Business leaders protest Taxpayer Bill of Rights petition
John Greiner, The Oklahoman
February 24, 2006
Oklahomans ranging from a former Republican attorney general to a school teacher filed a protest Wednesday to a "taxpayer bill of rights" petition that would restrict state government spending.
The protesters, who also included Oklahoma bankers and business leaders, challenged the constitutionality of the petition and the signatures on it.
The proposal, State Question 726, also referred to as TABOR (taxpayer bill of rights), would limit how much state spending could be increased each year.
The limit would be based on inflation increases and population growth.
The protest was filed on behalf of protesters by attorney D. Kent Meyers of Oklahoma City.
The protest claims the petition deceptively and misleadingly contains multiple subjects in violation of the Oklahoma Constitution and contains an explanation of the measure that is so insufficient as to be deceptive and misleading.
It said the petition contains signatures of people who were not legal voters of Oklahoma when they signed the petition; signatures that were not validly or properly verified or notarized; and signatures of people who signed their names more than once.
Among the protesters is G.T. Blankenship of Oklahoma City, a former University of Oklahoma regent, banker, state legislator and the only Republican ever to be Oklahoma's attorney general, and Sabra Tucker, whom Meyers said is a Shawnee teacher.
Other protesters include George Kaiser, Tulsa banker and oil man; Luke Corbett, chairman and chief executive officer of Kerr-McGee Corp.; Burns Hargis, Oklahoma City banker; Aubrey McClendon, chairman and chief executive officer of Chesapeake Energy Corp.; Fred Hall, chairman of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Fred Jones Cos.; former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys; Oklahoma City businessman Clayton I. Bennett and Tulsa businessman John Brock.
Rick Carpenter, spokesman for Oklahomans in Action which circulated the petition, said, "I don't see that they're going to be able to derail the petition."
He said his group obtained 299,000 signatures although it needed just 219,000 valid signatures to get the issue on the election ballot if it clears legal hurdles.
Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, who wrote the language used in the petition, said a lawyer was consulted to ensure the petition was constitutional.
