Pointe Vista Lawsuit ends with Open Meetings Violation




Two weeks ago, on Thursday May 19th, the state Commissioners of the Land Office met at the Capitol Building. Following an Executive Session they quickly took two votes. Those votes authorized the actions they took at the Marshall County clerk's office on May 12th.

They released Pointe Vista from their 2008 redevelopment contracts, while letting them keep over 700 acres of Lake Texoma State Park. They also repurchased fifty acres from the failed developer. This was one of the grounds for Governor Fallin and Pointe Vista's JOINT MOTION to dismiss the lawsuit.

The state violated the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act when they processed their September 16, 2015 "settlement agreement" before they took the votes to approve those actions. This is a classic example of why Open Meetings Act was created in the first place.

Last September, the Governor's former communications director Alex Weintz announced that the "settlement" had not been finalized or submitted to the court.

That's not what Fallin's communications director told me.

Governor's Communications Director Responds

Michael McNutt is Communications Director for Fallin. I spoke with him briefly after the CLO meeting.

I asked McNutt, "When they hammer out the details on the contract... are they going to sell that fifty acres before they go to the court and say, 'It's now settled?' Or, does the judge have to approve the settlement?"

He said, "I think the settlement has already been approved. That was done in September."

I asked, "Well it hasn't been submitted to the court for judge Stuart's approval.... Do you know when they'll do that?"

McNutt said, "I suppose once they get an agreement, then they'll do that. Then, I think the plan is, once they get an agreement, they'll announce it, file and whatever else needs to be done."

I asked, "So, they'll do it after they sell the fifty acres to the new developer, you know, once it's all cinched?"

McNutt said, "I, I, yeah. Uh, I don't know."

The CLO may have received oral approval from the court without submitting a written and signed settlement agreement.

The general public was given the impression that the CLO completed their law suit. Actually, they abandoned it.

They processed their settlement agreement one week before they voted to approve it. To comply with state law, they would have had to vote to approve the settlement terms at their April meeting, before processing it in Marshall County on May 12th.

But then, they would have been asked for the final court approved settlement agreement which the governor's office offered to provide. It was never completed, and it was never offered or mentioned again.

This is how corporate / state PR campaigns work. "Perception is the reality," they say. And they've spent years trying to drag this out and wear people down.

Should Pointe Vista be rewarded for their persistence?

Should they be allowed to keep the 700 acres of Lake Texoma State Park and do whatever they want with it?




Tell us what you think!

Lake Texoma Email Updates


 

Visit our Lake Texoma Sponsors!

Lake Texoma on Social Media

 
       

Lake Texoma Current Weather Alerts

There are no active watches, warnings or advisories.

 

Lake Texoma Weather Forecast

Thursday

Sunny

Hi: 66

Thursday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 56

Friday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 71

Friday Night

Partly Cloudy

Lo: 60

Saturday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 75

Saturday Night

Mostly Cloudy

Lo: 65

Sunday

Mostly Cloudy

Hi: 75

Sunday Night

Slight Chance Thunderstorms

Lo: 68


Lake Texoma Water Level (last 30 days)


Water Level on 3/28: 615.11 (-1.89)



Lake Texoma

Fishing Report from TPWD (Mar. 20)

GOOD. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 1.35 feet below pool. Striped bass fishing is good using live shad on main lake ledges and flats in 30-40 feet of water. The bite has improved drastically around 10:30-11:00 A.M. each day, so stick it out if you are not seeing active fish early. Backs of coves and around the mouths of the rivers are good with swimbaits in 8-15 feet of water where the water is dirty and warmer. Catfish are slow, anchor in shallow water near the rivers where the inflow is using whole gizzard shad or cut buffalo for big fish. Smaller fish showing up on the flats in 20-30 feet of water. Crappie are fair in the creeks in 1-5 feet of water using jigs and minnows on brush sticking up or lay downs from the bank. Mo glo and black/chartreuse on a slip cork in shallow creeks. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair on swimbaits along the bluffs and on sandy points with stumps in 5-8 feet of water. Topwater bite will be on soon! Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass continue to be caught with Alabama rigs or sassy shad targeting structure. Somedays fish are in 5 feet and some in 40 feet of water. The water clarity is clear near the dam and muddy where rivers enter the lake. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.

More Fishing Reports