Questioning the Candidates: District 4 City Council contenders share their policies and plans for improving the city | Politics | #citycouncil

The candidates’ responses, by district, will be posted online this week. To determine what City Council district you reside in, click here or call the Tulsa County Election Board at 918-596-5780. There also a map at the end of this story. 

City Council elections will be held Aug. 23. Runoff elections, if necessary, will be held Nov. 8.

Five candidates are running to succeed Councilor Kara Joy McKee, who is not seeking reelection. They are Laura Bellis, 33; Michael Birkes, 72; Michael Feamster, 39; Matthew Fransein, 34; and Bobby Dean Orcutt, 40.

Two people who filed to run, Scott Carter and Weydan Flax, withdrew from the race.

Bellis is executive director of Take Control Initiative. Birkes is an architect and planner. Feamster is president of the southwest region for Nabholz Construction Corp. Fransein is director of development and project manager at Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, and Orcutt is co-owner of Mercury Lounge.

The questionnaires were meant to provide insight on where these candidates stand on the issues, while the attached videos were meant to provide a little about them as people. 

Laura Bellis: I’ve committed my life to service and removing barriers to resources and opportunities for Tulsans. I served our city’s youth as a middle school teacher for five years. In the six years since leaving the classroom, I’ve worked every day as a nonprofit leader to ensure Tulsans have access to reproductive healthcare.

As a twice-appointed member of the city’s Human Rights Commission, I served to make Tulsa a better place for everyone as the committee’s vice chair for a year and chair for two years. This, combined with an overall seven years of experience working on municipal policy, gives me a deep understanding of how local-level government can make a difference in the lives of Tulsans.

In my work as a teacher, a nonprofit leader and a community advocate, I have seen first-hand how barriers to all the amazing resources our city has to offer limit opportunities for our kids and families. I will work every day as a city councilor to make decisions that remove those barriers and ensure we are building a city that truly works for everyone.

Michael Birkes: I am a lifelong Tulsan and have seen the city grow, decline, and emerge again into the dynamic city it is today. Several years ago, I considered running for council, but decided not to do so, because I was an owner and managing a major architectural firm. Also, my children were still living at home. With those professional and family obligations I felt I could not commit sufficient time to fulfill the requirements of a city councilor.

I am now retired and can devote full time to effectively representing the residents and businesses of District 4.

Birkes said he is especially grateful for the support of his wife of 30 years, Dana, and his two daughters and son.

Michael Feamster: I am passionate about Tulsa and want to be closer to its heartbeat. No one approached me to run and I do not view this position as a stepping stone, but rather an opportunity to be closer to the city I love and serve our greatest asset — our people.

As a fourth generation Tulsan, I desire to see a more unified Tulsa that works cohesively together within a culture of respect, honesty, integrity, and hard work no matter our personal nor political backgrounds. Being a city of resilience and renaissance, we are uniquely positioned to do this and look forward to providing a voice for all District 4 residents and businesses and pushing our Tulsa brand forward.

Additionally, I believe I am uniquely aligned with District 4’s DNA as an eclectic District. I am an Osage Nation citizen, bilingual in Spanish, an artist, a coffee roaster, train in mixed martial arts, a successful businessman, and serve on multiple nonprofit boards including Arts Alliance Tulsa, Philbrook Museum and Gardens, Tulsa Regional Tourism, and Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.

The role of a Tulsa city councilor was birthed in 1989 within the Tulsa amended charter and is outlined by our city as the legislative branch of the Mayor’s Office that also approves our city’s annual budget and overall represents our district.

My plan is to do this job as prescribed whilst bringing a passion for vibrant and safe neighborhoods, economic development and job growth, and public safety especially with regards to our first responders and homelessness.

Matthew Fransein: It’s been a rough few years, I think we can all agree on that. But now’s the time for us to move from the mindset of ‘what’s wrong’ with things versus, How can we support?

I’m running because I’d like to see changes that lead to housing and businesses that reflect our current community needs; services that are both supported and held accountable; and a council that prioritizes compromise, research-based decision-making, and shared success.

I’m not looking toward the next big thing — I’m looking to support our city’s plans and prioritize the small changes that can have a bigger impact for our core systems and future plans.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: I have been lucky in my life. I have overcome extreme poverty to become a business owner and contributing member of my community. I would like to invest in Tulsa and the neighborhoods of District 4 using the same ideas and principles that have helped guide me through those hard times.

