Group asks: did Norman mayor hire actor to testify before vote to defund police?

Here's the latest in the drama out of Norman, Oklahoma...

Did the Mayor Hire an Actor to Testify as a Concerned Norman Resident for the Vote to Defund the Police?

An “Actor” on the Mayor’s Payroll Was Paid $1,250 before Testifying -- Actor’s own Bio states he is a resident of Oklahoma City 

NORMAN — In a televised interview, Mayor Clark told KOCO 5 that loud agitators had been successful in swaying her and the city council inside council chambers in a dark-of-night 4a.m. vote on June 17th to strip nearly $1 million from police budgets.

According to public records, it appears now that at least one of those people who testified was an Actor — and had previously been on Mayor Clark’s payroll. Tasneem Ahmad Al-Michael is listed as an “Actor” on promotional materials from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

“Taz Al-Michael,” as he is also referred to in other publications, is according to his own bio, also a “community organizer based out of Oklahoma City.” Source: NewLeadersCouncil.org

He is also listed as a staffer for Oklahoma City-based candidate Kendra Horn.

Perhaps even more relevant than his occupation as an Actor and being publicly listed as residing outside of the city of Norman, Al-Michael’s name also appears on public finance reports as being on the Mayor’s campaign staff.

A quick check of Committee Expenditures for Friends for Breea Clark 2019 show that Al-Michael last year was paid $1,250 in just one month for consulting services.

One has to wonder if those were for “acting” services?

The fact that an Oklahoma City resident (according to his own bio), an Actor (according to his own bio), and a paid Campaign staffer to the Mayor (according to her own campaign finance disclosure statements) was allowed to portray himself as a concerned Norman resident is of concern — especially in light of the mayor’s comments about the weight such protestors were given in her decision to defund the police. Al-Michael and other agitators actually pushed for the city to strip the police of a stunning $4.5 Million, instead of the $835,000 they eventually settled upon.

“This revelation of an Actor on the Mayor’s payroll raises clear questions about an Oklahoma City resident posing as a concerned member of the community during one of the most potentially impactful votes to the people of Norman,” said Russell Smith, co-founder of Unite Norman, the group behind the effort to hold the city council accountable. “We need answers from the mayor about whom else inside chambers that night may have been paid to testify — either by the mayor herself, or outside special interest groups.”

“Was he serving as an actor? An activist? Or was he serving as a member of the mayor’s campaign staff that night?,” asked Sassan Moghadam, co-founder of Unite Norman. “The people of Norman deserve an answer from the mayor.”