(Addendum – Per Julia Sublett, 2.12.24, “Charles Sublett does not work for Catalyst and [sic] not supporting any candidates”.)
Today I received a text message:
In case you can’t read the fine print circled in red:
I hope ANYONE who might have gotten this text had the first question that popped into their mind be simply, “Why?”.
That was mine. Why would a group called “Catalyst Oklahoma” want to send me a text to call Senator McCortney and tell him how much he means to me – even though he’s not even my Senator. I guess because I’ve been told he’s “conservative”, I should be honor-bound as a conservative to call him and thank him for all the “conservative” things he’s done for me?
For those who aren’t familiar with the “inside baseball” happening at the capitol right now, there is a 3-way race for leadership of the Senate this year. Current Pro-Temp, termed-out Senator Greg Treat, will be replaced by either Senators David Bullard, Casey Murdock, or Greg McCortney. Interesting timing on the text message rallying support around this particular, “conservative” in the Senate I would say.
During the 2022 elections, I wrote several articles about the use of “dark money” in Oklahoma elections. One article, dealt with Catalyst Oklahoma donations to Kristen Thompson, challenger to seated senator at the time, Jake Merrick. Thompson won that election.
So who/what is Catalyst Oklahoma? According to information I collected in 2022, Catalyst Oklahoma is a 501C4 (dark money) organization which included ties to both Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs (through OCPA board member [according to the OCPA website as of 12.12.24] and President of Catalyst Oklahoma, Charles Sublett) and the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce (through Chamber board member Allen Wright and Director of Catalyst Oklahoma).
Catalyst Oklahoma has no 990 (which are to be public documents) tax form available on the IRS website (use the EIN#46-4126174) after 2020 – why?
Cause IQ has information indicating that Catalyst Oklahoma made a 50K donation to the State Chamber in 2022, but there is no linked 990 so I’m uncertain from where that information came
Cause IQ lists Catalyst Oklahoma 2022 revenues at $773,120
Cause IQ lists Catalyst Oklahoma 2022 expenses at $704,193
their website is still listed as okunited.org, but it no longer has information that opposes closed primaries as it did in 2022 (check out the popup from the wayback machine when you navigate to the site)
Also of interest is the fact that Catalyst Oklahoma spent a total of $40,000 against Dusty Deevers – conservative Republican – in the District 32 (2023) special election for state senate (Oklahoma Ethics Guardian System Independent Expenditures search 2.10.24).
For conservatives, Catalyst Oklahoma suddenly sending out loving texts about Greg McCortney, should send you a message. If you get that message, please contact YOUR SENATOR and ask them to vote NO for McCortney as Pro-Temp on Monday.
While ROPE does not support candidates as a group, I can say that I’ve known David Bullard for several years and have found him to be (excepting a vote for our state’s educational voucher bill) very conservative, if you’re interested in an alternative.
PS: This little text messaging stunt is just another reason why we need to get
School choice. Parental choice. It sounds good. It looks good. But, is it really all that it is cracked up to be?
A new Oklahoma law, hailed by Governor Stitt as a major victory for parents and students in Oklahoma, is just about to move into action with the Tax Commission’s adoption of an emergency rule this week.
While the text of the bill originally failed and faltered, it was “saved” by some resourceful legislators, who simply gutted another bill, pasted in the language, and ran it through under a different number.
The new law does two things. First, it provides families that are not in the public school systems – either brick and mortar or virtual charter schools – with reimbursement for certain educational expenses. Public money, potentially millions of dollars out of the state budget, is promised to private schoolers and traditional homeschoolers, who up until now have been completely private and parent-directed.
Second, the new law lays the groundwork to gather a wealth of information about private schoolers and traditional homeschoolers alike. Previously private information will now be public information shared between government agencies.