I want to work towards innovative solutions that meet at the crossroads of compassion and practicality. I want to see my neighbors thrive, and believe that working together in a collaborative manner that is solutions-focused is the only way to meet that goal. I’d like to continue to see Tulsa grow into a place we can all proudly call home.

Laura Bellis: Affordable, high-quality housing is a significant need for our city. Thousands of Tulsans are on wait lists to access shelter, but with our housing infrastructure is almost at capacity, we lack the units needed to ensure everyone has a place to call home.

As Tulsa grows, we need leadership that’s ready and able to find innovative, long-term solutions. We must invest in and enact the community-developed “A Way Home for Tulsa” plan to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring.

There are numerous vacant properties in disrepair all across Tulsa. Those owned by the city should be donated to qualified nonprofits for repair. We should also ensure private property owners have access to greater resources to revitalize their homes and neighborhoods.

Our city also has an escalating number of out-of-state buyers and property managers. We must consider more regulation and oversight to ensure properties are safe and well maintained, while ensuring prospective homebuyers in Tulsa are not pushed out of the market.

Finally, it’s critical we look at efforts in other cities to address the housing crisis. Tulsa should learn from and partner with other municipalities to find solutions that work. Our council has the power and opportunity to make all of this happen.

Michael Birkes: Affordable Housing. First, we need to find ways and more revenue to assist residents in repairing their homes, keeping them viable and affordable. Secondly, housing in several older neighborhoods have deteriorated or been removed due to speculator neglect, thus reducing the housing stock and property values of those remaining homeowners. It also has an adverse effect on neighborhood safety and individual health. 

Michael Feamster: Homelessness. Homelessness is a complex challenge that jointly requires compassion and accountability subject to the individual situation usually due to the lack of affordable housing, a need for more mental health services, a need for more substance and drug abuse counseling, situational hardships, and individuals who choose to be homeless.

Potential strategies to address the problem include:

1. A comprehensive plan that unifies city/county stakeholders, service providers, and public safety to implement affordable housing, increase mental health, increase substance abuse counseling, etc.

3. Public-private partnerships, city incentives, and policy levers for developers to develop affordable housing projects.

4. Support local service providers efforts, especially for needs across the city and county of Tulsa and not just limited to our downtown service providers.

5. Assess all options for individuals who have been sent to Tulsa from other cities.

6. Assess all financial options to support the aforementioned items within and outside of our current, annual budget.

Matthew Fransein: I have difficulties with ultimatums, especially in regard to prioritization of community challenges. There are numerous hurdles our community faces and they vary according to our own lived experience and circumstances. Therefore, I’d consider that many of the common issues our city regularly identifies fall into a generalized grouped challenge: inequity stemming from a lack of support toward enhancing the efficiency and capacity of core community services.

Current budgetary and project priorities overlook the basics such as data management systems, enhancing existing infrastructure to be adaptable to city plans and community needs, and the value of public/private partnerships. This leads toward underfunded units that seek to support those affected by homelessness and mental health challenges, road plans that forego traffic density concerns and sidewalks remaining impossibly narrow in favor of big city concepts that aren’t always an adaptable fit for Tulsa’s realities.

Finally, toward the second challenge, I, as a member of the nonprofit services sector, see that our private sector must work toward more direct collaboration with city services to ultimately increase capacity, funding availability and direct support to the individuals.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: Access to affordable housing is a growing issue that has an event horizon, and that will leave more and more Tulsans displaced. This contributes to nearly every issue we face as a city.

Laura Bellis: DEVELOPMENT. Future development in District 4 must be responsible, sustainable and honor the culture of our community. We’re experiencing such rapid growth that it can imperil what makes District 4’s vibrant neighborhoods so special. We must focus on responsible development that happens in collaboration with neighborhoods, rather than in opposition.

We also need to put resources into building up the entrepreneurs and small businesses that make Tulsa incredible. We should streamline the process of starting a business and ensure red-tape and bureaucratic barriers are removed so entrepreneurs can engage with the city with minimal friction. We should invest in scaling phenomenal business incubators (like Mother Road Market) that create pipelines of opportunity for rising talent. HOUSING: As development occurs, we must actively address the affordable housing shortage in District 4 and make sure homeownership is within reach for every Tulsan. That’s why I will work with my colleagues and non-profit leaders to develop first-time homebuyer assistance programs for Tulsans who’ve devoted their career to public service. The civic workers who sacrificed for us during the pandemic should know we have their back — and we should ensure they have a permanent place in Tulsa to call home.

