By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – The head of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole is retiring after a storied state career that included some high profile positions.
Tom Bates’ retirement is effective Nov. 30, ending 26 years of public service.
“I’ve had the opportunity at each place to lead some really incredible teams of incredible people who did great work on behalf of the people of the state of Oklahoma,” Bates said. “I hope the people of Oklahoma realize how blessed they are to have so many trained and dedicated professionals working in state government, looking out for them every day.”
Bates, 56, previously worked as an assistant attorney general in the consumer protection unit and chief of the multi-county grand jury under former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson.
Edmondson described Bates as “top notch” and one of the best lawyers he ever had on staff.
“He is someone I called upon on many occasions when we really needed a strong person in a position,” Edmondson said. “He was good. He was careful. And he invariably solved the unsolvable problem I dumped in his lap.”
Under former Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Bates served as chief of the Public Protection Unit and first assistant attorney general.
He took a sabbatical when his late wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but returned to state service working as a special advisor to former Gov. Mary Fallin.
He oversaw the implementation of the Pinnacle Plan, which was the product of a settlement agreement to resolve a class action lawsuit challenging how the state provided care for foster care children in its custody.
He was then tapped as interim commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, which was in the midst of financial turmoil. While he was there, he oversaw the implementation of a state question that legalized medical marijuana.
In 2019, Gov. Kevin Stitt tapped Bates to lead a new initiative, dubbed “Front Porch,” to integrate services provided by the state’s health and human service agencies.
He has led the Pardon and Parole Board for five years, arriving at a time when the agency had a backlog of 3,000 commutation cases and the state was coming out of a moratorium on the death penalty.
During his time with that agency, he has overseen 18 clemency cases involving death row inmates.
“Victims’ families are reliving those situations, those events, those horrible events that led to the loss of someone’s life,” Bates said. “They are hard on board members. They are hard on staff.”
While death penalty cases typically get media attention, other murder cases are every bit as difficult for the agency’s board and staff, he said.
Last month, the Pardon and Parole Board had 41 first-degree murder cases on its docket, Bates said.
Bates said the appointed five-member Pardon and Parole Board needs a pay increase.
He’s asked lawmakers to raise the pay from about $22,000 to close to $50,000, “which is still a bargain for the work these board members do.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called Bates the “quintessential public servant.”
“His breadth of experience in Oklahoma state government is extraordinary, and throughout his career he served with the utmost integrity, professionalism and commitment to the people of Oklahoma,” Drummond said.
Bates said he and his wife plan to travel after retirement
He said that he may eventually return to practicing law.
