KTOK reports Oklahoma County commissioner Brent Rinehart denies the reason he is pushing a road and bridge improvement project on SE 89th street is to help Del City developer Ray Pelfrey who is building a new home next to the road and once held the mortgage on Rinehart’s home.

“That didn’t even enter into my calculation as to whether I’m gonna open up this road and put in this bridge as to where Ray Pelfrey lived,” answered Rinehart when asked by KTOK news about the decision. “Now I was aware of where he lived but I didn’t make the connection. So that’s news to me I guess. I don’t know what to tell you.”

When first asked about it after this week’s county commission meeting, where he had pushed to include the project on a five year plan which previously had not listed it, Rinehart responded, “That’s the first I’ve heard of that. Now that you bring it up, I do know, that’s right. He owns a house at 89th and Choctaw.”

More Trouble for Rinehart

According to this AP story, Rinehart is the focus of a state investigation into alleged campaign finance law infractions.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says county Commissioner Brent Rinehart is under investigation on suspicion of violating campaign finance laws. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Rinehart’s 2004 campaign manager, former state Representative Tim Pope.

Pope’s political action committee, the Oklahoma Republican Assembly,(OKRA) had accepted contributions from people who already had given their legal limits to Rinehart.