal judge who operated a trucking company before deciding to run for office. He also once owned a telecommunications company.

Tomlin, 40, has said one of his top goals was to stop electric deregulation in the state.