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| Mark & Cathy Costello |
Governor Mary Fallin appointed Melissa McLawhorn Houston, who had been in the state attorney general's office, as the labor commissioner for the remainder of the term of Mark Costello, whose life was cut short on August 23, when his wayward, troubled son knifed him to death outside a restaurant in Oklahoma City. Fallin made the appointment on November 10, which would have been Mark Costello's 60th birthday. Her appointment of Houston was not a happy, postmortem birthday present for his widow, Cathy, who had asked for Fallin for the appointment. A governor's appointing the surviving spouce of an officeholder to hold the office for the remaining duration of the decedent's term is a time-honored, respectful tradition. Governor Fallin didn't honor that tradition. I think I know why.
I knew Mark Costello long before he ran for labor commissioner. He was very close to the Benedictine monks at Clear Creek Monastery in Cherokee County, and so is Cathy. The Costellos bought property next to the monastery and spent weekends and holidays at their little house there so they could be near the monks. I worked as a fundraiser for Clear Creek to raise money for a new church and other facilities for the monks' growing community. Mark and Cathy Costello were helpful in those efforts.
Years ago, thinking I know politics well, Mark Costello asked my advice as to whether he should run for public office and, if so, which one. I told him he should run; I did not advise him to run for labor commissioner. In 2011, he gave me for fun one of the worthless Zimbabwean trillion dollar bills he liked to pass out, and he also gave me a valuable digital audio recorder that I use to this day in my work as a reporter. I should add I would never have interviewed him as a reporter because I considered him a friend and could not be objective.
Two years ago, Mark told me Mary Fallin was concerned he might challenge her for the Republican nomination in 2014. He told me he had no intention of challenging her and in his typical, good humor said he asked a reporter if there was any truth to the rumor Mary Fallin would run against him for labor commissioner? I wouldn't be surprised if some Republican establishment hack might now accuse me of putting words in the mouth of a man no longer living, but that is what Mark Costello told me.
The Costellos were outside of Mary Fallin's political orbit, and as such she had little or no influence over them. Mark Costello was a supporter and benefactor of conservative Tea Party candidates in the state, many of whom did not enjoy the support of the statee chamber of commerce and likely not Fallin's either.
Stringing Cathy Along
I doubted Cathy would be appointed to fill her husband's post because Mary Fallin announced in late August she would appoint his successor in 30 days time, and those 30 days came and went and were followed by the 31 days of October, and there was still no appointment made. On November 5, Cathy Costello was on the Pat Campbell Show on KFAQ in Tulsa. She was asked why Governor Fallin had not made a decision. Cathy said she had spoken with the governor, who told her she was just very busy. She didn't have the time to fill a vacancy at the labor commission when Cathy Costello was publicly asking for it.
Mary Fallin lied to a widow. Think about that. Fallin knew she was not going to appoint Cathy Costello, but she didn't have the decency to tell her so months ago. Instead, she made the poor woman, who had already been though hell with the loss of her husband by their son's hands, believe she might be appointed to continue her late husband's work.
A Rift With The Tea Party Base
Mark Costello was twice elected state labor commissioner. Someone who shared his political convictions should have been appointed to fill out his term. Mary Fallin didn't have to appoint Cathy Costello, but because she did not, she should have appointed Jim Marshall, Mark Costello's deputy at the labor commission. Jim Marshall had been in the office since Costello was elected and was politically aligned with his boss and had plenty of experience in that office. Mary Fallin was going with someone who would be loyal to her who didn't have any experience in the office of labor commissioner. It was a power play on Fallin's part and an inappropriate one at that. Mary Fallin has made her choice, and she's done it without consideration of the people who knew and loved Mark Costello. Moreover, she even managed to slight his widow on what would have been her husband's 60th birthday.
There is cosmic justice. It is called karma in the East and “What goes around comes around” in Oklahoma. When Mary Fallin runs into political trouble in her three remaining years as governor, she shouldn't count on grassroots conservatives to come to her aid.