Michael Birkes: Same housing challenges as noted in Question 2 and homelessness. See response to question 8.

Michael Feamster: Homelessness and economic development that is impacted due to this, as well as our need to improve our public education rates.

Matthew Fransein: District 4 is one of the most diverse amongst the demographic strata in the city of Tulsa. With the recent redistricting in west Tulsa to join District 4, I believe we must address critical challenges that west Tulsans have faced most of their lives. West Tulsa is often treated as forgotten lands and faces wage disparity, poverty, land devaluation, flooding risk, public safety (challenges), and food deserts, requiring a critical need for investment and infrastructure rehabilitation and enhancement.

Areas such as the Historic Crosbie Heights are faced with a vacancy/condemned rate of nearly 25% of their homes and businesses. Compounded with restricted access to main Tulsa, decreasing home values, and few job opportunities, west Tulsa faces constant public safety concerns that leave residents at risk and investors unwilling to take risks under the Planning Commission’s Master Planned Development (MPD) process versus the more developer-friendly Planned Unit Development (PUD) process.

Many of these issues are prevalent throughout much of District 4, but not on the macro level our west side residents face. As a resident off of 11th and Harvard, I feel petty in complaining about our traffic issues compared to what my fellow constituents face in their neighborhoods and community.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: District 4 runs nearly the entirety of midtown, downtown and all the way to Charles Page (Boulevard). Every neighborhood is different, and every neighborhood requires a specific approach. But, every neighborhood in District 4 is impacted by an increased presence of folks living without shelter, and a failing or neglected infrastructure.

Safe neighborhoods are built through investment. In the roads, streetlights, sidewalks and in each other. Knowing your neighbor’s name. Knowing that your city will make sure the lights stay on. And by providing accessibility to public use facilities like restrooms, shaded areas and water fountains in our parks — all of our parks — with the budget to maintain them.

It is not QuikTrip’s or any other private business’ responsibility to provide a vital and required resource. The city must do that.

Laura Bellis: City councilors serve short, two-year terms. Our district deserves and needs a councilor who is ready to get to work on day one.

I’ve been civically engaged on the city level for over seven years. I’ve spent significant time in my leadership roles on the Human Rights Commission, my time as a community advocate, and throughout the pandemic working on public health and safety policies alongside the council, the Mayor’s Office, and various other city agencies.

I frequent City Council meetings and I’ve helped facilitate multiple town halls with our current city councilor. I’ve been part of proposing, developing and advocating for policies and charter amendments that are now in action in order to advance equity and accessibility in our city.

It is worth asking the other candidates what their participation with the council has looked like over the past several years and if they have previously voted in municipal elections. Tulsa has been through so much and is facing significant challenges in the months and years ahead. With so much work to do, there is no time to waste. I’m uniquely qualified and ready to hit the ground running.

Michael Birkes: Experience and some say wisdom. Over the past 50 years of working and collaborating with diverse project teams including developers, governments, and residents to achieve successful outcomes.

Significant local projects include QuikTrip, Warehouse Market, multiple apartment projects throughout the city, Tulsa Expo Square and Fairgrounds renovations, restoration of the Pavilion, and expansion of facilities that have a major economic impact for Tulsa.

I’ve worked for the city, both as an employee and as a consultant. This has given me knowledge of many of the departments and individuals that l will interact with as a councilor. These are relationships that already exist and won’t have to be developed upon arriving at City Hall, freeing me to immediately address the issues related to District 4.

Worked as planner, community development department, city of Tulsa, and on historic preservation ordinance and Downtown Master Plan

Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Oklahoma State University; Master of Urban Studies, University of Tulsa

Professor of Practice, University of Oklahoma, Community Health and Environmental Design, Urban Design Studio. Projects and research into the impact the built environment has on health, with emphasis on neighborhoods.

Michael Feamster: Tulsan that puts Tulsans first. I am a 4th generation Tulsan that is truly people driven that will work on behalf of all Tulsans and for Tulsa’s future. This includes both residents and businesses. I desire and aim to see our Tulsa City Council united from a cultural aspect, as well as all that have chosen Tulsa as their home.

• Strong family: Husband of 10 years and 4 beautiful children. I will advocate for safe and thriving neighborhoods and quality of life for our families. My parents taught me to listen and learn from all people and communities. This has laid a foundation for me to be able to be a coalition builder that truly desires respect, integrity, transparency, honesty, and overall thorough communication.

