OKG: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your year compared to normal years? James Cooper: I serve as OKC’s Ward 2 Councilperson. I also teach as an adjunct professor in Philosophy and Film Studies at Oklahoma City University and as an adjunct professor in English at University of Central Oklahoma. Before I took […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Suspect petition
Unite Norman has reportedly collected enough signatures to force a recall for mayor in the city of Norman, though it has apparently fallen short of the number required to possibly oust two city council members. So who is Unite Norman? A reportedly amorphous and diverse group of Norman residents make up this recall effort. Let’s […]
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News briefs
CITY Resolutions approved Oklahoma City Council approved several resolutions during last week’s meeting. The council unanimously approved an ordinance to be introduced and set for two additional hearings. Jason Ferbrache, director of Central Oklahoma Transportation & Parking Authority (COTPA), presented the ordinance that essentially proposed an increase in fines for cars that obstruct the Streetcar’s […]
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MAPS board
Ward 2 councilwoman JoBeth Hamon sought to amend the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board’s name in an attempt to be more inclusive. Hamon’s amendment would have changed the word “citizen” to “resident” wherever it would be legal to do so. But before any discussion even took place, a motion was made to pass the item […]
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Improving health
A potential Healthy Neighborhood Overlay for the 73111 ZIP code is among the first things Oklahoma City Council will decide in 2020. The ordinance to establish the zoning overlay has made its way through the Planning Commission and is set for public hearing Dec. 17 and final hearing Jan. 7. The new zoning would provide […]
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Street tunes
An Oklahoma City councilwoman wants to deregulate the city’s busking process. JoBeth Hamon (Ward 6) said the change could add vitality and more culture to Oklahoma City streets. The ordinance was introduced at the Nov. 5 council meeting where mayor David Holt joked the measure might be the first “Twitter-instigated ordinance change in city history.” […]
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Preservation changes
Oklahoma City Council adopted an ordinance last week amending a previous controversial proposal that would have stripped some of Historic Preservation Commission’s powers. Months ago, Oklahoma City councilmembers David Greenwell (Ward 5) and Mark Stonecipher (Ward 8) presented a broad proposal that would have only allowed the city council to initiate any historic designation proposal […]
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Extending rights
Norman City Council voted 8-1 to amend its civil rights ordinance to add protections on the basis of sexuality, gender identity or expression and same-sex marriage. The protections are now in place and affect employment, housing and public accommodations. Norman United, an interfaith group formed to support the LGBTQ+ community, spearheaded the efforts and played […]
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City investments
Sixteen projects are in the MAPS 4 package that was unanimously approved by Oklahoma City Council last week. Allocations are based on an estimated $978 million revenue from a one-cent sales tax set to last eight years. During the Aug. 27 meeting in which the package was voted on, many councilmembers said they did not […]
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Project proposals
Members of Oklahoma City Council spent more than 10 hours hearing presentations on MAPS 4 proposals last week. On Tuesday, council heard presentations on Palomar Family Justice Center; parks; sidewalks, bike lanes, trails and streetlights; and Freedom Center. On Thursday, presentations were on youth centers, beautification, State Fair coliseum, senior wellness centers and an animal […]