How Shawna Myers Leveraged Political Connections to Position Herself for Osage County Treasurer
In Osage County, Oklahoma, the path to public office is supposed to run through the voters. But a detailed timeline of documents, meeting minutes, internal communications, and public records reviewed by EastOklahoma.com raises serious questions about whether Shawna Myers — a Republican Party insider and current county employee — has been using taxpayer resources, a county-created job, and the political machinery of Commissioner Steve Talburt to campaign for the Osage County Treasurer position from inside government.
The evidence suggests that Myers, who was removed as Chairman of the Osage County Republican Party in August 2024 amid a chaotic confrontation that required law enforcement intervention, was quietly positioned for the Treasurer role in the weeks following her removal — and that a taxpayer-funded job, a county-purchased SUV, and thousands of dollars in state training courses followed.
Removal, Retirement, and the Opening of a Door
The sequence of events begins in the summer of 2024.
In early 2024, Shawna Myers was serving as Chairman of the Osage County Republican Party while simultaneously cozying up to the Osage County Board of County Commissioners. She had helped campaign for Steve Talburt's re-election as District 2 County Commissioner and for his wife Christina Talburt's election as County Clerk.
On August 22, 2024, everything changed. Draft minutes from the Osage County GOP County Committee meeting that evening describe a scene of escalating disorder at the Elks Lodge in Sand Springs. According to the minutes, Myers "spoke over" Vice Chair Cathy Miller when Miller attempted to call the meeting to order. Two minutes into the meeting, Myers reportedly threatened, "anybody touching me…you are getting hit and the cops will be called." The Sergeant-at-Arms called 911 at 6:20 p.m.
Myers was ultimately escorted from the meeting by an Osage County Sheriff's deputy — twice. Her husband Brad Myers, who had also refused to credential in, was later removed after using obscenities. When the vote finally came, all ten credentialed committee members present voted to remove Shawna Myers as Osage County GOP Chairman.
Less than a week later, on August 29, 2024, something significant happened across the county. Osage County Treasurer Sally Hulse — a 36-year county employee who had served as Treasurer since 2013 — submitted a letter of intent to retire, with her final day listed as December 31, 2024.
The Osage County BOCC formally acknowledged Hulse's retirement notice at its September 16, 2024 meeting. The agenda and meeting minutes confirm the board accepted her letter, with Commissioner Talburt himself commenting, "You've been a great treasurer."
According to the Pawhuska Journal-Capital, which covered the announcement on September 17, 2024, District 3 Commissioner Charlie Cartwright said he had already received two telephone calls expressing interest in the treasurer position the very morning the retirement was announced publicly. Cartwright indicated he was inclined to open the position to multiple applicants rather than simply appointing Bridget West, the outgoing treasurer's First Deputy and Hulse's own recommended successor.
The pieces were moving into place.
A Job Created for One Person
On October 9, 2024, just 17 days after Treasurer Hulse publicly rescinded her retirement — a rescission sources say was driven in part by Hulse's alarm at the prospect of her life's work being handed to someone without qualifications — Shawna Myers was hired as a Community Engagement Coordinator/Administrative Assistant for Osage County District 2, at a salary of $37,000 per year.
The timing is notable. Hulse's September 23 letter to the BOCC stated simply: "I am rescinding my letter of retirement and will continue to serve as County Treasurer through the end of my term." The BOCC meeting minutes from that same date confirm she made the announcement in person. Sources close to the matter told EastOklahoma.com that Hulse reversed course because she did not want to see the Treasurer's office — which she had spent 36 years building — handed to someone with no relevant financial education or experience.
Myers' new job at District 2, however, did not go through the normal approval process.
A March 10, 2025 email response to a records request, sent by Cindy Murphy of District 2 to Christina Talburt (Steve Talburt's wife and County Clerk), shows the position details: hire date of 10/09/2024, a monthly salary of $3,100 ($37,200 annualized). Sources with knowledge of the records request process confirmed the position was never formally approved by the BOCC and was flagged during a subsequent state auditor's exit audit for lacking any paper trail.
The same source confirmed that the position did not exist before Myers was hired for it — and that it was created after Treasurer Hulse withdrew her retirement in October 2024.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation, A confidential source with direct knowledge of the events reached out to EastOklahoma.com to describe what was characterized as a coordinated effort to install Myers as Treasurer.
