EDITORIAL: Oklahoma ScissorTales: For mentally ill, a better way?

June 20--MIKE Brose, an advocate for the mentally ill in Oklahoma, asked a good question recently about how the mentally ill are affected by the lack of treatment options available in the state.

"My standard rhetorical question is, would it be OK if somebody in a diabetic coma or some sort of medical crisis always had to be transported across the state?" Brose said.

The answer, of course, is no. Yet the practice is routine for those suffering from mental illness when they encounter law enforcement. Because medical assistance isn't widely available, police departments spend considerable time and money each year driving men and women to treatment facilities elsewhere once those people have been arrested following a trouble call. They often do so with the person handcuffed in the back seat of patrol cars, which as Brose noted is stigmatizing in its own right.

A bill approved by the Legislature this year will allow law enforcement agencies to use third parties for mental illness transport calls. Mental health advocates hope the legislation will provide law enforcement and state officials a way to improve how these transports are handled presently.

Terri White, who heads the state's mental health agency, has told us many times that for too many Oklahomans, their first chance at getting treatment begins in the back of a patrol car. That's unfortunate enough. Looking for ways to make those long trips a little less traumatic is indeed a worthwhile pursuit.

Another encouraging sign

Oklahoma City has had another bouquet tossed its way with the announcement that Myriad Gardens is one of six finalists worldwide for the Urban Land Institute's Urban Open Space Award. Other U.S. parks in the running are Millennium Park in Chicago, Washington Canal Park in Washington, D.C., and Tongva Park and Ken Genser Square in Santa Monica, Calif. It's perhaps a long shot that Myriad Gardens will be chosen the winner later this year. But even making the list is a major accomplishment, and a tribute to the many improvements made to the park a few years ago as part of downtown's Project 180. As The Oklahoman's Steve Lackmeyer put it, making the cut "is confirmation downtown now has the world-class destination dreamed up a half century ago." Kudos.

Working together

Ray Vaughn, Oklahoma County'sDistrict 3 commissioner, sent along an item making the point that various levels of government can and do work together for the general good. The photo nearby shows Vaughn (center), Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilman John Pettis and Edmond Ward 2 Councilwoman Elizabeth Waner posing on a recently repaired 3-mile stretch of road running between Post Road and Hiwassee Road. The south (right) lane is in Oklahoma City. The north lane is in Edmond, and Vaughn is standing on the section line. Before repairs, the road had deteriorated and "had overgrown so much it was barely one lane wide," Vaughn said. The cities of Edmond and Oklahoma City contributed equally to the $2 million project, with a District 3 road crew doing the work.

Interim studies

This year's session ended in late May, but lawmakers already are looking ahead to next year's session, which begins in February 2016. This week, House leaders announced that 122 interim study proposals have been submitted. That list will be cut down, a bit, when final approval for studies is provided by July 10. The actual studies will be conducted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from August to November. The requests cover a wide range of issues. One study would review "pass through" appropriations in state government to highlight those spending practices. Another would examine civil asset forfeiture, a hot topic nationwide. Still another would review Oklahoma's wine and liquor laws. In some cases, interim studies are little more than window dressing. But in other cases, they lead to substantive policy measures in the coming year. Here's hoping we'll see more of the latter than the former in this year's crop.

Back on the scene

You knew when he lost his bid for the U.S. Senate last year that former Oklahoma House Speaker T.W. Shannon wouldn't be out of politics long. Shannon, who's been working for a consulting firm in Tulsa, was named chairman this week of a Republican group that wants a more diverse pool of GOP candidates. The Future Majority Project seeks to recruit 250 new candidates and see at least 50 of those get elected, the Republican State Leadership Committee said. Shannon became the first black speaker of the Oklahoma House when he was elected to that post in 2013; he also was the youngest speaker in state history. Considered a rising star in the GOP while in the state House, Shannon ran into a political buzz saw in James Lankford, who wound up easily defeating Shannon in the Republican U.S. Senate primary last summer. This new challenge appears to be a great fit for the personable and bright former lawmaker.

Reality TV comes to the Capitol?

Former contestants on reality TV shows have often used their fame as a springboard for other endeavors. Often, this has amounted to little more than trying to extend their 15 minutes of fame. But former "Amazing Race" contestant Jet McCoy of Ada may be an exception. This week McCoy, a rancher and former rodeo champion, announced he will be a candidate for the Oklahoma Senate in District 13, located in southern Oklahoma. That's an open race that is likely to draw several serious candidates from both parties, so McCoy may have to compete just as hard to win this race as he did in TV competitions with his brother, Cord. But one thing is for sure: TV exposure that leaves many people feeling like they know you personally, without having ever met you, isn't a bad thing for a political candidate in his first race.

Ethics change

The state Ethics Commission's announcement of an investigation of Sen. Rick Brinkley, R-Owasso, over allegations he used campaign funds for personal use, represents a change from past practice. Typically, such investigations are kept confidential. This facilitates an investigation and also avoids embarrassing anyone who may have been falsely accused. But under recent revisions to ethics rules, the commission can make such investigations public. Several factors caused them to do so in Brinkley's case. For one thing, the complaint was not generated by one of Brinkley's political opponents. News reports had already publicized a separate investigation into alleged criminal acts with court documents indicating potential violations of the Ethics Rules. Lee Slater, executive director of the Ethics Commission, has long stressed transparency. He says publicizing the investigation lets citizens know the agency is doing its job. And should the investigation exonerate Brinkley, Slater says that information will be made public also.

Message of inclusion

Jeb Bush officially announced his Republican presidential candidacy this week. Leading up to the announcement, Bush's campaign released videos that included statements of support from a wide range of people, including a young black woman raised in poverty who became the first in her family to finish high school (and then college) thanks to a voucher program Bush championed as Florida governor, a Hispanic mother of a special-needs child who benefitted from programs Bush initiated, and a victim of domestic violence who touted a law Bush shepherded into being that increased protections for battered women. Notably, none of those individuals fits the profile of the stereotypical Republican booster. Bush's aim is to show that conservative policy solutions can benefit everyone, and clearly he intends to take that message to many people who do not currently vote Republican. It helps that he has a record of action that backs up his inclusive rhetoric.

___

(c)2015 The Oklahoman

Visit The Oklahoman at www.newsok.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.