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

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]

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]

Controversies

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 an example of Islamophobia.[7]

Lobbying

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" and lawmakers-turned-lobbyists would have "undue influence over their former colleagues."[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Representative Pat Ownbey". Oklahoma House of Representatives. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Rep. Ownbey says he won't be seeking re-election". KXII. November 19, 2017. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Trevor (February 19, 2019). "Bucking Ethics Proposal, Legislators Become Lobbyists". Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. ↑ "corpInformation". Oklahoma Secretary of State. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Oklahoma Legislature Legislator Detail". Oklahoma Legislature. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ "City businessman files for state House seat". The Ardmoreite. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020. Ardmore business owner Pat Ownbey filed Tuesday for the open House of Representatives seat being vacated by incumbent Republican Greg Piatt.
  7. 1 2 3 "Oklahoma representative's Facebook post about Islam creates controversy". Oklahoma: KFOR-TV. June 22, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Savage, Tres (June 21, 2016). "Legislator unsure if first amendment should cover Islam". NonDoc. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
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