IDABEL – The county commissioner at the center of a controversial audio recording resigned from his office Wednesday.
McCurtain County Commissioner Mark Jennings resigned his post after meeting with fellow commissioner John Wayne Williams. The other county officials heard on the audio recording, McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, Deputy Sheriff Alicia Manning and Jailer Larry Hendrix, have not resigned as of Wednesday morning.
Telephone calls to Jennings and Williams were not returned. Jennings’ resignation means that his first deputy will fill the vacancy until a new commissioner is elected.
No first deputy is listed for Jennings’ office on the McCurtain County website. However, the page does list Ray Bamburg as foreman for Commission District 2 and Tina Thomas as Jennings’ assistant.
State law decrees that the “first or chief deputy … shall carry on the duties of the office during the absence of the principal officer or, in the event of the death, removal or resignation of said principal officer, until a successor shall have qualified.”
Chris Schroder, executive director of the Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma, said a commissioner who resigns from office must submit a letter of resignation to the governor. After receipt of that letter, the governor has 30 days to call a special election to fill the commissioner’s post.
The controversy over the records continues to roil McCurtain County. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association announced that it had suspended Clardy, Manning and Hendrix. The organization said the trio also face termination from the association, which could mean the sheriff’s office would no longer receive assistance – including use of the organization’s legal counsel – from the OSA.
Monday evening, Clardy released a statement via Facebook that doubled down on the controversy.
“The last 72 hours have been amongst the most difficult and disruptive in recent memory. This is a very complex situation and one we regret having to address,” the statement read.
Clardy said his office was conducting an “ongoing investigation into multiple, significant violation (sic) of the Oklahoma Security of Communications Act...” The recordings of the officials’ discussion, he said, were illegally obtained and possibly altered.
“Our preliminary information indicates that the media released audio recording has, in fact, been altered,” the statement said. “The motivation for doing so remains unclear at this point. That matter is actively being investigated.”
Clardy’s office also said that as a result of attention to the recordings, a large number of threats of violence including death threats have been made against county employees.
The release of the recordings has put McCurtain County at the center of a political firestorm. Media outlets across the globe, including The Washington Post, The New York Times and London’s Daily Mail have published accounts about the recordings.
In addition, advocacy groups for journalists and minorities have echoed the call for both investigations and resignations.
Mike W. Ray contributed to this report.