There will be a public comment session tomorrow at 2 p.m. on the Tulsa Board of County Commissioners’ decision to let the sheriff hire outside legal counsel.
Commissioners said last week Sheriff Stanley Glanz may hire another attorney ahead of a grand jury investigation. Glanz's general counsel is Meredith Baker. Marq Lewis with We the People Oklahoma said the floor wasn’t open then.
"People wanted to talk, and they didn't have public comment," Lewis said. "So, Karen Keith reached out to me and stated that she wanted to at least hear the public, but the other commissioners did not want to attend this meeting."
Keith said the approval for Glanz to hire another attorney won’t be undone.
"It's simply an opportunity for me to hear out the public, and I think that's important," Keith said. "It's important for me to do, and I think it's important for them to feel like they've been listened to. My assistant will be taking down minutes, and we'll be recording it."
A sheriff’s spokesman said last week fees for services like passport photos, not tax money, will pay for outside counsel. Lewis disagrees with the distinction.
"It's a public office. Everything, all the money, is coming from taxpayers, unless it's private money," Lewis said. "So, our question is, is it private money that we're seeing? This is all taxpayers' money, regardless of what account you put it in, it's still taxpayers' money."
The public comment session will be on the third floor of the county building at 500 S Denver Ave.