• Business Resume: Extensive resume that includes large budgets and portfolio, leadership of large teams, and international experience. There have been various opportunities to speak and present to many of our local constituents including school boards, nonprofit boards, committees, and various associations.

• Community Experience: I serve on the boards of Arts Alliance Tulsa, Philbrook Museum and Gardens, Tulsa Regional Tourism, and Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.

• Represent my District well: Spanish speaking, nonprofit volunteer, coffee roaster, Osage Native citizen, artist, and a business person.

Matthew Fransein: I’m treating this election as a job interview rather than a competition. Given the intended nonpartisan role of city council, I have actively focused on avoiding personal bias and opinions in favor of core challenges and areas of opportunity.

While I may not have the history of partaking in council meetings or city commissions, I am a quick study and doubt it’ll take me “a full year to learn the job.” My curiosity has provided me with varied experiences that have allowed me to be adaptable, inquisitive, and willing to seek out experts. This has proven beneficial throughout this race by increasing my understanding of the council’s scope of work and what key priorities exceed the limits of their jurisdiction.

With over a decade of project management experience, I seek to work through the foundational components of our City Council’s roles and responsibilities to ensure we stay on track, discourage leveraging City Council as a personal platform, and utilize community members and experts to ensure decisions are well-informed and transparent.

Three years working on a stabilization program in Afghanistan taught me one thing — you’ll fail without the knowledge and support of the community.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: I don’t believe I’d say best or even most qualified, but I will say I believe I might be the most experienced. In my life I have been a poor kid from a trailer park on north Mingo, a homeless teenager, a high school dropout with no direction or future. I have also been a father, a community leader, a self-taught entrepreneur.

I’ve made hard choices that kept me up at night but kept people employed. I have brought divergent communities together and shown commonality and kinship through my work in the music business, then used those lessons to publicly address and confront injustices.

I’ve lived a lot of life. I believe I can use hard-earned experience, coupled with my ability to relate and build bridges, to make actual progress within the varied communities of District 4.

Laura Bellis: We need to significantly improve our infrastructure in order to bring our city into the modern era.

Tulsa has a phenomenal opportunity to enhance its digital infrastructure. Many of our city resources and services should be easily accessible online and via text, rather than requiring travel to City Hall or long wait times on the phone. Our city workers do an amazing job at serving the needs of Tulsans. Enhanced technology to improve access to the city’s services will improve both the lives of Tulsans and the workload of our city employees.

With more of these items occurring digitally our city can also better track data related to service access and use that information to streamline and improve utilization of resources. Ensuring that all city resources are easily accessed via computers or mobile devices will allow Tulsans to engage more with city departments, elected officials and employment opportunities.

Some may be anxious to embrace digitization of information and resources after the ransomware attack, but this effort will also only solidify Tulsa’s place as a hub for cyber-security opportunities.

Enhancing our digital infrastructure is a critical step in making Tulsa the world class city we are meant to be.

Michael Birkes: I believe a project that could have significant impact on District 4 is the removal of the north leg of the IDL, (Inner Disposal Loop/244/412). The elimination of highways around the downtown areas have been proposed and implemented in several cities across the nation and has recently been proposed here.

Michael Feamster: Downtown Master Plan and Route 66. As Tulsa continues to thrive, it is imperative that we continue to invest within our IDL, public education, and tourism. The vibrancy and thriving culture of our neighborhoods and businesses are dependent upon such projects. I look forward to being part of a wider team that assists with our next city of Tulsa Vision Projects for this purpose. We also need to continue to finish the goals and priorities we established with our Small Area Plans.

Matthew Fransein: Quoting Tulsa’s City Plan of 2010, “[T]he city should encourage constructing a variety of housing types and costs for both renters and owners. Some areas have suffered from decline or neglect, though, and the City will work to revitalize those neighborhoods.” Small Area Plans tend to address causations rather than root causes and are often left in limbo. Examples such as west Tulsa, along with certain areas north of 15th Street, prove this point.

Our city has relied upon large-scale investments to support neighborhoods in revitalization efforts, but when looking at Small Area Plans from as late as 2021, many of the smaller goals the community had identified with the planning committees were left uninitiated or remaining in progress.

