Commerce Secretary In 1999, following the resignation of
Howard Barnett Jr.,
Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating appointed Perry to serve as his third
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce, making Perry the first African American to ever serve in that position. Perry served as Secretary in an unconfirmed basis while his Governor Keating sent his nomination to the
Oklahoma Senate. Initially Perry's nomination was set to be heard by Senate Economic Development Committee, where the nominations of
Dean Werries,
Ron Rosenfeld and
Howard Barnett Jr. (Keating's former Secretaries of Commerce) had been heard. However,
President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate Stratton Taylor (at the request of State Senator
Angela Monson) transferred his nomination to the Senate Finance Committee, which Senator Monson chaired. Though 10 members of the 15 member committee favored Perry's appointment, Senator Monson blocked the nomination by never allowing it to be heard before the Finance Committee. Ultimately, the
Oklahoma Senate adjourned without ever hearing Perry's nomination. Governor Keating and Perry claimed that the reason Perry's nomination was not heard was because he was a conservative
Republican African American. They claimed that the move was done at the request of the Legislative Black Caucus, all member of which were
Democrats. Senator Monson, however, said that Perry's salary as Commerce Secretary would cost the State too much and be duplicative. In 2025, Perry was officially recognized as a Commerce Secretary through a resolution made by Senator
Shane Jett. The measure passed 45-0 and Governor Keating, as well as Perry's family, were present for the resolution.
Economic Development Secretary After Perry spent a year in political limbo, in May 2000 Governor Keating issued
executive order 2000–11 which abolished the position of Secretary of Commerce and established the position of Secretary of Economic Development and Special Affairs. Keating then nominated Perry to the new position, which Perry would serve in on a voluntary basis. On June 8, 2000, Senator Monson submitted a request for an official opinion to
Attorney General of Oklahoma Drew Edmondson concerning Keating's actions. Edmondson issued Attorney General Opinion 2000–54 on October 26, 2000, in which Edmondson found Keating's actions against the provisions of the
Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986. Governor Keating then filed a petition on October 27, 2000, in Oklahoma County District Court to overturn Edmondson's opinion. After hearing oral arguments, the trial judge upheld the Attorney General's opinion. On December 29, 2000, Keating appealed a single issue – whether a Governor is empowered to reorganize the executive cabinet throughout the term of office. The appeal was sent to the
Oklahoma Supreme Court for consideration. In May 2001, Keating withdraw Perry's nomination for consideration as Economic Development Secretary and instead appointed Perry as his Special Adviser for Economic Development, which is a non-cabinet-level post.
Keating v. Edmondson The Supreme Court decided the case of
Keating v. Edmondson on December 4, 2001. In a unanimous decision, the Court rejected the Governor's appeal and upheld Edmondson's opinion. Chief Justice
Rudolph Hargrave authored the majority opinion and was joined by Justices Watt, Hodges, Lavender, Opala, Kauger, Summers, and Boudreau. Justice Winchester wrote a concurring opinion to the majority. Noting that the legislative intent was clear and not ambiguous, the Court rejected the Governor's position and found that state law provided the Governor no power to alter Cabinet positions at will. ==Personal life==