Pour a little Lost Lake out for a homie.
Last night, Oklahoma Tourism Director Shelley Zumwalt – the hip, stylish, and occasionally ageist state bureaucrat who rapidly rose through the ranks of Oklahoma government under the Stitt regime – announced her "retirement" from state government.
For anyone thinking about bringing donuts to her office, her last day is October 11th.
News of Shelley’s departure comes just six months after a scathing audit report hinted at some questionable dealings she may have overseen during her time leading the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC).
Here’s Shelley’s spin on the retirement, as shared via the Tourism Department:
"After more than a decade of state service, I am announcing today my retirement as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department (OTRD) to pursue the next phase of my career in the private sector...
Spending over a quarter of my life as a state servant has shaped my life in ways I will forever be grateful for. It's been the honor of a lifetime to dedicate so much of my professional career to the people of Oklahoma," said Shelley Zumwalt. "I will always look back on my time in service with deep appreciation and admiration for the dedicated employees I’ve had the privilege to work alongside. I will remain in my position until October 11 to ensure the next leader of OTRD has a seamless transition into their new role. Waking up each day and rolling up your sleeves for something you believe in is a beautiful thing. It's been a great honor to serve the citizens of Oklahoma."
Yep, nothing to see here!
Just an ambitious bureaucrat who rolled up her non-frumpy sleeves each day "for something she believed in" – now suddenly quitting that cause, along with a lavish $200,000+ salary, for no clear reason beyond a vague nod to wanting to work in the private sector.
Obviously, that’s the whole story! We wish her the best of luck mingling with other retirees at Lookout Kitchen at Lake Murray. Happy trails!
Okay, you may be shocked by this, but I’m hearing there’s a little bit more to the story.
Right now, there’s a lot of speculation in the journalism community that Shelley’s resignation has something to do with that scathing report State Auditor Cyndi Byrd released back in April.
For example, Nathaniel H.P. William Lovecraft "Tres-Trey-Trois" Merriwether Savage the III & IVth had this to say:
Trois could be onto something.
If you recall, while leading the OESC, Shelley hired her husband John’s IT firm – Phase 2 – for a big multi-million-dollar upgrade to the agency’s software during the pandemic.
According to the Ogle Mole Network, John – the company’s VP of Software Development – may have benefited from this contract via bonus compensation.
If he did, this could spell trouble for Shelley because she signed an affidavit claiming neither she nor John were involved in any business transactions with OESC that could be considered a conflict of interest.
Basically, Shelley may have signed a false affidavit, which could be drawing the attention of a certain grand jury.
Then again, that’s all just speculation! It’s also old news. Why does Stitt suddenly care about something that went public six months ago?
Well, according to my Moles, I’m hearing that Stitt and Co. are also salty that the Tourism Department has been using Saxum PR, billed through Visual Image Advertising, to book promotional appearances for Shelley.
Apparently, that’s a big no-go after Stitt’s executive order banned the practice thanks to Ryan Walters.
I’m hearing that Shelley’s flaunting of Stitt’s order is the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to him asking for her to resign or "retire."
If this is true – and why would my Moles lie? – I think Stitt’s overreacting.
First, he and Renzi are both tall Young Presidents from Jenks and should have each other's backs.
Second, Shelley has apparently been using taxpayer funds to pay for Saxum’s PR services dating back to her OESC days! Why should she stop now?
That’s a text I got from a Mole in April 2023, which my astronomical charts tell me was 18 months ago!
I have no clue if everything in the text is accurate, but they sent it to me after I pointed out that the only local media coverage of Zumwalt at the time were glowing tributes that focused on her charitable donut contributions to unemployed Oklahomans:
Friendly reminder – there is a fake news problem in this country, and the PR industry – not Russian bots or Facebook – is who we should primarily blame.
Anyway, I genuinely wish Shelley the best of luck in getting out of this mess.
As I mentioned in the past, I have a special place in my heart for all my fellow N. Western bar crawlers who were accosted by Look @ OKC photographers in the mid-aughts while drunk at the old Conservatory.
I sincerely hope Shelley enjoys retirement in the private sector, eats some good donuts, and finds some good attorneys.
Stay tuned to The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