To start, reduce the percentages of vacant housing, equitable access to basic services, and adequate public safety measures. Micro efforts can address a community’s perceived value and safety, making it a more palatable opportunity for private investors. Once those basic needs are met, larger investments provide more tangible output on the macroscale and increase equity from neighborhood to neighborhood. There is no single project that will address neighborhood needs — it will take continued investments in the absolute basics of community infrastructure. 

Bobby Dean Orcutt: Some studies show that street lighting represents as much as 3.8% of the world’s electricity consumption.

As a city and as a society, we have to cut waste at every corner. Investing in smart lighting for our traffic and street lights will better help traffic flow to meet the demands of population growth, allow for easier maneuverability for first responders, and they are shown to reduce carbon emissions.

They will save money after the initial expense, which, hate to say it, we will have to deal with sooner or later anyway as this becomes more and more the standard in modern cities. We should get in front of this now before we lose that “15 minutes from everything” charm that we’ve enjoyed for so long.

Laura Bellis: It’s unfortunate that this issue has become so polarizing, when in reality it is a common-sense, data-driven measure to support both our officers and community as a whole.

Independent oversight provides layers of trust and transparency that our community needs, while decreasing costly litigation for our city. If we’re really serious about improving community trust and recruiting and retaining officers, this is a means to do so while improving the overall climate in our community around policing.

The data on this is clear: enhanced oversight makes everyone safer. Our city has taken some good first steps to realize community policing, including more investment in our Community Response Teams and some of the efforts advanced around the DOJ’s 2015 final report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

We can rise above the fray of divisive rhetoric and move forward toward healing as a community by implementing evidence-based best practices, including independent oversight, to keep us all safer.

Michael Birkes: Oversight is a key part of government checks and balances and I believe the Police Department should have some form of independent oversight. Public safety is also a vital service provided by the Police Department, and I strongly disagree with the “Defund the Police” movement. However, I do believe some form of independent oversight is appropriate.

I am aware the council rejected the charter amendment in March, needing more time to review. If this issue of oversight has not been resolved prior to taking office I will make this a high priority to understand the proposed language and implications of such an amendment.

Michael Feamster: No. I have spoken with various leaders of TPD to better understand their culture, as well as statistics that involve them. I have met with many leadership individuals from TPD, the FOP, and other community stakeholders. According the Internal Affairs, 292 complaints were made out of 275,923 calls for service and a total of 11,445 arrests. (Tulsa Police Annual Report 2021, page 57).

Their accountability with misconduct is extraordinary within the nation and the fact that TPD requires a degree helps reduce a culture of insensitivity to our people.

Matthew Fransein: I have reservations regarding the efficacy of oversight committees and how they contribute toward actionable and realistic outcomes and therefore would suggest a more actionable approach.

Rather than an independent oversight committee, I believe TPD requires further integration into collaborative models that pull from existing public and private support services and experts.

Rather than a continuation of “what’s wrong with,” I’d prefer a shift toward “what we can do.”

As a member of the private services sector, private agencies and specialized service providers must work together with our Police Department to address the many needs of our most vulnerable community members.

With millions of dollars in private funding each year, I seek to find ways to utilize our numerous specialized agencies to provide on-the-ground and supplementary support through a committee structure that ensures the safety of individuals through expert-informed methodology.

What our Police Department needs is direct service support through a coalition of providers, city officials, and community leaders dedicated to enhancing the overall capacity to support the safety of our community and citizens and ensure our police can be held accountable while also being directly supported.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: Yes, I do. While implementation might not be easy or popular with some, the fact is oversight is a good thing. It creates accountability and transparency, which is vital in any public facing industry or department. Private businesses are subject to oversight agencies and so far I haven’t heard one viable reason to not apply that same standard to our Police Department.

Laura Bellis: Yes. Many other cities act on this responsibility to ensure basic needs, like housing, are met. It’s important that we do not abdicate that responsibility by leaving this important work to the private and nonprofit sectors alone. Local government must play a leadership role. As mentioned in previous answers, we need to work to incentivize both development and revitalization of properties in disrepair.

Working to designate tax increment financing (TIF) districts can play a key role in incentivizing affordable housing development. Studies have found that it’s essential for a city to play a strong collaborative role to ensure private investment thrives. Creating and administering TIF districts increases taxable value while supporting affordable housing.

At the same time, we must also ensure that we are tackling the economic issues at the root of our housing crisis. As a city, we must ensure Tulsans have access to economic opportunity, which requires a strong education system paired with a concerted effort to attract high-paying jobs for every resident. Our city must respond to this issue on multiple fronts and collaborate across sectors and governing bodies to ensure everyone that calls our city home has a physical home and can thrive.

