Tulsans will soon know whether their city councilors will face challengers in this year’s nonpartisan municipal elections.
With the three-day filing period set to begin Monday, this much is clear: Nearly every person who holds a seat in the city’s municipal government has no intention of giving it up.
Only one of the City Council’s nine members, District 4 Councilor Kara Joy McKee, is not seeking reelection.
Auditor Cathy Carter, who has not had a challenger since she was elected in 2013, is running again.
Councilors seeking reelection are Vanessa Hall-Harper (District 1), Jeannie Cue (District 2), Crista Patrick (District 3), Mykey Arthrell (District 5), Connie Dodson (District 6), Lori Decter Wright (District 7), Phil Lakin (District 8) and Jayme Fowler (District 9)
City councilors and the auditor serve two-year terms.
Tulsans elect their mayor every four years. The next mayoral election is in 2024.
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Several councilors already have challengers, some with familiar names.
Ty Walker is taking another run at the District 5 seat held by Arthrell. Walker ran unsuccessfully for that office in 2018 and was one of several candidates who challenged Mayor G.T. Bynum in the 2020 mayor’s race.
In District 6, where Dodson has served since 2014, Lewana Harris has filed a campaign committee statement of organization with the City Clerk’s Office. Chad Hotvedt has filed the same paperwork with the intention of challenging Fowler in District 9.
Ken Reddick, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2020, is challenging Wright in District 7, according to his campaign’s Facebook page. He was one of six candidates Wright defeated in 2018 to win her first term in office.
As of Friday, the open District 4 seat had drawn two candidates: Michael Feamster, president of Nabholz Construction’s Southwest Region; and motivational speaker and counselor Emeka Nnaka.
The general election for municipal candidates is Aug. 23. Runoff elections, if necessary, will be held Nov. 8.
Incumbents and challengers alike must submit their declarations of candidacy to the Tulsa County Election Board, 555 N. Denver Ave., by 5 p.m. Wednesday, along with a certified check or cashier’s check for $50 made out to the city of Tulsa.
Candidate filing packets can be found on the Election Board website at tulsacounty.org/electionboard.
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kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.com
