Glenn Coffee
From Ballotpedia
| Glenn Coffee | ||
 | ||
| Oklahoma Secretary of State | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2010 - Present | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
Contents |
Education
- Bachelor's degree in political science, Northeastern State University (1988)
- Juris Doctorate degree, University of Oklahoma (1992)
Professional experience
Prior to his entry into state politics, Coffee worked as an attorney for the Oklahoma City-based private practice Phillips Murrah, P.C. in addition to serving as general counsel for TVC Marketing Association.
Political career
State Senate
Coffee was first elected as a member of the State Senate representing the citizens of the thirtieth state senate district, which includes Oklahoma City, in 1998. He served in a number of administrative positions throughout his tenure as a state senator. Among his most prominent roles, Coffee had operated as Chairman of the Republican Caucus for two years beginning in 2000 and had been named as Minority Floor Leader in 2004. He split control of the State Senate as Co-President Pro Tempore for a year with a Democratic colleague after State Republicans won a historic tie in the 2006 election. Once majority control had been gained by the Republicans in 2008, Coffee was elected by his senatorial peers as President Pro Tempore.
He was the main sponsor of State Question 748 (2010), a proposed constitutional amendment that would alter the name and composition of Oklahoma's state legislative redistricting commission. The legislatively-referred ballot measure won the approval of state voters with slightly over fifty-eight percent.
After state term-limit laws prevented Coffee from campaigning for a fourth time, he was selected as a part of Republican Governor-elect Mary Fallin's transition team, a decision that was meet with some criticism due to recent controversies surrounding his years as state senator. [2]
Controversies
Staff raises
In early-January 2009, at least six staff members of President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee's Office received considerable pay hikes. One such employee, Britnee Preston, majority leadership legislative assistant, saw her yearly income rise from $29,000 to $46,164. Another, Fred Morgan, senior policy adviser and legal counsel, received $15,000 more annually, which brought his yearly income to $140,000. It should be noted, however, that Vic Thompson, who served under Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan in June 2007, earned $150,000 for the same position. Coffee claims that "increases were given before officials knew the extent of the state's budget problems" and that "overall leadership cost is still well below that of previous Democratic administrations." [3]
Tax lien
The Associated Press published an article that revealed that Senate President Pro Tempore Coffee was released from lien for $28,882 in overdue taxes for the period ending December 31, 2006. A lien is "a legal claim on property that makes it collateral against money that is owed" and, in some cases, that property can then be forced into sale in order to collect. [4] Coffee, who stated that he works with an accountant in preparing his tax returns, insisted that he had "sought an extension in which to file his income tax return, but the time lapsed before the taxes were paid." [4]
In late-March 2009, shortly after the story was first reported, Coffee reported that he received "a loan from a bank at a 5.5 percent interest rate" and had paid off his outstanding taxes. [5] He, however, refused at the time to "release his tax filings, name the bank he got the loan from, or describe the nature of the collateral." [5] Two weeks later, a transparency advocacy group called Citizens for Transparency took out a full page advertisement in the Sunday edition of the Tulsa World newspaper demanding that state senators hold him accountable. [6] A month after this occurred, NBC Bank in Oklahoma City came forward as having been the bank that lent Coffee the money to pay his back taxes. H.K. Hatcher, president of the bank, stated that "the loan is a straightforward, customary business transaction in accordance with all the standards set forth by NBC Bank and the banking regulations." [7]
Travel expenses
Coffee was just of a number of state legislators targeted by News 9, a local television station, for taking a number of trips across the country and using taxpayer dollars to pay for rather extraneous travel expenses that were incurred as a result. [8] In 2009, he and State Senator Brian Bingman, who was, at the time, "vice chairman of the group of energy producing states and Canadian provinces," flew to Canada and then "used a limousine service, instead of a taxicab to go from the airport to the hotel." [9] The limousine service cost $192.56 compared $70 round trip fare the cab would have been. At the time this trip occurred, state revenues were down nearly nine percent from the previous year and state agencies were facing a five percent cut in spending. [10] Also, during that same year, Coffee's own Administrative Assistant and the Majority Legislative Director spent a total of "$2,392.73 to attend a conference in Austin for professional development and to learn how to become better staffers." [9] When questioned about the expenditures, the President Pro Tempore stated that he thought the expense was appropriate because individuals still needed to be trained.
Other roles
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Leadership Oklahoma
- Member, Leadership Oklahoma City Fast Track
- Member, Northeastern State University Alumni Association
- Member, Oklahoma County Bar Association
- Member, Oklahoma State Bar Association
- Member, Heritage Baptist Church
Campaign contributions
2002
According to Follow the Money, Coffee raised $26,186 in 2002 for his state senatorial campaign. [11]
Listed below are the top five contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Chesapeake Energy | $5,000 |
| Glenn Coffee | $5,000 |
| Southwestern Bell | $1,500 |
| Edward W. Miller | $1,500 |
| Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association | $750 |
2006
According to Follow the Money, Coffee raised $229,807 in 2006 for his state senatorial campaign. [12]
Listed below are the top five contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Farmers Insurance Group | $5,500 |
| Carl R. Renfro | $5,500 |
| Brian E. Fayak | $5,000 |
| John E. Smicklas | $5,000 |
| Chesapeake Energy | $5,000 |
Elections
2006
- 2006 Race for Oklahoma State Senate, District 30 - Republican Primary and General Election
- Glenn Coffee ran unopposed in both contests [13]
Family life
Coffee currently resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with his wife, Lisa. The couple has had four children together - Collin, Blaine, Anna, and Kate.
Awards
- Legislator of the Year Award (2010) from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) [14]
Contact Information
Capitol Address:
Office of Oklahoma Secretary of State
2300 North Lincoln Boulevard
Suite 101
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: (405) 521-3911
Fax: (405) 521-3771
External links
- Official Oklahoma Secretary of State website
- Oklahoma State Senate - Glenn Coffee biography
- State Senate Campaign contributions: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
- Project Vote Smart - Glenn Coffee biography
References
- ↑ The Oklahoman "Mary Fallin appoints Glenn Coffee as Oklahoma secretary of state" 4 Jan. 2010
- ↑ Oklahoma Watchdog "Troubled Coffee to be part of OK Gov.-Elect Fallin transition team" 9 Nov. 2010
- ↑ Tulsa World "Coffee's staff gets big raises" 10 Feb. 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oklahoma Democratic Leadership Committee "Senate leader had a tax lien" 21 March, 2009
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tulsa World "Senate chief got loan to pay tax lien" 26 March, 2009
- ↑ Tulsa World "Group wants more data about Coffee tax loan" 15 April, 2009
- ↑ Tulsa World "Banker discloses loan to Coffee" 5 May, 2009
- ↑ Oklahoma Watchdog "Limousine conservatism: Senate leadership post in Bingman’s future?" 4 Nov. 2010
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 News 9 "State Lawmakers Travel on Your Dime" 20 May, 2010
- ↑ The Journal Record "Oklahoma revenue down 8.5% in Jan. from previous year" 11 Feb. 2009
- ↑ Follow the Money - Campaign Contributions for Glenn Coffee, 2002
- ↑ Follow the Money - Campaign Contributions for Glenn Coffee, 2006
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board - 2006 Unopposed Candidates Results
- ↑ Capitol Beat OK "Senate Pro Tem Glenn Coffee named Legislator of the Year" 17 Aug. 2010
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | Oklahoma Senate - District 30 1998–2010 | Succeeded by David Holt (R) |
| Preceded by M. Susan Savage | Oklahoma Secretary of State 2010–present | Succeeded by NA |
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