"The untold story is how Shawna Myers, after removal from the Chairmanship of Osage County GOP, was going to be given the County Treasurer position to fill 2.5 years of a 4-year term, without any educational or experiential background and as a reward for helping get Steve Talburt re-elected as District 2 County Commissioner and his wife Christina elected County Clerk," the source wrote in a communication reviewed by EastOklahoma.com.
According to the source, when Treasurer Hulse learned of the plan, she withdrew her retirement. "When the Treasurer caught wind of this plan, she rescinded her intent to retire because she did not want to see her life's work for the county, including 14½ years as the County Treasurer, be destroyed by someone who lacked any experience."
The source further alleged that after Hulse rescinded, Commissioner Talburt "created a job for Shawna and let her use it and the county funds to train for and campaign for the position of Treasurer for over a year and a half."
The Taxpayer-Funded Campaign Infrastructure
Once installed at District 2, Myers set about building her credibility for the Treasurer's race — largely at public expense, the evidence suggests.
Beginning October 16, 2024, Myers began taking Oklahoma State University Extension County Government Training Program classes as a county employee. The OSU training program offers courses relevant to county government operations. According to a timeline compiled by sources and reviewed by EastOklahoma.com, Myers completed her last OSU County shortly before the filing date for the election. She indicated she will continue taking classes.
On June 5, 2026, Myers publicly posted a list of completed OSU Extension County Government Training Program classes. The source's analysis of the total taxpayer cost: 29 classes at an average of $56 per class, plus 161 miles of round-trip mileage at $0.725 per mile, plus 8 hours of salary at $17.79 per hour per class — totaling an estimated $9,136 charged to Osage County taxpayers.
Notably, sources told EastOklahoma.com that while Myers has take some of the courses of Treasurer-specific courses on her own dime prior to employment in District II, many of the courses the county has paid for are not applicable to the Treasurer's position — suggesting the training may serve a broader political preparation rather than her current job duties.
By June 9, 2026, Myers was posting publicly about visiting other elected officials across Oklahoma, including Pawnee County's District 3 Commissioner (112 miles round trip) and the Haskell County Treasurer (240 miles round trip), from whom she obtained an endorsement. These visits, conducted while on the county clock, represent additional costs to Osage County taxpayers.
The County SUV
Among the most tangible pieces of evidence in this story is a white 2025 Chevrolet Traverse AWD.
BOCC records from December 2, 2024 show that the board acknowledged "District #2 purchase of 2025 Chevy Traverse AWD from State Contract SW0035 in the amount of $40,254 from 1102-6-4200-4110 (Capital Outlay)."
According to the December 2 meeting minutes — which list Shawna Myers as a guest in attendance identified as "Shawna Myers-District #2" — the purchase was merely acknowledged by the board, not voted upon.
Photographs obtained by EastOklahoma.com, taken at the County Barn for District 2 on December 27, 2024, show the white Chevrolet Traverse with Oklahoma license plate QRD-365, parked at the District 2 facility.
The vehicle was subsequently involved in an accident. BOCC meeting records from February 10, 2025 show the board acknowledging a payment of $5,696.44 from ACCO for loss to the 2025 Chevrolet Traverse (Claim Number: VAAP077416) for District #2 Account 1102-6-4200-4110 (Capital Outlay).
The Endorsement Network and the Exit Plan
As of June 2026, Myers is actively running for Osage County Treasurer.
Her opening campaign flyer, reviewed by EastOklahoma.com, makes no mention of her current county employment or the circumstances under which it was created. It touts "22 years in healthcare, 7 years running my own business, hands-on county government experience, and all required County Treasurer training nearly complete." Her slogan: "Making it Make Cents!"
Sources told EastOklahoma.com that Commissioner Talburt has already selected someone to replace Myers in her District 2 position, should she win the Treasurer's race. "We think this is because he has taken heat for having created the job just for Myers," the source's timeline states.
Meanwhile, the source notes that Talburt personally endorsed Myers publicly, including via Facebook and a video endorsement — both of which were sent to this reporter for review.
The confidential source, who has been compiling the timeline, put it plainly: "Our roads are terrible and the #1 complaint of the commissioners by the citizens. The cost of Myers — her salary, education, vehicle, flitting around the state to visit other county officials, etc. — is money that could be spent on roads."
