Governor Apologizes To Teachers For â€œHomicideâ€ Remark

Thursday, February 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Just when he thought he was out of hot water with Oklahoma teachers, Governor Frank Keating finds himself in the middle a boiling pot again. Keating made what he called a humorous remark about teachers unions Monday night at a speaking engagement. However, some people who were not in the room at the time, didn't think what he said was funny.

Keating was speaking to a group of Oral Roberts University students when someone in the audience stood up and asked the governor how he deals with teachers unions and all the grief that comes with them. After a pause and a grin, he responded by saying,"Homicide." After the crowd laughed, Keating told them, "We should celebrate teachers."

Even though he made that comment, some teachers in the Oklahoma Education Association, the state teachers union, said they were outraged at the governorâ€™s comments. They say he was disrespectful to them and their profession.

The News on Six caught up with a contrite Keating in Muskogee Thursday. He said he'd tried to be funny, but he understands now why some people would get upset. "In this case, I made a mistake,â€ he said. â€œI misspoke. I'm very sorry and I apologize to anyone who has been offended."

Members of the O-E-A say they appreciate his apology and hope the governor will stop disrespecting them. "I'm just hopeful that now that he has apologized for this remark, it means that maybe he's going to stop doing these kinds of things and just concentrate on the issues,â€ said the O-E-Aâ€™s Carolyn Crowder. â€œThat's what we need to do."

Keating says at the time it was humorous and not meant to be hurtful. "Frequently I'll say things in context that are humorous and appreciated to those in attendance and not appreciated to those not in attendance," Keating explained. The governor says he has to have a sense of humor about things or he'll go crazy. But he says after the event and out of context, he now realizes what he said wasn't so funny.