— House District 14 candidate Bobby Jefferson jumped out in front of the story Thursday when he announced his job as athletic director Muskogee Public Schools could be in jeopardy.

Jefferson faces allegations he kept inaccurate time sheets and provided inadequate supervision of employees. Jefferson said he plans to contest the allegations during a termination hearing scheduled Monday, and he has no intention of withdrawing his candidacy.

“I’m not going to tuck my tail and run away from this — I’m a fighter, that’s what I am,” Jefferson said during a meeting of Muskogee County Democrats. “People in politics will probably say I’ve lost my mind. This is to an election what bankruptcy is to your credit score.”

The longtime Muskogee High School wrestling coach made the announcement in an attempt to “be transparent, honest and upfront” with voters. Jefferson said those qualities are what is needed in the Legislature, and he wouldn’t feel right asking for votes without disclosing the situation he faces at school.

Jefferson, an MPS employee of 34 years, said he learned about what he described as allegations of fraud in mid-June. But it wasn’t until June 28 he was told about nature of the allegations. Jefferson, who had planned to retire in January regardless of the election’s outcome, said he thought briefly about retiring June 29 before deciding to contest the allegations.

“I’ll just have to be up front,” Jefferson said about his appearance Monday for the administrative hearing. “I have nothing to hide.”

MPS Superintendent Mike Garde declined to provide specifics regarding the allegations lodged against Jefferson.

“It’s a personnel matter,” Garde said. “There’s an agenda at 9 a.m. Monday. Facts will be presented at that point.”

Jerry Rains, who is competing against Jefferson for the Democratic nomination in the House District 14 race, said the announcement came at a bad time. But he said it “would be foolish for me to speculate” about what the news might mean.

“I’m just going to run my race like I would every other day, and I’m sure he’s going to do the same,” Rains said. “The voters are just going to have to sort it out — they’re pretty smart.”

Jefferson and Rains will square off Aug. 28 in the Democratic runoff election. The winner will face Arthur Hulbert, a Fort Gibson businessman and physical therapist, in the Nov. 6 general election.

Jefferson coached 32 years at his high school alma mater, where he lettered in football, wrestling and baseball. He earned a master’s degree from Northeastern State University. Jefferson was named Frontier Valley Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2006 and again this past week.

Phoenix Sports Writer Kenton Brooks contributed to this story.

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.