The law is not simply about school choice or parental choice. The “parental choice” law results in government control and involvement. When eligible families seek reimbursement, they will be required to give information to receive public funds. Specifically, the reimbursement law necessitates that the Oklahoma Tax Commission analyze requests for certain reimbursement of fees, curriculum and other educational expenses and cross-reference requests with the Department of Education for validity. If the Tax Commission reviews the information and finds that money was handed out improperly, then the tax man will come back to families and “capture” what was lost. Further, the Department of Education is required to create an online platform for the exchange of information, ratings and reviews of educational providers. (Look out Amazon)
These rich sources of unnecessary and intrusive information-gathering could obviously be used by the state to paint a picture of the entire private and homeschool communities and would likely lay the groundwork for future regulation. Opting out would no longer be an option.
While private school and homeschool freedom has not been obliterated yet, the chain is now placed around educational liberty – just as a choke chain is put around an animal‘s neck – as a sign of warning and threat to obey.
When the government offers something “free,” it is never free. It appears that the chain may only grow tighter and tighter, until parents have no educational choices at all. The real losers will be the children.
Warning – homeschoolers and private schoolers. Look out for the knock on the door and the man on your porch, who says, “Hello, I am with the government, and I am here to help.”
For months I’ve been researching Dark Money in Oklahoma, tying together a wide-reaching web of PACs and Non-Profits and Oklahoma Movers and Shakers and other SWAMP creatures. This is Part 1 of what I hope will be a pretty thorough expose on who pulls the strings to get voters to pull levers in Oklahoma elections.
Since becoming disgusted with the 2022 primary elections – especially former Senator Jake Merrick’s re-election campaign – like some politically nerdy Alice in Wonderland, I accidentally fell down a rabbit hole trying to determine who really decides elections for Oklahomans – voters, or people who use money to influence elections.
What I’ve found is mind-numbing and the absolute reason why grassroots Oklahomans engaged in the political process to elect Constitutionally-minded, small government conservatives are getting their butts handed to them nearly every election. We simply can’t make up in advocacy, what PACS and 501C4’s can raise in money when no one has to know where that money is coming from and – to an extent – where it goes. It all happens in the dark at our expense.
So let’s start with Catalyst Oklahoma PAC. I wrote about them briefly in my analysis of Merrick’s re-election campaign, but since then, I’ve learned much more.
CATALYST’S OCPA/CHAMBER CONNECTION
Catalyst Oklahoma, Inc., was created in October of 2014. A filing made with the Secretary of State’s Office (OKSOS) received October 23, 2014, lists Charles Sublett as Executive Director/Treasurer, Director and President at 100 North Broadway, Suite 1500, OKC, OK 73102. Charles Sublett is a Board Member of OCPA from Tulsa.
With the filing was a copy of a 990-EZ tax return for 2013 (which cannot be found on the IRS website for the non-profit with the same EIN -it also lists a $150,000 donation by an individual whose name was redacted in the Secretary of State filing). The tax return is signed by Charles Sublett and prepared by Edward DeBee of DeBee Gilchrist, A Professional Corporation, 100 North Broadway, Suite 1500, OKC, OK 73102. (Apparently now DeBee Clark Attorneys and Counselors at 1200 NW 63rd Suite 5000).
Tangentially, DeBee Clark was also used to create People for Opportunity, a PAC created by Dave Bond, Jonathan Small and Trent England – all of OCPA.
A 2016 Registration Renewal lists the mailing address as 1200 NW 63rd Suite 5000 and Charles Sublett as President and Director along with Mark Nichols (Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Koch Industries) and Allen Wright (President of the Hustings Group) – both of whom are on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma State Chamber.
Also tangentially, Allen Wright was involved in OCPA Impact (aka OCPA Oklahoma Policy Solutions Inc.) – a 501C4 organization where Dave Bond served as President and CEO from 2015-2019 (the last available filing for OCPA Impact on IRS.gov). From 2015 to 2018, Allen Wright served in various capacities within the C4. DeBee Cilchrist, A Professional Corporation is listed as the filing agent for that organization as well.
A 2017 Registration Renewal adds Bob Sullivan (former Secretary of Energy under Governor Frank Keating) and the group remains the same for 2018.
No renewals are logged with the OKSOS until 2021 when the address changes to 317 East 33rd in Edmond (the address for Neighborhood Veterinary Services). Officers for 2021 Included Sublett and Wright, but not Nichols and Meg Salyer (former OKC City/Council Member) and former OKC Mayor, Ron Norick were added.
