Jail trust appointee approved
Oklahoma County commissioners on Monday unanimously approved the appointment of Chad Alexander to fill former Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb’s vacated position on the Oklahoma County Jail Trust.
Alexander, a former Oklahoma GOP chairman, was appointed by County Commissioner Kevin Calvey of District 3.
During public comment, some citizens raised concerns about Alexander’s qualifications.
“You now had an opportunity, Kevin Calvey, to appoint someone who maybe could slightly redeem this board, who could possibly bring a little bit of expertise to it,” resident Mark Faulk said.
Calvey said Alexander is well-qualified for the job as a supporter of Right on Crime, a conservative criminal justice reform group, and Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform. Alexander also is on the board of directors for Metro Alliance, which serves as
an alternative to sentencing for alcoholrelated offenses, and the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, which works to help eliminate adverse childhood experiences for Oklahoma children.
“In my eye he is a great story of redemption and how he owned up to his problems and how law enforcement and jail can actually help somebody turn their life around, which he did,” Calvey said.
Calvey was referring to Alexander’s previous sentence for cocaine possession. He was sentenced to probation and entered a rehabilitation program in 2014. There are no longer any felony charges on his record after successfully completing a deferred sentence.
Commissioner Carrie Blumert said Alexander’s past struggles should not be used to qualify or disqualify him from service.
“To use someone’s addiction and weaponize that against them makes me very sad,” she said.
Calls to Alexander had not been returned at the time of publication.