Oklahoma City (Cook) — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Friday questioned the timing surrounding a recent audit that found problems with federal aid spending in the midst of a pandemic.
At his weekly news conference Friday, Gov. Stitt likened the audit and subsequent calls for the attorney general to resign from the cabinet to a political move during a campaign.
“There are governors who have already announced that they will run for governor,” Stitt said. “We have a comptroller running for lieutenant governor. And within an hour, they orchestrated a press statement on this 200-page report.”
Despite months of rumors at the state Capitol, neither Attorney General Gentner Drummond nor State Comptroller Cindy Byrd have publicly announced their campaigns for governor or lieutenant governor.
“When you politicize, when you try to attack other political opponents, that’s very frustrating for Oklahomans,” added Governor Stitt. “You cannot use your public office as a weapon for political gain.”
The governor also questioned state Auditor Cindy Byrd’s assertion that Oklahoma is rapidly becoming a “no-bid state.”
“It’s really unfair and confusing for the people of Oklahoma for the auditor to call this a no-bid state without going through an RFP (request for proposal) process,” Governor Stitt added.
A single federal audit released Tuesday by the state comptroller revealed multiple no-bid contracts that ended up in questionable spending.
The audit also faulted Shelly Zumwalt, who served as executive director of the state unemployment office during most of the pandemic. The agency’s contract with Phase 2 throughout the pandemic was to upgrade its software to process insurance claims. Zumwalt’s husband was the company’s vice president.
That contract was also a no-bid contract, according to the state auditor’s office.
Governor Stitt said the pandemic is a strange time when large amounts of federal funds need to be released quickly for relief, which is why it was a no-bid contract.
“We are not in favor of single sourcing, we are in favor of a transparent process,” Governor Stitt added. “You can’t really choose this.”
After the audit results were released, the attorney general asked for Zumwalt’s resignation.
This is not the first time Mr. Drummond has called for Mr. Zumwalt’s resignation.
Drummond issued a formal opinion last month saying people cannot hold more than one office at the same time. Subsequently, several ministers filed suit against the Audit Committee’s opinion.
Mr. Zumwalt currently serves as Executive Director and Secretary of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage in the Ministry of Tourism.
Gov. Stitt told reporters Friday that Zumwalt has offered to resign from his position as secretary and remain as secretary of the Department of Tourism.
“Governor, I said I would resign from the Cabinet and focus on tourism until this whole issue is resolved,” Stitt said. “Maybe you can do that.”