A 2018 article by Brianna Bailey of The Frontier about dark money spending, records a spokesman for OCPA, David Autry, saying that a ‘tax preparer previously listed Catalyst as an OCPA-related nonprofit because of the shared board member, but there was no legal reason to do so.’
Ok, while there may be no “legal” reason, there’s enough overlap to see the connections nonetheless.
CATALYST OKLAHOMA 2015-16 FEC FILING BY STATE CHAMBER ATTORNEY FOR CONGRESSMAN TOM COLE
Catalyst Oklahoma is not a PAC – it’s a 501C4 private non-profit. It can donate either directly to candidates or to PACs and it doesn’t have to publish where its money comes from.
It doesn’t have to file with FEC, but it did in 2015-16 when it supported Tom Cole ($62,099.00) for Congress – a federal position that required the creation of a federal PAC.
The “About” section of the FEC filing has absolutely nothing to identify itself but a PO Box number which links to attorney (and former Oklahoma Senator and Secretary of State) Glenn Coffee, who became the Oklahoma Chamber’s attorney of record in 2013.
Attached to the FEC filing is a letter from attorney Coffee – in response to a letter from the FEC regarding Catalyst’s late filing – that describes efforts by Catalyst Oklahoma including a survey on the Mick Cornett/Ed Shadid mayoral race in 2015.
CATALYST OKLAHOMA’S WEBSITE IS A LIBERAL ORGANIZATION “OK UNITED”
Each 990 tax filing made by Catalyst Oklahoma, Inc., lists their website as www.okunited.org.
Oklahoma United’s main focus is to REPEAL CLOSED PRIMARIES IN OKLAHOMA – an absolutely disastrous idea for conservative politics. But then, conservative politics are not at ALL what this website touts. In fact, this is a website that uses words like “MODERATE” and “MIDDLE” and “CENTRIST” throughout.
Here’s what they’re “doing” in their own words:
Creating and leveraging existing media content to support and give voice to centrist views and representation for Oklahomans (translation: like Facebook factcheckers, they want to make sure right-sided views are eliminated)
Joining initiatives to improve voter registration, access, and turnout (translation: pushing for motor/voter laws and pushing for absentee voting?)
Identifying and addressing obstacles that contribute to partisan fringe domination of Oklahoma politics (translation: working to take out true conservatives in elections)
Advocating for the Forgotten Middle in Oklahoma (translation: putting money into PACS and elections to sway voters to vote for more government and less freedom)
This is NOT what OCPA says it stands for on its website, but then, it did go full bore for the IMPLEMENTATION OF MANAGED CARE (the step into a single-payer/socialist healthcare system) in Oklahoma this session (2022).
CATALYST OKLAHOMA SUPPORTS CONSERVATIVES IN 2018 GOES QUIET 4 YEARS AND COMES BACK IN 2022 SUPPORTING ANTI-GRASSROOTS CANDIDATES WITH $288,704.11 (4/1-8/10)
A late 2018 Ethics Commission filing for Catalyst Oklahoma shows the address as 1200 NW 63rd Street supporting Cathy Costello for Commissioner of Labor.
Early 2022 Ethics reports for Catalyst Oklahoma carry an address of 817 East 33rd Street Edmond (not 317 as listed on the 2021 OKSOS filing), which corresponds to a building in an office complex off 33rd that has no sign outside but isn’t empty.
A search for that address connects it to the Boggy Depot Land and Cattle Co, incorporated 7/20/22 by Allen Wright. A search for the post office box listed on the Ethics filing returns no associations at all.
Ethics reports for Catalyst Oklahoma from 4/1/22-8/10/22 show that $288,704.11 was paid to support only four candidates – Kristen Thompson against Jake Merrick (Thompson won the Primary outright), Darcy Jech against Brady Butler, Hunter Zearley against Jack Stewart (Stewart won the Primary outright) and Ally Seifried against Jarrin Jackson. CAMP runs candidates Seifried and Jech.
This seems odd, but there is a connection between OCPA and Fount Holland.
