New allegations have led to the removal of Todd Hiett from his position as Chairman of Corporation Commission.
On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission made a decision to replace Commissioner Todd Hiett as the chairman of the Commission in light of allegations of sexual assault against an employee of a regulated company while on official commission business in Minnesota in June. Commissioner Kim David has taken over the position immediately. Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony has urged Hiett to resign, however, he has refused to do so. This information was shared in a press release by Bob Anthony.
During the Commission’s meeting on July 31, when the allegations of sexual misconduct came to light, David took a different stance than Anthony’s call for Hiett’s resignation. Instead, David expressed her preference for an independent investigation into the incident.
During the Wednesday meeting, Anthony discovered that David had collaborated with Brandy Wreath, the commission’s director of administration, to recruit an investigator from a carefully curated list provided by OMES and the Attorney General’s office.
Anthony raised concerns about the independence of an investigation into wrongdoing at the agency, which was led by the agency’s director of administration with assistance from the Attorney General, who is involved in cases at the commission. David committed to providing Anthony with more information about the process moving forward. However, no vote was taken to authorize the investigation. Additionally, Anthony proposed that the Commission halt the destruction or deletion of any agency records for 12 months, but David and a commission attorney opposed the idea, and no action was taken on the proposal.
As soon as the proposed parameters for the independent investigation were completely disregarded during the meeting, Anthony made a swift decision to initiate his own inquiry. There was no discussion whatsoever on the proposal, prompting Anthony to take matters into his own hands.
On Wednesday, Anthony submitted a Notice of Inquiry/Examination/Inspection to probe into the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s past corruption and improper conduct, including its staff and individual commissioners. Interestingly, the wordings of this notice were identical to the one filed by Anthony in 1996. The earlier notice was filed to investigate public corruption at the Commission, after one of its commissioners and former general counsel were found guilty of bribery and were sentenced to federal prison.
Following the OCC meeting on Wednesday, Anthony released the following statement:
“I remain steadfast in my stance. Commissioner Hiett’s purported sexual assault of the attorney representing a company that regularly appears before our commission is not only an attack on the attorney but also an attack on our commission,” stated emphatically.
Commissioner Hiett must resign to restore our constitutional legitimacy and judicial integrity. His actions of voting on cases that impact his victim’s employer and witnesses are completely unethical and unacceptable. It is clear that he cannot continue to occupy a seat on this Commission. Frankly, his resignation is the only possible remedy to this compromised situation.
The Corporation Commission is obligated to take all necessary measures to prevent further damage caused by Hiett, as long as he continues to refuse resignation. The first crucial step towards this goal was achieved by removing him from the position of chairman. Additionally, replacing him as the OCC’s representative to the Southwest Power Pool, which requires frequent out-of-state travel for meetings, was also a necessary action.
During his tenure as OCC chairman, Hiett’s office held sway over the commission calendar and played a role in hastily publishing an order to green-light a significant rate hike for a regulated utility. It is believed that the utility company had firsthand knowledge of Hiett’s unethical conduct in June. If the order were to be put to a vote at present, every involved party would have valid grounds to appeal the decision solely on the basis of Hiett’s involvement.
We cannot allow the investigation or treatment of Hiett to bring the operations of the state’s most influential agency to a halt. It’s crucial to address the integrity and credibility issues that Hiett has caused in the agency, and mere treatment cannot solve the problem at hand.
I am determined to ensure that a comprehensive and transparent investigation is conducted, even if it means taking matters into my own hands. Hiett’s unwillingness to act in the best interest of our State and agency cannot be ignored. Ideally, I had hoped for an independent and well-resourced investigation, led by professionals. However, given the circumstances, I am fully prepared to oversee the investigation myself to guarantee that it is carried out with the utmost openness and accountability.
Those who are appalled by Hiett’s actions on June 9 are willing to assist him in recollecting that it was not an isolated event, should he require a reminder.
Upon receiving this news, House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson has released a statement expressing her thoughts.
“I am pleased to see Commissioner Todd Hiett stepped down as chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commision. This is a step in the right direction. There is still time for him to remove himself entirely and take full accountability for his actions and the harm and danger they have caused others. I once again ask the Governor to issue the call for Special Session and let us begin this work to seek justice and put this situation behind us. Oklahomans deserve answers and action. Oklahomans deserve to know the people in power are committed to keeping them safe and are held to the same standards as everyone else. Commissioner Hiett maintains his work is too important for him to step down entirely. I agree his work is important, which is why he should have thought about that before his harmful behavior”
