KOTV:

The News On 6 used multiple Open Records requests to compile the attendance records dating back to January of 2007. We started with the meetings all three commissioners are supposed to attend.

When Commissioner Miller was chairman last year, she was absent a lot. Last year she missed 11 meetings of the Employee Retirement System of Tulsa County.  She did send a deputy to three of the meetings she missed. This year, Chairman Fred Perry has missed only one.

Last year, Chairman Miller missed 11 meetings of the Board of Tax Roll Corrections, sending a deputy to seven of them. This year chairman Perry has missed two, but instead of sending a deputy, he sent fellow commissioner John Smaligo.

Commissioner Miller's worst attendance record was at the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. She missed 29 of the Commission's 33 meetings last year.

As she joined me live this morning on KRMG, my first curiosity is to respond to this part of the KOTV report:

Commissioner Miller refused our requests for an on camera interview for this story

Miller's response to why she refused to be a part of the story?

KOTV is "deceptive and unbalanced on county affairs and me particularly," Miller claims.

Hear my entire discussion with Commission Miller here.

At one point, Miller claims, "If this is news, why is Channel Six the only one who covers it?"

While that is certainly meant as a shot at KOTV, the reality is it is more a statement about the shortcomings of other media than it is KOTV.

KOTV certainly has done a series of stories on Miller and the Tulsa County Commission. Find them here.

When you chair the County Commission, the Fair Board and other important positions in our community, you should have expectations of being held accountable (for better or worse) for your actions. The media (TV, radio, print, web) have a duty to let the public know when public officials fall short of that mark.

While I have friends at KOTV, I have had zero conversations with anyone there about Randi Miller.

Does someone there have a grudge against her? There was nothing in that report that spoke of a "hit piece."

Yet, as long as humans have a hand in reporting news, there will always be a bias of some sort - whether intentional or not.

From time to time, I work with political, community, philanthropic and business leaders on media training.

Rule number one - It's not personal.

Even if you think the media is out to get you, you cannot act like it. There's no better way to assure poor results than to blame the media for your woes.

My advice to Miller:

• Take a deep breath.
• If your position is defensible, than do so.
• If it is not defensible, be honest and offer an explanation/apology.
• Contact KOTV and offer yourself for questions.
• And stop blaming the media.
• Remember - nothing keeps a story "out there" longer than ignoring it 

Blogger Michael Bates raises some other trouble spots for Commissioner Miller.  

I was very heartened by his answer:

We're real pleased to have Sgt. Wolf join us live in studio this morning as part of his very brief 15-day leave from duties in Iraq.

You're invited to join a reception for SFC Wolf tonight at Kilkenny's on Cherry Street in Tulsa.

We're going to meet Eric and his wife Annie tonight (Thursday) at 5pm for some great Irish food and beverages.

Please feel free to join us!

I've attached this video of Snow displaying one of his many talents:

Rick Bjorklund, who was fired as president and CEO of Expo Square, said Thursday that he was instructed by County Commissioner Randi Miller to keep Big Splash Water Park's financial troubles "off the radar."

The fair board last week voted 4-0 to terminate Bjorklund after it was discovered that a check for half of the water park's 2006 rent had gone uncashed for a year and that it had yet to pay its 2007 rent. In addition, Big Splash's outstanding 2007 balance was never listed specifically on the financial reports presented to the fair board.

Bjorklund said Miller, who was fair board chairwoman in 2007, spoke to him about the Big Splash situation in about June of that year.

"The conversation (with Miller) was, 'Ease up on them and get it off the radar,' " he said.

Bjorklund said he told fair board members about Miller's instructions during the executive session held to determine his fate.

"I turned to Randi and I said: 'You had given me instructions, Randi, to get it off the radar screen, and we did that.' ''

Miller on Thursday denied she ever told Bjorklund to cover up anything. "That's a blatant lie," she said. "I knew nothing about their rent not being paid, and I knew nothing about any bounced checks or financial problems that occurred.

"Those decisions could never have been made without the full board's knowledge."

Here's what we know: Someone is lying.

Unless someone can produce supporting evidence one way or the other, it will likely come down to which person you find more believable.

It is an interesting position for Commission Miller in that, according to her colleague John Smaligo, discussions during the Fair Board's executive session are not open to public discussion. As Bjorkland is no longer employed by Expo Square, he is obviously not bound by those same rules.

Bjorkland could make a broad array of allegations with little fear of public disagreement from anyone who attended the executive session.

At least according to the TW story, there are three officials who disagree with Bjorkland (Miller, Collins, and Jerry Murphy).

For her part, Randi Miller is in familiar territory combating the words of someone who is not bound by a legal muzzle. In her effort to be re-elected to the Tulsa County Commission, Miller must first face Sally Bell in the Republican primary. Bell, from the now-defunct Bell's Amusement Park fame, claims that Miller had a personal vendetta against Bell's. Miller claims that Bell's flawed business plan is what led to the demise of Bell's.

Yet, the Bell's business plan cannot be released to the public by Miller or the County Commission. Sally Bell could release it to the public, but claims she will not.

Confidentiality protections - they can either be your best friend, or worst enemy.    

