Slain state Labor Commissioner Mark Costello was an idea man with a heart, a straight-shooter and a wry jokester who passed out nuts at the state Capitol because the place was, well, nuts, said friends who gathered Wednesday evening for a memorial gathering at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tulsa.
“The tears, they come, but the friendship is always there,” said Mayor Dewey Bartlett, who acted as an informal emcee.
The event was organized by the Tulsa County Republican Men’s Club and the Republican Women’s Club of Tulsa County.
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Darren Gantz, who helped put it together, said he was stunned to hear Sunday night that Costello had been stabbed to death, allegedly by Costello’s son, Christian Costello.
“I went to bed shocked; I woke up shocked,” said Gantz. “I went to the office and said, ‘We need to do something.’ ”
State GOP 1st District Chairwoman Grace Farmer had known Costello since they were high school students in Bartlesville.
“He was involved in politics even then,” Farmer said. “He campaigned for (state Sen.) Jerry Pierce.”
Jim Marshall, Costello’s chief of staff at the Labor Department, said he learned that Costello had quietly helped a reformed drug addict get back on his feet by paying for dentures to replace rotted teeth. Marshall said Costello also bought the man new clothes and made sure he got to job interviews.
“There were dozens of people like that,” Marshall said.
A successful businessman who self-funded his two political campaigns, Costello was able to exercise a degree of independence few elected officials enjoy. State Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, said the two of them talked often about ways to minimize state government and make it more efficient.
His sense of humor helped.
“At the end of the legislative session, here would come Costello pushing his little cart, passing out nuts, because it gets a little nuts at the end of the session,” Newberry said.
Of course, not everyone agreed with Costello’s ideas. His irrepressible sense of humor occasionally backfired, and his campaign to end public employees’ paycheck deductions for union dues did not sit well with some.
But he was usually willing to listen.
“He was a very sweet guy,” said David Tackett, who has been active in conservative politics for many years, adding that Costello was “full of life, full of love, full of ideas.”
“He was a genuine person,” said campaign worker Susan Landers. “He truly listened. He want to shake your hand and hear what you had to say. Not many people running for office are like that.”
State Rep. David Brumbaugh, R-Broken Arrow, said Costello “always had something in his pockets for my girls.”
“He was a man of honor. … His beliefs were part of his make-up.”
State Rep. Chuck Strohm, R-Jenks, said he hadn’t known Costello long but that the late commissioner “falls into in the category of just a few people that have drastically impacted my life. He held a value set. He kept his word. He believed in the American spirit.”