This lack of ethics isn’t the only issue I have with his tactics, however, which is why I will continue my series on the Corruption Belt with some of the more enlightening information I’ve stumbled upon as I’ve continued to research Dark Money influence and its effect on Oklahoma elections.
For now, know this – true Conservatives will have a horrible time winning elections in this state until we can change Ethics laws to prevent the endless merry-go-round of money through 501C4’s and PACs and the influence spread by sitting legislators who use their campaign ‘war chests’ to fund the campaigns of other legislators and candidates they believe will help their efforts. So be prepared. By the end of this series, you’ll either need to act, or sit on your hands and watch the Bible belt continue to rust into the Corruption Belt while Oklahoma turns blue.
Jake Merrick won a special election for now-Congresswoman Stephanie Bice’s open Senate seat last year. Senator Merrick is a Conservative, pro-life, pro-2nd amendment, small business owner who has served Oklahoma well since his special election. Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs (OCPA) dark money helped him in his first election. Here’s the rub: After voting YES in committee, he voted NO (on the Senate floor) on a bill to send public money to private schools (voucher – SB1647). This election cycle, OCPA is using many thousands of dollars to influence voters AGAINST HIM through a different dark money group.
What is “dark money”? Dark money is money spent on political campaigns where – since 2010 – the names of the donors to the campaign don’t have to be disclosed. The money can come through STATE or FEDERAL sources – or both. To learn more about “dark money”, click here.
In March of 2021, an Oklahoma PAC called People for Opportunity, Inc. gave over 100 thousand dollars to an organization called WPAi – a political polling, research and analytics team – run by Chris Wilson – in support of Jake Merrick.
Who is People for Opportunity?
According to the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office, People for Opportunity was begun in 2020 by Jonathan Small – the President of OCPA and Dave Bond – the Vice President for Advocacy at OCPA.
OCPA has long been an organization in part dedicated to the idea of School Choice – which includes ‘vouchers’; providing parents with tax dollars to send their children to private schools.
OCPA is often funded by grants from the Walton Foundation (during campaign cycles apparently), the State Policy Network – an organization of which they are an affiliate – as well as private and other donors. Because they are a private, non-profit organization, however, they do not have to report the source of their donations, only their expenditures.
In 2019, OCPA did make two expenditures.
One to the American Federation for Children – a school choice organization – and one to the OCPA Impact Inc organization.
OCPA Impact Inc., also does business as OCPA Oklahoma Policy Solutions, Inc. under the same EIN (tax number).
In 2019, they reported $19,933 in revenue, but again, from where that came who knows. Where it was spent was not recorded on their tax form either.
In fact, OCPA has LOTS of organizations registered with the OK Secretary of State’s Office. Unfortunately, our state is not a fan of transparency as it costs a minimum of $5 to request ANY documents from the SOS office on any registered organization and upwards of $10 per document to actually see the paperwork the SOS’s office requires for filing.
Why so many organizations associated with OCPA?
Where did the 100K come from for the donation through People for Opportunity?
Who knows? The only way to find out any information about these dark money groups is painstaking and not something many people are going to do. This is sad, because people who SPEND MONEY TO ELECT or REMOVE elected officials have INFLUENCE over the candidates they help elect.
This election cycle, an organization listed as Catalyst Oklahoma recorded expenditures of $50,620 for Jake Merrick’s opponent Kristen Thompson.
Who is Catalyst Oklahoma, Inc. ?
Catalyst Inc., is a dark money subgroup of OCPA with the Principal listed as Charles Sublett – a member of OCPA’s Board.
There is no 990 filing for Catalyst Oklahoma for 2019 and above, though there’s little the form would tell us but to whom the organization has given money.
Why would OCPA work so heavily in dark money in Oklahoma? Why have so many organizations and sub-organizations with so many different names associated? What does OCPA have to hide?
Why spend so much money to help Senator Merrick win and then turn around and spend more money to unseat him? If OCPA is so fired up about “empowering parents” by offering “school choice”, why not put the money being spent on elected legislators into starting new schools to help kids? How does it ’empower parents’ to spend so much money on legislative activities?
Dark money always leaves unanswered questions while it influences the legislative process in ways most ‘average’ Oklahomans can’t.
