Despite ice storm, voters approve city improvement bond package

Oklahoma City residents gave overwhelming approval of a city bond package worth $835 million Dec. 11 despite the dire weather conditions.

 

Tuesday's election of 11 propositions ranged from repairing streets to building new parks. The vote took place one day after a harsh winter storm plowed through central Oklahoma, destroying trees and cutting off electricity. The accumulation of freezing rain on limbs toppled trees throughout Oklahoma City. The debris took out power lines and left hundreds of thousands of residents in the cold and dark for days.

 

TURNOUT

"We were hoping for high turnout, so certainly we were concerned by the weather conditions," Mayor Mick Cornett said. "However, it didn't seem to have a major impact. I'm sure it kept some people away, but I think a lot of people made it a priority to vote. I think the conditions challenged the patriotism of our citizens, and they responded."

 

Needing only a simple majority for passage, all 11 propositions received more than 78 percent of voter approval. -Scott Cooper

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