KRMG and other Tulsa media outlets have long since given up talking about the 1977 Girl Scout murders (only recently updating the story due to news of a DNA test). The 5-year-old Broken Arrow girl who was assaulted is no longer a top story.

And, sadly as we report on a Tulsa-area double murder yesterday, the Weleeta double murder from last month is no longer top of mind.

Yet, Tulsa's Fox 23 interviewed the father of one of the murder victims and aired it last night.

It's a good piece on a very worthy topic.

I, of course, recorded video of the experience.

Some of the messages texted in to 80706:

Who cares about watching some washed up 80's band? I can't afford gas now; and I'm going to drive downtown and park 2 miles away, get panhandled by the winos and get my car stripped'? So I can pay more on my water bill to support a chrome toilet bowl? Come to reality, Mayor Taylor!

 

Rather be an oklahoma act

 

Woo hoo

 

My first concest in 1975 yes

The Eagles concert will be Saturday night, September 6th.

I'm not quite the concert-goer I was in my youth. In fact, these days, I'm more likely to be found at an Elmo, Barney or Wiggles concert than any kind of a rock band.

Yet, there is certainly going to be a festive spirit at the Eagles concert on opening night at the BOK Center. Since it's a Saturday night, I may actually consider going.

But, when it comes to concerts, one size certainly does not fit all.

Eagles not your thing?

I totally understand that.

Yet, if you look at the fall lineup at the BOK Center, it would certainly appear that there is something there for everyone.

Would Tulsa attract these acts if it weren't for the new BOK Center? Perhaps some. Certainly not all.

I don't fully know what event will first bring me to the BOK Center, but I am looking forward to the experience.  

It just wasn't to be.

Yet, does it not speak volumes of the character of Garth Brooks that he would appear at a news conference to announce he's NOT going to do something? He deliberately exposed himself to possible ridicule when he could have just as easily stayed home and avoided eye contact on the issue.

I've worked with Garth (from a distance ... great distance) with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma and, by all accounts, he's an absolute gentleman. A prince amongst thieves.  

While the official announcement of the opening act is not expected until later this morning at 10am the rock band The Eagles are announcing on their website that they will be performing at the BOK Center in Tulsa on September 6th, which happens to also be the opening night at the BOK Center.  

Tulsa Police made a carjacking arrest. Police arrested 25-year old Brandon Brixey Thursday after a citizen gave them information. Brixey is suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an eight-year old girl after he allegedly carjacked a van near 61st and South Memorial early Thursday then led lawmen on a chase.

With so many high-profile crimes remaining unsolved in recent times here in Green Country (Weleetka murders, home invasion murder, BA 5-year-old that was abducted), it is pleasing to see this suspect being taken off the streets so quickly.

Good job TPD.

Speaking of which, I was comparing the police sketch artists rendering of the suspect and the actually booking photo when he was apprehended.

Very close resemblance, I'd say:

That quickly became a home invasion murder.

From our KRMG 24-Hour NewsCenter:

Tulsa police are investigating a home invasion homicide. Police say a man broke into a couple's home near 38-hundred South Union about four Wednesday morning and demanded money.

Police say there was a struggle with a gun that belonged to the homeowner. During the struggle, the woman was reportedly shot and killed. The resident was shot in the hand. Police say the suspect got away in an off-white 90's mid-size S-U-V.

Police are looking for a dark-complected white male about 20 who was wearing a dark beanie. Police are investigating if the man who entered the home knew the victims.

This is the latest in a series of home invasion crimes in recent months in Tulsa. As with any crime of this type, it routinely takes the investigators days/weeks/months to sort out the facts.

Answers that are always important to me:

• Is this crime random or did the victims know the suspect?
• If this crime is random, what weakness did the suspects exploit to commit this crime?
• What can we all do to make sure we mitigate the same weakness in our homes to prevent ourselves from being victimized in the same manner?

The greater likelihood is that there is familiarity in this crime - that somehow, someway, the victims knew the intruder(s). Crime statistics have long supported the greater likelihood of familiar crime versus truly random crimes.

Of course, it's very important to note that a familiarity with the criminal does not in any way diminish the magnitude of the crime or the loss of a family member. Nor does it decrease the vigor for which the police will hunt down the suspect and the DA should prosecute.

But it does telegraph to the rest of the community whether or not we have a cold-blooded murder in our community and that our lives can be largely impacted by the relationships in which we engage.  

From KRMG News:

Big Splash owner Loretta Murphy says the rotten beams, noted back in December by labor department inspectors, should have been replaced.  In an interview with KRMG news Murphy said, "I make no excuses for it.  I don't like to mess up and do anything wrong but it was my responsibility to change those out and those were not done before opening."

KRMG's Nicole Burgin and I talked to Loretta yesterday (Monday) just after lunchtime. You can here the full interview here.

Clearly Big Splash is seeking to manage the story ... retroactively.

Local media that all have the Big Splash story:

KOTV

KTUL

Tulsa World

Not only did I ask Murphy about why the beams were not replaced in a timely fashion, but about the PR challenge posed by this story being out since late last week and not being addressed until Monday.