The Kay County Grand Jury of 2008 was the brain child of a small citizens group in Blackwell Oklahoma called Taxpayers For Transparency LLC. The group met for about a year, pouring over documents, articles and stories that told how and why things came to be. The group realized that they had all the information to show that there was reason to be upset with their local government, but not enough resources to act civilly. They explored every avenue, legal council, State Representatives, Newspapers, even their own District Attorney but, they had yet to see any meaning full results. One day they stumbled across the text of the Oklahoma Constitution that stated citizens just like them could petition for a Grand Jury in their county to review their complaints.
Afterwords, the group, Taxpayers for Transparency hired an attorney from Vinita Oklahoma to help file the petition with the Kay County Courthouse. A book was constructed to bring the most important allegations to the Judge. Judge Vasser had to decide if the causes brought to him by the group were strong enough to allow Taxpayers for Transparency to collect signatures from Kay County citizens. Judge Vasser allowed the group to collect signatures even after Mark Gibson, the Kay County District Attorney, tried to stop the Grand Jury process, stating that the accusations were civil in nature and not criminal.
For 45 days the group collected signatures. They collected from Nardin, Tonkawa, Blackwell, Newkirk, and Ponca City. By the end of the 40th day they had collected approx. 3000 signatures and they only needed 2104.
December 9, 2008 was the date set for the convening of the Grand Jury. So, from November 1, 2008 to December 5, 2008 the group worked together to correlate 53 separate allegations against the City of Blackwell and its entities. They worked 16 hours everyday for that month in front of computers and with their documents.
Unfortunately, the Grand Jury did not go as planned. After all the work, time and effort put forth to resolve the oppression of the Blackwell City government on its citizens, the Grand Jury reviewed a total of 80 allegations in 7 days and determined that there were no indictments to be had, and if there was they had no jurisdiction to indict.
*Note all of the questions and evidence was obtain through the Oklahoma Open Records Act and other public methods such as the Internet and free sources.
In good spirits of our little operation worked to correlate our 53 allegations. We named our headquarters the "Law Offices of Dewey Cheatem and Howe". The sign was made by a local citizen who hung it in his shop, till it was removed by an "anonymous" individual who did not find any humor in it. So it was donated to our cause. Thanks.
Greg Deffner's Response to the Final Report of the Kay Co. Grand Jury.
Greg Deffner is a managing member of Get LLC Real Cable in Blackwell Ok, who is in his own fight with the City of Blackwell to keep his franchise. A cable franchise is an ordinance that allows Get Real Cable to use the right of ways of the City. Without it Get Real Cable cannot operate. *Note See page on Get Real Cable's Franchise Fight for more information. (Coming Soon) The following is a Microsoft Power Point Presentation that can be viewed on your computer. If you do not have Power Point, you can download a Power Point Viewer at http://www.Microsoft.com
Gregs Power Point Presentations
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To view the entire text of the Grand Jury Book that was used to bring the Kay Co. Grand Jury into action.
The Big Blue Book
In 2005, Garfield County District Attorney was called in to investigate a Oklahoma Open Meetings Violation that occurred at Kay County. In the investigation, the DA found that the Kay Co. Commissioner had violated the law 112 times. To find out more click the link below.
Garfield County DA finds Kay Co. Commissioners violated law 112 times
Oklahoma Attorney General, 2000 OK AG 15, which states that " A law prohibiting a grand jury witness form disclosing his own testimony after the grand jury's term has ended was held Unconstitutional as violating the First Amendment in Butterworth v. Smith, 494 U.S. 624 (1990)."
Our 55 Question out of the total 80 Submitted to the Kay Co. Grand Jury.
133 FEMA Fund
Amended Budgets and the State Auditor
Attorney Fees in Open Record Request
BIA Makes Citizens Wait Outside in Cold
BIA Charges Search Fee
BIA and Executive Sessions
BIA Lying About Toxicity of BIP
BIA takes $875,000 to say BIP is Clean
BMA and Executive Sessions
BMA and the Steelman Building
BMA has no Regular Scheduled time for Meetings
Braman Bridge and Failure to Repair
City and it being Codified
City and the Franchise Fee Tax
City BIA and ODEQ endanger workers in BIP
City Manager has more powers then the Charter Allows
City Not Making Phelps Dodge pay for Sewer
City Slander Get Real Cable
City's Executive Sessions
City's Special Meeting violates Ord.2693
Civil Rights and the Kay Co. Fair
Closed Door Meetings
Conflict of Interest GC Concrete
Conflict of Interest Grossart
Conflict of Interest with the Tourism Board
Conspire to Harm the Public the Environmental Cleanup
Contaminated Sludge
Water Bottling Plant on Contaminated Site
Council's Newspaper Ad
Cox's City Sales Tax
Denton's Landfill
Depriving Health and Safety due to not Compiling with CERCLA
Dumping Contaminated Dirt into the Chickasia
Environmental Clean Up Fund
Fraud on BMA's Series 2008 Bonds
Judge Boyd overseeing the Grand Jury
Hiring Contract Labor in Executive Sessions
Mark Gibson and Breaking his Oath of Office
Mark Gibson attempts to stop Kay Co. Grand Jury
Mike Loftis and the BIA Insurance
Mike Loftis and the Conflict of Interest
No Agendas to be Sent to Reporters
Not Bidding Financial Adviser Work
Not Posting Meetings Correctly
ODEQ violates the rights of the Citizens of Blackwell
Purchases over $25,000
Ross Cline and his Hay Bales
Sally Norris and Jim Willis Working After Hours
Sally Norris and the OMPA Duel Office
Sally Norris and the OMPA Conflict of Interest
Selective Enforcement Campaign
TCA Cable One's Bribe to the City
The Police Department
Williams' Chamber Meetings
The Wrongful Death of Jessie Kindle
The Willis Question
Jim Willis has a long history with the City of Blackwell. He worked at the Blackwell Zinc Co. Smelter Plant until his became a City Council Member. Later he was picked to be the City's 1st City Manager. After serving as city manager he continued to work for the City as a "City Engineer". But after obtaining his time tickets and employment contract, questions were raised...Why was the City paying this man to do odd jobs at engineering rates, that other city employees could do? Other city employees were already being paid to do jobs he was billing for. So you decide. Below is the total collection of Jim Willis Time Tickets that were obtained through the Oklahoma Open Record Act.
The Willis Question
2003
July
August
September
October
November
December
2004
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
2005
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
September
October
November
December
2006
January
February
March
May
June
July
August
2007
Invoices to the City
2008
Invoices to the City
