Swadley's

[Pete]

Brent Swadley 2018: "Wouldn't be where I'm at today if I followed by the rules"

"The surest sign of personal corruption is conspicuous virtue." ~ Me.

[Roger S]

This is starting to sound like there may be more fallout than just Swadley's and Winchester.

Yep... Starting to sound like Earl's is going to regain it's stranglehold as Best BBQ in the Best of OKC poll again.

[Bill Robertson]

Have you not read the subsequent articles? They were overcharging the state on everything from used smokers to door hinges. It was a blatant money grab and it appears there was bid-rigging involved. It also seems the governor had a relationship of sorts with the people selected. It was his "covid czar" who was involved with hiring Swadley's too. The Covid thing was a total scandal in which the state didn't even receive things it paid for after circumventing purchasing rules.

I don't know if the governor was involved in this or not but he throws his weight around and hires friends for jobs. He seems to not understand how state government operates.

I would imagine there will be people serving time for this.

I have now. This is a big deal. Good thing we don't like Swadley's anyway because they shouldn't come through this well.

[foodiefan]

Some states have political scandals evolving large fortune 500 companies. Oklahoma has a scandal over a locally owned BBQ restaurant.

. . . old enough to remember this??

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-1e6139f38cd3/

[jn1780]

. . . old enough to remember this??

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-1e6139f38cd3/

Oh yeah, why do we only have two major political parties again? Both have long histories of corruption.

Back to this scandal, this will hurt Oklahoma's effort to attract businesses. Even if those businesses are clean, they won't want to take the risk of having their good name dragged down by past and future actions of corrupt officials.

[Bellaboo]

In the past year or so, Swadley's has built a huge ranch facility on NW expressway out west of Piedmont road. Just saying....

[Bullbear]

In the past year or so, Swadley's has built a huge ranch facility on NW expressway out west of Piedmont road. Just saying....

Or Taxpayers have built it. this story just is juicier than that dry Brisket they serve.

[Roger S]

Or Taxpayers have built it. this story just is juicier than that dry Brisket they serve.

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

[FighttheGoodFight]

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

How Deep Did the Foggy Bottom Get? Parks, Perks and Passing the Blame. Netflix August 2023.

[soonerguru]

I'm definitely not saying that everything was above-board here - simply that I think there is at least some truth to the story on the state of these facilities before they were overhauled.

I don't think anyone is arguing that the restaurants shouldn't have been improved in most cases. I don't even have a problem propping up the operators during slow seasons. But this whole scenario was just transparently corrupt from the get go, before the bid was even written. The governor's appointees are trying to throw all of the blame on the Swadley's folks, but the officials seem to be complicit with the corruption. And yes, the Swadley's folks just seem to have committed fraud in their billings.

[ManAboutTown]

OKC had The Daily Oklahoman in the mornings and the Oklahoma City Times in the afternoon, but I don't think it was actually a different paper. It was just the afternoon edition of the Oklahoman as both were owned by the Gaylords.

This is incorrect.

As Pete stated earlier, The Oklahoma Journal was a daily newspaper published by W. P. "Bill" Atkinson and was a competitor of The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. Their offices were located on the southwest corner of SE 15th Street and Key Blvd. in Midwest City. Atkinson was a staunch Democrat, ran for governor one year and was persona non grata with E. K. Gaylord.

It was also the newspaper where Al Eschbach got his start as a print journalist. I used to deliver it on my bike as a teenager when I lived on Tinker AFB. They quit publishing in 1979 or so and the building in MWC is now used for office space, I believe.

[jn1780]

HA!!!

But will it be juicy enough to become a Netflix movie?

I'm pretty sure Carol Baskin and Joe Exotic will somehow have a cameo in that movie.

[Swake]

This is incorrect.

As Pete stated earlier, The Oklahoma Journal was a daily newspaper published by W. P. "Bill" Atkinson and was a competitor of The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma City Times. Their offices were located on the southwest corner of SE 15th Street and Key Blvd. in Midwest City. Atkinson was a staunch Democrat, ran for governor one year and was persona non grata with E. K. Gaylord.

It was also the newspaper where Al Eschbach got his start as a print journalist. I used to deliver it on my bike as a teenager when I lived on Tinker AFB. They quit publishing in 1979 or so and the building in MWC is now used for office space, I believe.

Here's the last issue. I remember my dad taking the paper in the 80s.
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/6...c1849352/m1/1/

From the Oklahoma Historical Society:

The Times returned to Oklahoma City after the Run of 1889, when thousands of settlers occupied Oklahoma Territory. Sawyer issued a daily edition, the Oklahoma City Daily Times, on June 30, 1889. Dozens of dailies were being issued from the territory, and the Times immediately ran into financial problems. A rival paper with a similar name, the Oklahoma Times, started publication two months before the Times returned to Oklahoma City. Within the first few weeks of operation, the Oklahoma Times had won much of the advertising and circulation that the Oklahoma City Times would have received.

