Jeff Bezdek voices his disapproval of Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid\’s approach to the streetcar vote, at Tuesday\’s City Council meeting. Photo by Mark Hancock Almost two dozen citizens spoke against and in favor of the proposal, which created a 2 ½ hour discussion of the most controversial MAPS 3 project. Councilmen James Greiner, Ed […]
Patrick Ryan
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Million-dollar members
This year, each of the city’s eight council members will receive a $1 million allocation to spend on projects that were not previously funded. The discretionary spending program comes from the city’s reserve fund, typically 8-15 percent of the total municipal budget. In six of the last 11 years, excess money from the reserve fund […]
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Overcoming Momentum’s legacy
Federal law shielded disclosure of contributor names. Many became alarmed about secret committees influencing election outcomes, including this writer. This organization’s basic tactic was fear — fear that a candidate was too liberal, too conservative or not conservative or liberal enough. The bitter election is over, but Momentum’s legacy finds a present home in some […]
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Money wins
WARD 8 Ward 8 challenger Clifford Hearron raised a total of around $13,700. Hearron’s opponent, incumbent Patrick Ryan, raised about $122,400, with legal maximum donations of $5,000 coming from Clayton Bennett, owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder, chairman of Dorchester Capital LLC and past chair of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber; Larry Nichols, Devon Energy […]
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Walters only incumbent defeated in Oklahoma City Council elections
Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer retained her seat, getting nearly 64 percent of the vote in a three-way race. Meanwhile, Ward 8 Councilman Patrick Ryan held on to his seat in a landslide, with almost 73 percent of the vote. Ward 5 incumbent Brian Walters was defeated by challenger David Greenwell, who got 54 percent […]
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You better vote Tuesday!
Voters should carefully examine the backgrounds and qualifications of the candidates before voting, because the differences among them are profound. Candidates from three of the four wards appear to have the support of political interests that seek to reverse the will citizens expressed in MAPS and to assert political agendas. In Ward 8, Cliff Hearron […]
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Challengers in Oklahoma City Council races discuss online photos
The race for the Ward 2 seat, which is being vacated by outgoing Councilman Sam Bowman, features a lineup of six candidates, while Ward 5 incumbent Brian Walters faces a challenge from David Greenwell. In Ward 6, incumbent Meg Salyer faces two challengers — Jessica Holstein (pictured, left) and Adrian Van Manen — while in […]