WOMACK CONSULTANT HAS MIXED POLITICAL PAST

One of the consultants to Rogers Mayor Steve Womack's campaign for the 3rd Congressional District is just two years removed from being forced to resign as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Lance Cargill, a partner in Harrah, Okla.-based J.C. Partners, ran for the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2000 and defeated a 12-year Democratic incumbent. In 2004, he became the leader of the House GOP political team and was part of the effort which won the first GOP majority in the Oklahoma House in more than 80 years.

Womack recently hired Cargill and Jessica Caswell, the other half of J.C. Partners, to help with campaign strategy and marketing for his bid for the 3rd Congressional District.

But Cargill’s time at the top was limited. In January 2008 he resigned as House Speaker following revelations of his repeated delinquencies — six consecutive years of late payments in once case — in paying property taxes. There was another controversy involving the use of political funds improperly.

Womack tells our content partner, The City Wire:

"I am fully aware of the personal issues Mr. Cargill faced while serving as Speaker of the House in Oklahoma and his decision to step down as Speaker for the benefit of the Republican Caucus he led. While his issues were critical to his work as a public servant, they were not criminal in nature. He has assured me that these infractions have been corrected and all taxes, penalties, etc. have been paid in full. I also realize that a young politician engaged in the historic change in the political landscape of his home state becomes a huge target for the opposing party. For that, I believe Mr. Cargill has suffered from the 'penalty of leadership'. His work with my campaign is part-time and advisory in nature on matters of campaign organization.”

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