Former Speaker Shannon to aid in redistricting
The Oklahoma House has hired a former Republican speaker to help with the upcoming redistricting process.
House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, announced Monday the hiring of former Speaker T.W. Shannon to serve as the chamber's public liaison on redistricting.
Shannon will help solicit public input on how House legislative districts should look for the next decade and build bridges between the public and legislators throughout the redistricting process that occurs following the U.S. Census. He also will serve as a spokesman to the public and media outlets, according to a news release.
“T.W. Shannon is an incredibly effective communicator whose diversity and deep understanding of all of Oklahoma will strongly benefit the House's public-focused redistricting process,” McCall said.
Shannon will be paid $6,250 per month on a monthto-month contract, said a spokesman for McCall. He will report to the House Redistricting Committee and eight regional subcommittees on which all 101 House members will serve.
Senate leadership also hired outside help to aid in the redistricting process. Keith Beall, who was chief of staff to former Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, will serve as Senate redistricting director. He will be paid $105,000, according to the Tulsa World.
The House has established a redistricting process that will allow all Oklahomans to be heard while producing proper leadership for the state, Shannon said.
“House seats belong to the public, and it is an honor to help the public bring their vision for their representation to the table in the critical constitutional process of redistricting,” he said.
Shannon, who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Black speaker in Oklahoma history. He resigned in 2014 to mount an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Sen. Tom Coburn.
He currently serve son the State Transportation Commission and is the president and chief executive officer of the Chickasaw Community Bank.
While leadership in the Oklahoma House and Senate move forward on redistricting efforts, a political campaign is trying to take redistricting power away from the Legislature through a state question in 2022.
People Not Politicians aims to qualify a question for the ballot that asks Oklahomans to support the creation of an independent redistricting commission made up of non-elected officials of various political persuasions.
Republican House and Senate leaders are currently laying the groundwork for redistricting work that will heat up when final Census data is delivered to states in the spring. The Legislature is responsible for redrawing Oklahoma's legislative and congressional districts every decade.