Oklahoma County jail trust member resigning, leaving two open seats

The number of empty seats on Oklahoma County's jail trust is back to two.

Chad Alexander, who was appointed to the trust in October 2021 by then-Commissioner Kevin Calvey to fill a seat formerly held by Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, is stepping down.

Alexander, who has missed several recent trust meetings, submitted his resignation earlier this month to Joe Allbaugh, chairman of the trust.

Allbaugh notified Commissioner Myles Davidson of Alexander's resignation on April 12. Davidson's office will appoint a replacement.

"I must regretfully resign my position on the Oklahoma County Jail Trust. Family and work commitments are not allowing me the time needed to fulfill the position," Alexander wrote. "I appreciate the trust put in me to help move the detention center forward."

Who makes up the Oklahoma County jail trust, who appoints them and how long do they serve?

Oklahoma County's jail trust consists of nine members, seven of which are appointed by Oklahoma County commissioners (the other two trust members are an elected commissioner who is willing to serve — currently Commissioner Davidson — and Oklahoma County's sheriff, currently Tommie Johnson III).

The commissioners each get to fill a single trust seat representing his or her district. The other four are considered at-large positions and require at least two commissioners to support their appointments.

When the trust was initially formed, appointees' lengths of terms — either two, four or six years — were determined by a random drawing. However, all trust seats will transition to six year terms in 2025.

None of the original trust members appointed in 2019 are still on the board.

There have been numerous recent changes to the board.

Attorney Shelly Perkins attended her first trust meeting earlier this month. She succeeded Sue Ann Arnall, who resigned from her at-large position in February after nearly five years.

Rochelle Gray, a manager in Deloitte Consulting's government and public services practice, was appointed in January to succeed former state Sen. Ben Brown, who submitted his resignation from the trust in June of 2023.

Gray, however, couldn't serve after her employer raised potential conflict of interest concerns that might create because of contracts it had with various state agencies, said Brian Maughan, chairman of Oklahoma County's board of county commissioners. Brown's seat, which Maughan will fill, remains vacant. Maughan hopes to appoint someone to the post soon.

James Johnson Jr., a criminal justice/social work professor at Rose State College, was appointed to the trust in August 2023 by Commissioner Carrie Blumert to fill a seat previously held by M.T. Berry. Berry resigned in June 2023 after serving about four years.

Meanwhile, Allbaugh rejoined the trust in June 2023 after leaving in 2022 to seek elected office in Kay County.

Allbaugh succeeded Adam Luck, a former member of Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board. Luck had resigned from his seat on the trust in March 2023, just months after accepting an appointment in September 2022.

Steven Buck was appointed to the trust in February 2023, succeeding Jim Couch, Oklahoma City's retired city manager. Couch resigned from the trust in December 2022.

Maughan said serving out a full term as a trust member isn't easy to do because the appointment brings additional responsibilities (mostly through reading requirements and occasional meetings with jail staff) that most appointments don't require.

No trust member has been forcibly removed by a county commissioner because they have the power to serve an entire term once they are appointed without fear of removal.

"It's like a judge," Maughan said.

Commissioners also configured the trust to make it possible for someone to serve even if they don't live inside of Oklahoma County.

Because businesses located in Oklahoma County have a vested interest in the jail's operation, just being one of those entities' employees qualifies a willing individual to serve, Maughan said.

"The business community wants to partner with us in terms of figuring out a long term solution" with jail-related problems, Maughan said. "There are a number of people who have long-standing ties to Oklahoma County, but live outside of its borders."