OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers overnight Thursday voted to fire the state’s embattled mental health commissioner.
Saying that they had “lost confidence” in Allie Friesen’s ability to lead the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, legislators voted overwhelmingly to remove her effective immediately.
It marked the first time in recent history that lawmakers had taken such a step.
The move follows a series of legislative hearings probing financial disarray at the agency, which is responsible for a budget of more than $700 million.
Lawmakers had to make a multi-million dollar emergency appropriation to cover payroll and ensure contracts were fulfilled, while the state auditor recently released a critical audit.
The legislative maneuver drew the ire of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has continued to defend Friesen. He called it a “politically motivated witch hunt.”
Stitt said he tasked Friesen to bring accountability and transparency to the agency and suggested the mismanagement went back a decade or more.
“She disturbed the status quo and questioned long-held practices at the agency,” Stitt said. “An agency rife with sweetheart deals and criminal elements was disrupted, and now elected officials are quickly working to set the apple cart right for those who seek to get rich off of Oklahoma taxpayers.”
Senate Concurrent Resolution 12, authored by Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, said state law allows the Legislature to remove the Friesen with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
The measure passed the Senate by a vote of 43-1.
The House passed it by a vote of 81-5.
“Our job is to come up here and make tough decisions,” West said.
Rosino said the vote was needed to protect people who needed mental health services.
He said the resolution didn’t mean Friesen was dishonest or bad, adding that she was kind and nice. But she was not competent to run the large agency, he said.
“We do not have a choice,” Rosino said.
He said that he didn’t want the agency’s issues to fester in the interim.
Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, cast the lone Senate vote against the bill, saying Friesen was trying to fix the agency, which opened up a “hornet’s nest.”
“This is not the way to handle business,” he said.
The measure does not require the signature of Stitt, who appointed Friesen to the post in January 2024.
Friesen has blamed the financial situation on prior administrations, but Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called for her termination.
“While I cannot begin to understand why Gov. Stitt has chosen to protect Allie Friesen instead of our tax dollars, I applaud the legislative resolution to remove this failed bureaucrat from office,” Drummond said Thursday.
Stitt will now have to appoint a new person to run the mental health agency. Senate confirmation is required.
Emma Murphy contributed to this report.
Republished in partnership with Oklahoma Voice under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Oklahoma Voice is a part of States Newsroom which is a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and Twitter.
Barbara Hoberock is a senior reporter with Oklahoma Voice. She has covered the statehouse since 1994 and served as Tulsa World Capitol Bureau chief. Hoberock covers statewide elected officials, the legislature, agencies, state issues, appellate courts and elections.
