Former District Attorney Cathy Stocker appointed to Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board
Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday appointed a retired prosecutor to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.
Cathy Stocker was district attorney for Blaine, Canadian, Garfield, Grant and Kingfisher counties for 28 years before retiring in 2010, according to the announcement.
“Cathy has committed her professional career to bringing justice to victims and their families and preserving law and order in our state,” Stitt said. “She is an advocate for justice, and I am glad to have her serve Oklahoma in this new capacity.”
The choice of a former district attorney comes in an election year as Stitt is being accused in TV attack ads of being soft on crime. Many of the ads focus on how many prisoners have been released through commutations recommended by the parole board.
His campaign disputes he is soft on crime.
"The governor has been unwavering in his stance for tough-on-crime policies for violent offenders, and he is fighting for a system that will serve swift and firm justice for these victims," his campaign manager said last week.
The parole board has five members. They meet monthly to consider requests from prisoners for second chances.
Already on the board is another former prosecutor, Richard Smothermon. He was district attorney in Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties for 16 years.
Stocker, 70, has been a member of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission since 2012. She resigned that position Sunday to take the parole board appointment.
“I appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of our state in this new position and I will do so to the best of my ability," she said.
She has been a lawyer in Oklahoma since 1975.
She is also the former president and a current member of the board of the Denny Price Enid YMCA and serves as president of the Northwest Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation, according to the governor's announcement.
She replaces parole board member Kelly Doyle, who resigned unexpectedly March 3.
Doyle works at a national nonprofit, the Center for Employment Opportunities, and described herself as a social worker.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former DA Cathy Stocker appointed to Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board
