By AP
Oklahoma City, OK – Democrats chastise Costello for feral hogs comment
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Republican Labor Commissioner Mark Costello is coming under fire for comments he made recently comparing state bureaucrats to feral hogs.
The head of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and a Democratic state senator from Tulsa both have called for Costello's resignation and plan to hold a press conference Tuesday to outline their concerns.
Costello told The Associated Press on Monday that he has no plans to step down and accused Democrats of turning his comments into "political theater."
Costello says feral hogs get extremely agitated when their food supply is disrupted, "not unlike bureaucrats."
Costello has formed a nonprofit advocacy group called Parity in Oklahoma to push for requiring a three-year probationary period for state workers and eliminating the practice of having union and association dues automatically deducted from their paycheck.