House District 69 candidate Fred Jordan is still trying to tap-dance his way around the photos taken by Steven Roemerman of a work crew site. On KRMG Friday morning, Jordan was interviewed by Joe Kelley about Jordan's claim that the pictures were "doctored and false."
(Here's an MP3 of Joe Kelley's interview with Fred Jordan. It's about 700 KB, about six minutes in length. Hat tip to David Schuttler.)
Jordan's recorded phone message, sent on Thursday to households in District 69, used Clintonesque phrase-shaping to give the impression that Jordan has no ownership interest in Caprock Homes, the general contractor that is building the home in the picture, and whose sign is visible in the photo. On Roemerman's blog, you can see that the mobile phone number on the Caprock sign at the house matches the phone number on Fred Jordan's business card. It also matches the phone number on Jordan's campaign page on OkInsider.com.
In the KRMG interview, Jordan acknowledged, "Yes, I am one of the owners of Caprock Homes."
When Kelley asked Jordan, in several different ways, "How is that picture doctored?" Jordan never gave a direct answer. On a later attempt, when Kelley said, "But the picture is not doctored." Jordan replied, "Well, the picture does show some Hispanic gentleman sitting in front of a house, but they're not hired by Caprock." He would not give a direct response.
Jordan said that he didn't know who these people were at his worksite. "They might be actors; we don't know who they are."
Jordan's real complaint is that the photos give an impression that he'd rather avoid -- that he hires illegals.
His company Caprock doesn't hire any construction workers at all. Caprock is a general contractor, and they subcontract out all the construction work to other companies. That means that Jordan's company could be benefitting from illegal labor while not being directly responsible for hiring the illegal workers.
If Jordan hires subcontractors without verifying that they hire only legal workers, he is helping to put honest, law-abiding subcontractors out of business.
In the Kelley interview, Jordan mentioned paperwork that he gets from the subcontractors: Proof that the subcontractor carries workers' comp and liability insurance, and the information needed to report payments to the subcontractor to the IRS for tax purposes. None of the documentation he mentions has to do with whether the subcontractor's employees are eligible to work legally in the United States.
A couple of times Jordan said that the Federal government needs to take action to address this problem, but in fact the Federal Government has provided a way for Jordan and his subcontractors to avoid hiring illegal labor. The Basic Employment Verification program is a web-based system, offered by the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (an agency of the Department of Homeland Security) that provides rapid confirmation of an employee's eligibility to work. Although it is a pilot program and voluntary, it is available in all 50 states, free of charge to employers.
Comments (4)
Say, Fred, dat dude in the red cap is my cuz! He's some bigshot kung fu actor from Hong Kong. I guess he found some work in Tulsa. If ya need legal peeps, e legalwillwork AT yahoo. Let 'em know who ya need, they'll git ya hooked up.
Posted by Paul Tay | August 19, 2006 9:55 PM
Posted on August 19, 2006 21:55
So, you don't like what Jordan does for a living? Have you ever asked Medlock what he does for a living? That guy is a professional politician...failed at the City Councilor' race, failed at a run for Mayor, and now is failing at his run for State Rep.
All of this finger pointing to Jordan is a cheap way to avoid looking at the issues - Medlock is avoiding the fact that the rest of Tulsa is smart enough not to elect him to office. I am surprised the people in Dist 69 are still looking at him.
What about Medlock's mystery Degree from Tulsa, or his shady involvement in the Tulsa Airport scandal? Medlock can't even tell the truth when everyone else knows the truth.
ALSO....Jordan was the only one to take the time to go door to door and shake everyone's hand. What did Medlock do for Dist 69 during this time...he tried (and failed) to run for other offices. He is not dedicated to Dist 69...he is dedicated to himself!!!!
Posted by Brian | August 21, 2006 11:32 AM
Posted on August 21, 2006 11:32
Brian L. Hill,
Did I say I didn't like what Jordan does for a living? But I do know what the development industry lobby tried to do at the State Capitol this year to interfere with local control of zoning, I know the damage the development lobby has done in Tulsa, and I can see how much of Jordan's bankroll comes from his fellow developers. There are good developers, but the development industry in the Tulsa area as a whole is all about its own gain regardless of the impact on homeowners and taxpayers.
Medlock won two elections for City Councilor and defeated an attempt to recall him from office. He has never lost a race for City Council. He ran a strong primary challenge against an incumbent mayor, holding LaFortune well short of 50%, and might have beat LaFortune had Randi Miller not been in the race.
Avoiding the issues? Medlock has been talking about the issues, including illegal immigration, which matters to a lot of Tulsans. And Medlock was willing to go on KRMG this morning for an interview. Jordan not only wouldn't face an interview by Joe Kelley, but tried to convince the KRMG producer that because he (Jordan) wouldn't go on, they shouldn't allow Medlock on the air either.
Regarding his degree, Medlock believed that a paper he didn't finish would bring his grade down, but not leave him with an incomplete, so that as far as he knew he had completed his degree requirements. The issue has been out there, but nevertheless the past six elected Republican county chairmen, going back to 1989, the local Minutemen chapter, Sen. Randy Brogdon, and many more Republican activists endorse him.
"Shady involvement in the Tulsa Airport scandal?" Medlock worked to expose the shady goings on at Tulsa International and Jones Riverside. He kept pushing for the investigation when other councilors were pressuring him to drop it.
Medlock has gone door to door in the district just like Jordan did. What has Medlock done for District 69? For one thing, he's lived there for 16 years -- Jordan has only been there for two years, and he moved in right after it was apparent that the seat would be open this year. For another, Medlock represented half the district at City Hall for three years, and he worked with neighborhoods to get public works projects funded, like flood control along Fred Creek, and to deal with the issues surrounding the south Tulsa toll bridge.
Posted by MichaelBates
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August 21, 2006 12:44 PM
Posted on August 21, 2006 12:44
What? This is crazy so now instead proving that he hires illegals we just take pictures of minorities? Where is this not a completely rasist action? When will you learn that big business (the people that control the national republican party) are the biggest supporters of illegals. The illegal problem has actually grown under the GOP, because that's what they want. If any thing the dems where labor is quite powerful is more interesting in enforcing the laws once they get there, but I guess we just can trust those pesky liberals, can we?
Posted by tulsaschoolboard | August 21, 2006 10:00 PM
Posted on August 21, 2006 22:00