Before the end of the year, the Daily Journal had bought the Oklahoma City Times and formed the Oklahoma Daily Times-Journal, an afternoon daily. The Times-Journal went through several names and owners in the following years. In 1916, the Oklahoma Publishing Company purchased the Times-Journal at a foreclosure sale. The Oklahoma City Times continued as an evening supplement to the Daily Oklahoman until 1984. It was incorporated into the Oklahoman and ceased publication.

https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86064187/

[Roger S]

Here's the last issue. I remember my dad taking the paper in the 80s.
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/6...c1849352/m1/1/

I don't think there was anyone denying that the Times existed.... but this answers the question I asked and details the feud between Gaylord and Atkinson

The legendary public and private feud between W.P. "Bill" Atkinson and Edward King Gaylord is an intriguing and unusual story of powerful and wealthy men - once close associates and friends - who became enemies. This work verifies the origin of the animosity and the main areas of conflict between Atkinson and Gaylord: the land purchase that became Midwest City, the 1958 Democratic Primary, the gubernatorial election of 1962, and the libel suit filed in reaction to Gaylord's vicious editorial attacks. This thesis concentrates upon the seminal event of the feud, incidents pivotal to escalation of the hostility, and legal actions which emanated from the antagonism. The bickering of two powerful and famous men can have tremendous ramifications, once such consequence was that the bitter conflict directly contributed to the election of the first Republican governor in Oklahoma's history. The first portion of the work examines Atkinson's early life, careers, and personal associations to a level necessary to understand the experiences that eventually placed him in Gaylord's crosshairs. A major segment of the composition reviews Atkinson's 1958 and, more significantly, 1962 campaigns for governor. During both gubernatorial bids Atkinson's candidacy was repeatedly condemned and vehemently attacked by Gaylord in Daily Oklahoman editorials. In 1962, believing that the governorship had been lost because of Gaylord's malicious accusations Atkinson filed a {dollar}10 million dollar libel suit against the publisher and his newspaper. This thesis concludes with an examination of activities undertaken by Atkinson's legal and investigative teams as they prepared for a monumental legal battle against Gaylord's formidable cadre of lawyers and allies. The legal action never reached trial stage because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in an unrelated libel action involving the press and public figures, adversely affected Atkinson's basis for legal redress. The lack of legal resolution influenced him to retaliate against Gaylord in the most public, and personal, way possible: he launched a competing daily newspaper the Oklahoma Journal.

[PoliSciGuy]

Winchester resigned, Stitt also announced that Oklahoma is suing Swadleys.

https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/sta...32656796774400
https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/sta...32641063849984

I cannot wait for discovery in this.

[Dob Hooligan]

I don't think there was anyone denying that the Times existed.... but this answers the question I asked and details the feud between Gaylord and Atkinson

That's the way I've always heard the story. Only thing I would add is the genesis of the feud (according to legend). Mr. Atkinson & Mr. Gaylord were betting on the future location of Tinker AFB. Atkinson thought it would be in the MWC area and bought large amounts of property there, and Gaylord thought North OKC. The benefit to Atkinson when Tinker went to MWC was swift and large. As a consolation prize, the Bluff Creek Reservoir (now Lake Hefner) was placed near the area Gaylord invested in, but the development of the area was much slower.

[soonerguru]

Winchester resigned, Stitt also announced that Oklahoma is suing Swadleys.

https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/sta...32656796774400
https://twitter.com/reesejgorman/sta...32641063849984

I cannot wait for discovery in this.

Agree very much. The fact that Stitt seems to be taking this so seriously is somewhat odd, given how cavalierly he often acts on other issues, such as the general health and welfare of the citizens during Covid.

He did say at one point the investigation is "politically motivated," but has quickly evolved into a "throw the book at the Swadley's folks" guy. Then, you have Brent Swadley telling folks that rules didn't apply to him because of "politics" and his suggestion that he had a direct line to the governor during the renovations.

Stitt initially refused to fire Winchester but appears to have done so just days later. His actions are consistent with those of someone caught in a widening scandal.

[Bunty]

And of course, Swadley's does have a burger named the Winchester Burger. Winchester resigned. Please do something about the corruption by voting out people still connected to it, such as Gov. Stitt. He should have known better than to appoint a character like Winchester.

[catcherinthewry]

but has quickly evolved into a "throw the book at the Swadley's folks" guy.

More like "throw the Swadley's folks under the bus" and Winchester too.

[MagzOK]

Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.

[Jeepnokc]

Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.

I have wondered if this could have major effect on the chain. I rarely eat at Swadleys because there are so much better options for BBQ but if Billy Simms can thrive on their BBQ, Swadleys should be able to survive the storm

[Libbymin]

Drove by the Swadley's on Memorial last night right at peak dinner time and noticed there were about 1/4 of the cars in the parking lot which is normally bustling and overflowing on a Saturday evening. I think most Oklahoman's are tired of this corrupt crap.

Yeah I think this will have a real impact on their other restaurants, at least in the short term. There are few things that we all agree on in this politically divided time but blowing taxpayer money on outright corruption is something that everyone hates.

[Jersey Boss]

Yeah I think this will have a real impact on their other restaurants, at least in the short term. There are few things that we all agree on in this politically divided time but blowing taxpayer money on outright corruption is something that everyone hates.

There have been several instances of blown taxpayer money on corruption during the Stitt term with nary a sign of legislative oversight. "Imagine That". Call me cynical of doubting anyone being being criminally convicted or impeached.

[Bullbear]

i have wondered about the affect it would have on their business and then I see stories posted on social media with folks commenting " i loved having a great place to eat at state parks" posts and was like wow.... you don't get it. but social media isn't the best poll of all people of course..

[Sydonesia]

i have wondered about the affect it would have on their business and then I see stories posted on social media with folks commenting " i loved having a great place to eat at state parks" posts and was like wow.... you don't get it. but social media isn't the best poll of all people of course..

Swadley's is a "great place to eat" maybe if you've literally NEVER eaten BBQ before...