Stephen Edward Reel
A support letter for the nomination of Stephen Reel noted that while he may resist the title, his efforts qualify him as one of the early “pioneers” in building local government support organizations that now number in the hundreds throughout the USA, Canada, Australia and in Europe. In addition to his significant accomplishments, he was also a prevailing co-counsel in a landmark case that held unconstitutional an attempt by the state legislature to impose a fee on municipalities for autopsies performed by the State Medical Examiner. And, if you have ever attended a training session he presented you are well aware that the photo of him in the clown suit is not the only time he has used his sense of humor to help us feel good about what we do.
His municipal career spans over 40 years including serving as a City Manager for The Village, City Attorney for Midwest City and The Village (for 32 years), and full-time corporate counsel for the Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group since 1985.
He was the first chairman of the Oklahoma Municipal Employees Credit Union when organized in 1974 to serve city and town employees throughout the state. The credit union has since been merged into what is known as Weokie Credit Union. In 1977 he was one of two original signatories for the interlocal agreement establishing the OML Municipal Assurance Group (OML MAG) to succeed the OML Group Insurance Trust (OML GIT) that had been organized in 1973. He served as board chairman for both entities. His service on the OML MAG board ended on October 24, 1980.
He served on the Editorial Advisory Board and as an author for the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Operations Bulletin published for local law enforcement agencies by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Stephen was instrumental in writing and production for OMAG of the award-winning training videos Preventing Jail Suicide, in 2008; and Austin’s Story: The Use of Firearms in Non-Emergency Situations, in 2009. The latter video which is used in the training curriculum by the Oklahoma Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.
He has received a Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating, the highest available for legal ability and professional ethics. In each of the past two years, he was selected by OKCBIZ magazine as a top lawyer in the practice of municipal law.