Oklahoma county commissioner scandal: Review, reform, and the county lobby

Abstract

This article reviews the findings of an extended study of Oklahoma's county commissioner scandal (Okscam). A basic finding is that institutional weaknesses allowed county commissioners to operate with a combination of resources and discretion that invited abuse. Second, reforms definitely improved the system but left in place much of the traditional system of county road building, a system one observer described as "road districtitis." Third, the growing strength of the county lobby in support of county government poses a potential long term threat to the persistence of the reforms enacted in reaction to Okscam.