Michael Birkes: As discussed above in questions 2 and 3, the city should implement regulations and ordinances that limit the speculation on housing/properties without maintaining them in livable condition. Vacant lots and deteriorated houses exacerbate the decline of neighborhoods, property values and affordable housing.

I also believe vacant properties such as hotels/motels may provide affordable housing for individuals and couples that cannot afford market rate apartments. This can also provide housing for the homeless, providing a place where service providers, such as health, mental health, and employment agencies can reach them and provide them needed services. This may also require changes to the zoning designation and code to allow these properties to become this type of housing.

Michael Feamster: While I do not think it is the responsibility of the City of Tulsa, the City of Tulsa should be a leader in creating opportunities within the public and private sectors for implementation. This may include, but not be limited to, policy levers and public-private partnerships.

Matthew Fransein: I absolutely believe that our city’s shortage in affordable housing is related to our focus on rapid growth into the next destination city, restrictive development processes for homebuilders and developers, as well as being third in the nation for highest percentage of out-of-state landlords.

The city government must work to identify additional tools to address housing and development opportunities and incentives. While I have my own personal experiences, District 4 constituents have shared their stories of decreasing land values due to proximity devaluation metrics (abandoned houses, food deserts, lack of infrastructure, etc) as well as drastic land value increases from homes that go for two to four times the price of neighboring residences.

As of the last available statistics, around 40% of downtown remains unoccupied due to the focus on high-end developments in favor of those weighted against community salary averages. Beyond the critical need of housing for those at or below the poverty level, even those who felt as though they’ve “done everything right” face constant financial strain maintaining rent that sometimes exceeds 30% of their take-home pay and the reality they may never own a home. While Tulsa has grown, we should not be facing this issue yet.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: While I don’t believe it is the city’s job to provide housing, I do believe it is the city’s job to make innovative and practical development of affordable housing easier for the folks that are working towards solutions.

We need to change our understanding of manufactured housing to allow for tiny home communities, we need to look at how we approach mixed-use zoning and we need to remove the barriers that are stopping development of these communities in underserved neighborhoods.

I also believe our mayor could do more to encourage inclusion of affordable housing in new development, mirroring efforts we see in places like Denver.

(Editor’s note: As currently proposed, violators of the ordinance would not automatically be arrested but could be issued a citation to appear in court. If they failed to show up for their court date, a warrant could be issued for their arrest.)

Laura Bellis: I am against this policy. It’s important to listen to the experts. Frontline organizations like Housing Solutions have strongly voiced that this is not a viable or compassionate solution.

We cannot “fine and fee” our way to prosperity. Criminalizing unhoused Tulsans who may be struggling with mental health and other challenges creates a perpetuating cycle of incarceration and instability. Doing so is both cruel and expensive to our community. We have to address root causes related to mental health, housing shortages and economic turmoil to disrupt this ongoing issue. City policies that act as a hammer at the end of a line of system failures will only exacerbate this problem.

I understand that people who live and work downtown are frustrated and have concerns for public safety and their businesses. I work downtown, live right next door and encounter these challenges on a daily basis. Our city must further invest in proactive public safety efforts that address mental health instead of primarily relying on emergency or punitive responses when people are in crisis.

Michael Birkes: As noted above, homelessness has become a significant challenge and there needs to be a compassionate solution. However, business owners should not have their business disrupted by individuals blocking sidewalks, panhandling, and doing other offensive things in the front, sides, and rear yards of their business.

At this time, I would vote against the ordinance as proposed specifically because of the fines and possible jail time. This does not solve the problem and probably exacerbates the problem.

Michael Feamster: Yes. Given the culture and leadership under Chief Franklin, as well as his designated divisional leaders and data that supports misconduct, I would vote in favor of this. From my current understanding, they do not want to imprison the homeless, but to treat each individual on a case-by-case basis and use this ordinance’s teeth as a last resort.

Matthew Fransein: While our community speaks of compassionate and supportive care for these individuals, we also seek an immediate solution and are unhappy with most options put forth. If approved, this should be a temporary stopgap and not outlive its immediate function as a step toward equitable care and public safety. I would vote yes and advocate heavily for additional steps to address the root causes.

After a month of ride-alongs with the Community Engagement Unit of TPD, I promise you one thing — most officers would prefer not to circumstantially punish the homeless population.