The Auditors Noticed
The State Auditor's office has already taken note of at least one anomaly in this story.
According to documents and source accounts reviewed by EastOklahoma.com, an auditor from the State Auditor's office conducted an exit audit of the County Clerk's office and questioned Myers' position, noting there was no paper trail supporting the creation of her role.
The Treasurer Speaks — And the Clock Is Ticking
As this story was being prepared for publication, Sally Hulse broke her silence publicly.
In a June 5, 2026 Facebook post shared in the Skiatook community group, Hulse endorsed her First Deputy, Bridget West, for Osage County Treasurer — and in doing so, gave the clearest public account yet of why she reversed her retirement decision in September 2024.
Hulse wrote that when she announced her intent to retire, she recommended Bridget West to the commissioners to finish her term, describing West as someone who had worked at a bank for ten years handling county accounts and whom she had personally appointed as First Deputy when the previous one retired. "I knew I would be retiring in a few years and wanted my office to continue running smoothly," Hulse wrote.
Then came the revelation. Hulse stated she was told by commissioners that they wanted to post her position and let others apply — and that she was also told Shawna Myers was the person they were going to appoint. "This bothered me that they would appoint someone to finish my term who had never worked in the office," Hulse wrote, "opposed to my first deputy who I had been training for three years."
Hulse said she decided to stay through the end of her term for the citizens of Osage County. She pointed to West's depth of experience as the key qualification the Treasurer's office requires: "The classes provided by OSU are very limited. Where you gain the most knowledge is working in the office day to day, experiencing all the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks."
Her post concluded: "Please vote June 16th for the most qualified candidate….Bridget West."
The endorsement carries weight beyond its sentiment. Hulse is the institutional voice of the Osage County Treasurer's office — a 36-year employee who has run it since 2013. Her public confirmation that commissioners told her Myers was their intended appointee adds an on-the-record dimension to what had previously been supported only by documents and confidential accounts.
The stakes of the June 16 primary are sharpened by one additional fact: under Oklahoma law, a newly elected county treasurer is sworn into office on the first Monday in July following the November general election — timed to align with the county fiscal year, which runs July 1 through June 30. That means whoever wins this race will take control of the county's finances at the precise moment a new fiscal year begins. The office manages tax collection cycles, county investment accounts, and disbursements that touch every department in Osage County government.
Voters will decide on June 16 whether the person stepping into that role will be Bridget West — trained for years inside the office by the outgoing treasurer herself — or Shawna Myers, whose path to the ballot ran through a county job that didn't exist before she was hired, a $40,000 taxpayer-funded SUV, and the political support of the commissioner whose career she helped build.
What the Records Show
Taken together, the documentary record reviewed by EastOklahoma.com paints a consistent picture:
Shawna Myers was removed from her position as Osage County GOP Chairman in August 2024 following a confrontation serious enough to require police intervention. Within weeks, the sitting Osage County Treasurer announced her retirement. Sources allege that Myers was being groomed to receive the appointment. The Treasurer, upon learning of the plan, withdrew her retirement. Commissioner Talburt — whose political career Myers had helped advance — then created a new, previously nonexistent position for Myers within his District 2 office. That position was never formally approved by the full BOCC. It came with a county vehicle worth over $40,000. It provided Myers a platform and county-funded time to take the very training courses required for the Treasurer's job she intends to seek through election.
The questions that remain are for voters — and potentially investigators — to resolve: Was the creation of Myers' position legal under Oklahoma law? Did Myers conduct campaign activities on county time, using county resources? And does Osage County's apparent practice of creating and filing positions outside of formal BOCC approval reflect a broader accountability problem within the Talburt-dominated District 2 operation?
EastOklahoma.com has submitted public records requests for additional documentation and will report further as records are received. Shawna Myers, Commissioner Steve Talburt, and Christina Talburt were contacted for comment. This story will be updated to reflect any responses received prior to publication.
Dustin Reed Terry is the founder and editor of EastOklahoma.com, a civic accountability publication covering Green Country. He can be reached through the publication's website.
Source documents cited in this report are on file with EastOklahoma.com and available for review upon request by credentialed journalists and public officials.
