Attorney General opinion leads to resignations from two of three posts held by state official

TULSA — In response to an inquiry from Oklahoma State Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman), Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued an opinion Wednesday that the man who held the titles of Secretary of Transportation, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation needed to relinquish at least two of those positions.

That man, Tim Gatz, announced later Wednesday that he had resigned two of those positions, but will remain at ODOT.

In a release from OTA and ODOT (their communications have been commingled since Gatz’s tenure at both agencies began), it was announced that he would no longer serve on the governor’s cabinet, nor at the agency which administers the state’s turnpikes.

“While Gatz does not take a position on the legal analysis in the opinion, effective immediately, Gatz has resigned his position as the secretary of transportation and has been reappointed as executive director of ODOT,” reads part of the statement sent to KRMG. “The opinion operates as an effective resignation of his role as the executive director of OTA.”

In his opinion, Drummond wrote “As of the time of writing, the Legislature has enumerated thirty exceptions to this prohibition. However, none of these exceptions apply to the Secretary of Transportation, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, or Executive Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.”

The full Attorney General opinion can be read here.