The TPD Bike & River Patrol unit under CEU is a full-service unit composed of only three officers and their supervisor, Sergeant Luke Flanagan. They collaborate with the community to outreach, educate, investigate and enforce city regulations. They provide individuals affected by homelessness with fresh drinking water, initiate site clean-ups, coordinate communication between individuals and case workers, and de-escalating situations between TPD officers and individuals they’ve known for years.

They themselves would prefer not to see these individuals in jail but rather given adequate access to the services they require. However, the CEU can only do so much and actively seek out experts to jump in such as Family & Children’s Services with more to come in time.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: I would, with caveats. I want to make sure we are also always looking for as many solutions as possible to contributing factors like the fact that there aren’t public restrooms downtown, the fact that accessibility to mental health resources is limited. They contribute to the overall issue. We cannot expect our Police Department to be the only solution for these challenges.

Laura Bellis: Absolutely. We need to listen to the experts on the frontlines of public health. It is our government’s duty to protect lives and livelihoods, and public health measures are a critical tool to protect our city.

Refusing to act in the midst of a health crisis would be reckless and would endanger people’s lives and jobs.

We must have our first responders’, educators’, and business owners’ backs, and that means not passing the buck on decision-making. Instead, in any circumstance, we must always work to pass policies that are data-driven, clear and common sense.

Throughout the pandemic, I worked to ensure thousands of Oklahomans knew the latest information about the pandemic, and collaborated with people in cities across the state to get logical, bipartisan public health measures passed. My job leading a public health nonprofit involves working closely with more than 22 health center sites, including one of our local hospital systems. I know how difficult the past few years have been for them. I never want our health care workers to be abandoned to fight for us alone. We must do all we can to support them if we want to have the healthy, thriving community we all deserve. 

Michael Birkes: Yes. COVID-19 and its variants have clearly been shown to be a formidable disease and impact on public health. If wearing a mask can limit the spread, I would support such a mandate. A mask mandate is much more preferable to a shutdown as experienced early in the pandemic.

Michael Feamster: It depends upon the data supported at the time of the specific variant. I lean to favor a libertarian approach so our citizens may choose for themselves, their families, or businesses, but certainly will collaborate with our Tulsa County Health Department and local hospital administrators to listen, learn, and respond. Public health and safety are a top priority. For instance, 2020 was a time when the City of Tulsa did not have much data, so we should be gracious in decision-making and investigation. In August 2021, there was a vote to re-implement a mask mandate, and I was not in favor of it given various data and statistics.

Matthew Fransein: I am metaphorically at a loss for words that politics have devolved at such an incredible rate that public health became a politically motivated topic. If you had told me three years ago this and some questions below would even be asked, I would have assumed it to be a joke.

I believe that mask mandates at the peaks we faced over the past 18 months were necessary, regardless of how tired I was of wearing a mask. Having lived in Japan and Cambodia, I always appreciated the normalization of medical masks when one was sick or had immune issues. It was never a political or personal statement, simply a consideration for the community.

With immunization rates increasing, unless something changes drastically, I do not foresee mandates ever becoming enforceable due to the public health sector being twisted into a political topic and are therefore not beneficial for community cohesion, unfortunately.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: Without question, I would. As a city with a significant events-based economy, lack of leadership in this conversation will cost us jobs and credibility at best, and lives at worst.

Laura Bellis: Our Fire Department needs and deserves more funding. Our firefighters deserve long-awaited raises and the department as a whole deserves adequate funds to address the long-term needs like ordering safety equipment and completing repairs expeditiously.

During the Great Recession, the Tulsa Fire Department willingly took a funding cut and firefighters took a pay cut. While funding has increased subsequently, it has never been fully restored to the level it should be, and more is needed to meet the current economic moment.

In June, reporting came out that 15 of the department’s 42 trucks lacked air conditioning, while three others had inconsistent A/C. Those conditions are unfathomable and inexcusable.

While new trucks have been ordered, it can take two years to build them and get them operational. Considering ongoing manufacturing supply chain issues, we must provide our Fire Department with adequate resources so they can proactively plan, invest, and order equipment to prevent this issue from arising year after year.

Our firefighters sacrifice for us on a daily basis, and our city must support them. Our city’s budget is a moral document, and if we value their service, we must show it with investment.

(Editor’s note: On Aug. 9, the city reported that there were two engine and ladder vehicles with inoperative or unsatisfactory air conditioning.)

