Cabinet secretary to resign
Ostrowe, after facing controversy, will return to the private sector.
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s secretary of digital transformation and administration, who courted controversy during his time in the administration, will step down this week.
Cabinet Secretary David Ostrowe, who was charged with attempted bribery of an official last year, a charge that was later dropped, will resign Tuesday.
A businessman, Ostrowe will return to the private sector where he serves as president of O&M Restaurant Group in Oklahoma City, Stitt’s office said Friday. Ostrowe juggled his public and private sector duties simultaneously while serving in the governor’s Cabinet. Ostrowe was indicted last year and accused of telling two top officials at the Oklahoma Tax Commission the agency would lose state
appropriations unless they waived a company’s penalties and interest on a tax debt.
The felony charge was dropped “without prejudice” in May right before then-Attorney General Mike Hunter resigned. Hunter said the case created a conflict of interest because the governor would get to appoint Oklahoma’s new attorney general.
Throughout the process, Ostrowe maintained he had made no threats and done nothing wrong. When the charges were dropped, the governor said, “I have maintained my faith in the fairness of Oklahoma’s justice system and its presumption of innocence, and I am thankful the truth has been revealed,”
Shortly thereafter, Ostrowe announced his intention to sue Hunter, alleging the indictment from the state’s multicounty grand jury was politically motivated and orchestrated by the former attorney general. Ostrowe has presented no evidence of his claims. It’s unclear if Ostrowe still intends to pursue the lawsuit.
Stitt tapped Ostrowe to help bring state government into the digital age and make it easier for Oklahomans to access state services. Ostrowe, who was appointed at the start of Stitt’s gubernatorial tenure, previously told The Oklahoman he committed to serve in the unpaid position for two years. After he was indicted, Ostrowe was on leave from his official duties for an unspecified number of months.
“Working with the Cabinet has been an honor and privilege and I am grateful to Governor Stitt for the opportunity to serve my state,” Ostrowe said in a news release. “I am proud of the accomplishments of my team and hope they will continue to modernize and evolve.”
Stitt has not announced Ostrowe’s replacement.