OK Parks Director Resigns as the State Files a Suit Against a Restaurant Operator
The embattled director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department resigned Friday and the state filed a lawsuit against the operator of six state park restaurants.
The actions come amid investigations by state lawmakers and the state auditor into a multimillion-dollar contract between the parks department and Swadley’s Bar-B-Q to renovate and rebrand restaurants at six parks under the name Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen. The state announced it was ending that contract on Monday.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the resignation of department parks director Jerry Winchester.
“We’re committed to getting to the bottom of this,” Stitt said. “There are a lot of different investigations going on right now and I think we can all agree that the most important things are protecting the taxpayers and shining a light on any corruption or bad actors.”