Michael Birkes: Based upon identification of housing and homelessness as major challenges, Working In Neighborhoods will definitely need additional funding to address these challenges. The additional funding will be needed to acquire, renovate, and as a last resort, remove the structures. It may also be required to provide more enforcement language to their official duties.

One of my first orders of business will be to fully understand the budgets of all departments, their responsibilities, rules and mandates before identifying other city departments that should receive more funding.

Michael Feamster: Public safety and infrastructure. We could always do more for a vibrant, thriving, and sustainable Tulsa. We need to include maintenance within our budgets as we know our roads will need to be maintained, but should be analyzing life-cycle costs and not simply initial costs. For instance, concrete costs more but will last longer than asphalt.

Matthew Fransein: The Community Engagement Unit of the Tulsa Police Department.

Amongst every sector, neighborhood, and individual I’ve spoken with, they all bring up three issues: policing, homelessness, and mental/physical health.

As the first responders, this unit engages directly with individuals during the most critical times of their lives. With low visibility, they are not currently seen as a priority, but I can very much attest to the fact that they are. This unit, led by Capt. Shellie Seibert, provides specialized service for our city in the absence of others.

I would like to see an influx of private, state, and federal dollars going toward supplementing the “soft side” of policing and engaging with specialized service agencies to work alongside one another to address the unique needs of the individuals this unit and their squads come in contact with.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: The Fire Department is at every call. They show up for everything yet are consistently overlooked. We have fire trucks without air conditioning. Their recruitment levels are suffering because they don’t get the support they need to invest in future first responders. We need to make sure we are balancing a budget that covers all the required bases and the Fire Department is high on that list.

Laura Bellis: Our city has made many strides when it comes to economic development, and there is palpable energy around building a thriving, modern economy. Still, a moral imperative remains to address historic and long-standing economic and wealth inequities in our city.

The Tulsa Planning Office’s Destination Districts effort is a great start, as evidenced by the success of Kendall Whittier Main Street and the vibrant growth of Historic Greenwood Main Street, Route 66 Main Street and Tulsa Global District.

We need to scale these successes and ensure their long-term impact with more robust and intentional work grounded in the leadership of Tulsans whose communities have historically been disenfranchised. It’s important that we collaborate across sectors to invest resources as directed by those communities.

Michael Birkes: I do believe we need to have a progressive business and government environment, particularly in attracting and retaining young people. Also, I believe we need to have a very diverse population that in turn will produce a diverse economy.

I remember when Shell Oil moved their operations from Tulsa to Houston, marking the beginning of the end of Tulsa being the Oil Capital of the World.

We need to improve our development and attracting of high tech-industries. I hear that cities need to create new businesses from within, but I don’t see us doing this with great intensity. Also, I would like to get updates on how we are implementing the good practices discovered on trips to other cities, or do these also get put on the shelf and not implemented?

Michael Feamster: Streamlining the processes and procedures of permitting within the city of Tulsa to speed up its revenue stream, as well as attract and retain businesses and residents alike. Current building and IDP permitting is taking much longer than competitive cities.

We need a boost with our public educational rates and decrease homelessness in order to continue to attract and retain new businesses.

Matthew Fransein: Affordable housing and wage equity affects community members of all income levels.

When individuals are spending upward of 30% of their monthly take-home on rent or mortgages alone, there is little to no flexibility in cash spending, especially during times of heightened inflation.

Not only does this compound debt build-up, it creates cyclical poverty even for those once considered middle class. The reason so many of us “boomerang Tulsans” moved back was the promise of a lower cost of living, the opportunity to purchase a home, and to save for an ever-increasingly uncertain future.

While we can continue to incentivize large companies to relocate or open additional operations in our city, we must ensure there is adequate, available and affordable housing for current citizens and those we seek to attract. While we’re still “cheaper than D.C.,” we’re not as far behind as you’d think, and we should not even be close.

Bobby Dean Orcutt: While we see job growth in many sectors of our economy, manufacturing has not been able to keep up with those trends.

We need to invest in the innovation happening right now in our own backyard.

Industry-changing technologies like Standard Panel at Pine & Garnett could revolutionize affordable housing. We could be industry leaders and we could put people to work by focusing on growing the folks we have here, instead of just courting the companies we would like to bring.

Read the District 1 questions and answers

Read the District 2 questions and answers

Read the District 3 questions and answers