Gov. Kevin Stitt removes two veterans commission leaders who backed GOP primary rival

Gov. Kevin Stitt has removed two members of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission who supported the agency’s director against Stitt in the Republican primary.

Larry Van Schuyver, who was chair of the commission, said in a series of social media posts that he and Paul Costilow, the vice-chair, had been removed by Stitt in the wake of Tuesday’s primary election.

“This was done as retaliation against me for using my right as a citizen to support Director Joel Kintsel for Governor on my own time,” Van Schuyver said in one post.

Kate Vesper, Stitt’s press secretary, said in an email on Friday, “Both Mr. Costilow and Mr. Van Schuyer were appointed by Governor Stitt and served at the pleasure of the governor. We wish them the best in their next endeavor.”

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Vesper said it was her understanding that the notifications were made by phone.

The Veterans Commission website shows vacancies for chair and vice-chair.

Kintsel, the executive director of the Oklahoma State Department of Veterans Affairs, took a leave of absence earlier this year to run against Stitt as a Republican. Stitt easily won the GOP nomination on Tuesday in the four-person field, getting 69% of the vote. Kintsel received 14%.

Campaign finance records show Van Schuyver donated $500 to Kintsel’s campaign and purchased more than $1,300 in campaign T-shirts for Kintsel. Costilow donated $900 to Kintsel’s campaign, according to a report filed last month with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

The Frontier, an online publication, reported last month that Stitt’s chief of staff called Van Schulyer and Costilow to a meeting in February and expressed concerns about Kintsel’s plans to run for governor.

Van Schulyer told The Frontier that he left the meeting with the impression that Stitt’s chief of staff, Bond Payne, wanted the commission to “get rid of” Kintsel.

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Commission members are appointed and serve, unpaid, at the pleasure of the governor. The nine-member commission oversees the veterans department and chooses the director.

Van Schuyver was appointed to the commission in 2014 by then-Gov. Mary Fallin. He was among the commission members who spent 13 hours behind closed doors in 2018 before choosing Sallisaw over Muskogee and Poteau as the site of the new veterans center.

The Oklahoman obtained documents that year showing Van Schuyver voted for Sallisaw even though his scorecard placed Poteau at the top of his list. He told The Oklahoman that he had scored Poteau higher before site visits and community discussions.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stitt removes two veteran commission leaders who backed primary rival