Pat Ownbey

Pat Ownbey (born August 4, 1953) is an American politician who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 48th district from 2008 to 2018.[1][2] Ownbey is currently employed by GAP Consulting, LLC, a lobbying firm established by Ownbey's predecessor, Greg Piatt.[3][4]

Pat Ownbey
Member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 48th district
In office
November 18, 2008 – November 15, 2018
Preceded byGreg Piatt
Succeeded byTammy Townley
Personal details
Born (1953-08-04) August 4, 1953
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Political partyRepublican

Personal Life

Pat Ownbey obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Oklahoma in 1975. Ownbey married his wife, Kathy on June 12,1976. Together, they have two children. [5] Ownbey's hometown is Ardmore, Oklahoma, where he owned and managed radio stations in the area. Ownbey attends First Baptist Church of Ardmore.[6]

Criticism

Alleged Islamophobia

In a June 2016 interview with Non Doc discussing Ownbey's controversial Facebook post stating "Islam is not a religion, subject to First Amendment protections,"[7] Ownbey expressed he was "unsure"[8] if the First Amendment should cover Islam. Ownbey’s post continued: "The first step in coming to grips with the Islamic threat is to officially declassify Islam as a protected religion in the hearts and minds of western populations.”[7] During the interview, Ownbey stated he received no negative criticism towards his Facebook post, adding, "I do believe there’s a lot of issues with the Muslim religion that are concerning to Americans and certainly are concerning to Oklahomans."[8] Adam Soltani, the executive director of the Oklahoma Council on American Islamic Relations, criticized Ownbey’s Facebook post, calling it a possible example of Islamophobia.[7]

Lobbying

Ownbey received criticism for registering as a lobbyist just weeks after his term as State Representative ended. Ownbey, currently employed by GAP Consulting, is now registered to lobby on behalf of the Oklahoma Banking Department, Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit, the Independent Finance Institute, the Community Bankers Association of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Energy Producers Alliance, the Oklahoma Board of Nursing, Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators, and the John and Donne Brock Foundation.

Ownbey, among a group of Oklahoma Representatives to quickly become a lobbyist after their term, concerned reporter Trevor Brown of Oklahoma Watch. Brown stated the practice could cause "conflicts of interest to emerge"[3] and lawmakers-turned-lobbyists would have "undue influence over their former colleagues."[3]

References
  1. "Representative Pat Ownbey". Okhouse.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  2. "Rep. Ownbey says he won't be seeking re-election". Kxii.com. 2017-11-19. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  3. Brown, Trevor (2019-02-19). "Bucking Ethics Proposal, Legislators Become Lobbyists". Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  4. "corpInformation". www.sos.ok.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  5. "Oklahoma Legislature Legislator Detail". ddcapp.oklegislature.gov. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  6. "City businessman files for state House seat". The Daily Ardmoreite. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  7. "Oklahoma representative's Facebook post about Islam creates controversy". KFOR.com Oklahoma City. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  8. Savage, Tres (2016-06-21). "Legislator unsure if First Amendment should cover Islam". NonDoc. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
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