Adam Luck resigns from Oklahoma County Jail Trust after just months of service
Oklahoma County's jail trust has lost another member.
Adam Luck, who was appointed to the board in mid-September, informed Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan on Tuesday he was resigning, effective immediately.
"I hoped to serve longer on the trust, but the circumstances under which I made the commitment to serve have changed," Luck wrote in his emailed resignation, "and so I feel it is important to focus more of my energy on my family and full-time work. I am sorry for any disruption or difficulty this will cause."
"Please know I am grateful and honored I was given the opportunity to serve on the trust. I am grateful to the Citizens Advisory Board for their nomination and to the County Commissioners for the time and energy that went into confirming my appointment. Thank you for your understanding," he wrote.
Luck is the CEO of City Care Inc., which operates Oklahoma City's no-barrier night shelter and supportive housing and provides mentorship and literacy programs for children.
Attempts to reach Luck Wednesday morning by The Oklahoman were not successful.
Maughan, meanwhile, said he appreciated Luck's willingness both to serve for as long as he did and to promptly let him know when being able to serve was no longer a viable option.
"I tell people all the time how much work and dedication it takes from citizens who voluntarily serve with no compensation," he said, noting Luck's cited reasons for leaving were understandable.
"I appreciate him being forthright about those circumstances and voluntarily moving aside so that we can find the right person who can be committed and spend the time the trust requires," Maughan said.
Luck resigned from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board at Gov. Kevin Stitt's request in January 2022 due to their differing beliefs on the death penalty. He voted for clemency in the five death row inmate clemency hearings the parole board heard between October and December.
Luck's resignation comes the same week new member Steven Buck seated
The sudden departure of Luck comes the same week commissioners appointed a new member to the trust to succeed Jim Couch, the retired city manager of Oklahoma City and former trust chairman who resigned in December.
Steven Buck, a former executive director of Oklahoma's Office of Juvenile Affairs, was unanimously appointed to the trust on Feb. 6 after being nominated by Commissioner Myles Davidson.
Beyond his experience with juvenile issues (including building a new campus for Oklahoma's juvenile detainees in Tecumseh), Buck told commissioners he also spent about a decade working for Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services before retiring about three years ago.
"My experience points toward some of the many challenges that face Oklahoma County as we wrestle with the detainees that we serve and how to consider criminal justice policy that might make sure that only those that are served are those that need to be there," Buck said.
The jail has had close to 40 inmate deaths since a trust took over operations on July 1, 2020. Sixteen of those deaths came last year.
The last jail administrator, Greg Williams, resigned in December amid criticism over the high death toll. His final day was Jan. 19. Maj. Brandi Garner was named interim administrator in December.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Adam Luck resigns from OK County Jail Trust, citing personal reasons
