Oklahoma City’s northeast and southwest wards will hold city council elections in February, while two other wards will automatically retain their current council member after no challengers emerged.
Elections will be held Feb. 11 in wards 3 and 7. A candidate is elected if they receive more than 50 percent of the vote. The top two vote-getters will advance to an April 1 runoff if no majority is met.
In Oklahoma City’s northeast Ward 7, four candidates are running for the open seat.
Nikki Nice had represented the ward since 2018, winning reelection in 2021 without a challenger. However, Nice was elected to the state Senate this year, leaving her city council seat open.
Andrea Holman, Masood A. Haqq, Camal Pennington and John A. Pettis, Jr. will be on the Ward 7 ballot.
Pettis previously served as the Ward 7 councilman but resigned in 2018 after facing felony embezzlement charges, which were later dropped. Pettis pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to file a tax return.
Pettis said he wants to continue pushing for economic development in northeast Oklahoma City.
Ward 7 has been a historically Black community, and recent council members have focused on increased economic development, more fresh food options and access to community centers.
“I will continue to fight for Ward 7 to get its share of city bond projects that will lead to high-quality jobs and sustainable growth opportunities for local businesses,” Pettis said.
Pennington, the executive director of It’s My Community Initiative, a coalition of community-based nonprofits focused on northeast Oklahoma City, is also running in Ward 7.
“I am running for office because I believe a strong community isn’t something you are given; it’s something you build together,” Pennington said. “While serving in Ward 7 for City Council, I will advocate for policies that empower families, improve public safety, increase affordable housing options and give opportunity for economic development.”
Holman, president of a northeast neighborhood association, and Haqq, an author and member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Oklahoma, will also be on the ballot.
Ward 3
Barbara Peck, elected to Ward 3 in 2021, is running for reelection against challenger Katrina Bedell Avers.
One of the most significant issues in Ward 3 this year was a proposed amphitheater that drew pushback from the largely suburban community concerned about noise and traffic. Peck was a vocal opponent, and the council later voted to deny the project’s zoning request.
“I think we would all enjoy it,” Peck told Ward 3 residents this year. “But we need to be able to enjoy it by paying to go there to here/see the bands we want to, not by stepping out our back door.”
In 2021, Peck finished second in a six-person race but took the most votes in a top-two runoff.
On her website, Avers said she is a scientist and entrepreneur “focused on data-driven and innovative solutions that protect public safety, foster economic growth and invest in infrastructure and community resources.”
Uncontested races
Ward 1 Councilman Bradley Carter and Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone will each automatically return to their seats, as neither drew a challenger.
Carter, first elected in 2021, represents the city’s northwest ward, while Stone, elected in 2017, represents the city’s southeast ward.
The city council is made up of eight ward representatives, along with the mayor, who is elected citywide. The mayor’s annual salary is $24,000, and each council member is paid $12,000 a year.
Two years ago, the city’s ward boundaries were slightly adjusted, moving at least 100,000 residents to new wards. Each ward is home to around 85,000 residents.
Campaign expenses
City council candidates must report donations and expenses when their total spending reaches $1,000.
In the Ward 3 race, Peck raised around $26,000 earlier this year, according to her latest campaign contributions report. Avers had yet to file a contributions report as of December.
In Ward 7, Pettis raised around $8,300 this year, according to an October financial report, the most recent one available. Pennington raised more than $30,000 as of October, and Haqq raised $34,505. Holman had not filed a campaign contribution report.
This article appears in New Year’s Eve Guide.