Doris Mangiaracina Benbrook

Doris Mangiaracina Benbrook

Education

Bachelor's

North Central College

Graduate

Loyola University

Ph.D

Loyola University

Personal

Profession

University professor

Contact

Personal website

Doris Mangiaracina Benbrook was a candidate for Ward 4 representative on the Oklahoma City Council in Oklahoma. She was defeated in the primary election on February 14, 2017. Click here to read Mangiaracina Benbrook's response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.

Although city council elections in Oklahoma City are officially nonpartisan, Mangiaracina Benbrook is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Mangiaracina Benbrook earned a B.A. in biology and chemistry with a minor in German from North Central College and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Loyola University Medical Center.

As of her 2017 run for city council, Mangiaracina Benbrook was the director of research and endowed chair in gynecologic oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the codirector of the Gynecologic Cancers Program, and the codirector of the Center for Cancer Prevention and Drug Development at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Mangiaracina Benbrook's professional experience also includes work as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biologics: Targets & Therapy, a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, the owner of the science consulting firm Doris Benbrook, a scientific expert witness for Haynes and Boone, LLP, and a consultant for Procter & Gamble. She has held postdoctoral positions with the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.

Mangiaracina Benbrook has served as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, a Sunday School teacher, and a block director for her neighborhood association. Her daughter, Marina Mangiaracina, was also a candidate for Oklahoma City Council in 2017, running against Councilman John Pettis Jr. in Ward 7.

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2017)

The city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, held a primary election for city council on February 14, 2017. A general election was scheduled for April 4, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was December 7, 2016.

Four of the eight city council seats were up for election in the February primary—in Wards 1, 3, 4, and 7. Incumbents ran for re-election in every ward except for Ward 4. Ward 4 incumbent Pete White announced his intention to retire from the council in November 2016.

Richard Morrissette and Todd Stone defeated Doris Mangiaracina Benbrook and Walter Kula in the primary election for the Ward 4 seat on the Oklahoma City Council.

Oklahoma City Council, Ward 4 Primary Election, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Richard Morrissette	48.04%	856
Todd Stone	33.28%	593
Doris Mangiaracina Benbrook	9.54%	170
Walter Kula	9.15%	163
Total Votes		1,782
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results," accessed March 4, 2017

Campaign themes

2017

See also: Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey

Mangiaracina Benbrook participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

“

Bringing new businesses to, and expanding existing businesses in, Oklahoma City, with a special focus on businesses that would increase employment and access to fresh fruits and vegetables in rural areas of Ward 4.

”

When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

“

I would like to improve the quality of life of the poorest residents in Oklahoma City by giving them the same educational, employment, healthcare, shopping, housing, transportation and recreational opportunities as those in the highest socioeconomic sector of the city.

”

When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:

“

The MAPS-funded city development projects that have improved our economy, public school buildings and recreational opportunities.

”

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	K-12 education
2	Unemployment
3	Crime reduction/prevention
4	Civil rights
5	Homelessness
6	Transportation
7	Environment
8	City services (trash, utilities, etc.)
9	Housing
10	Recreational opportunities
11	Government transparency
12	Public pensions/retirement funds

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:

Question	Response
Is it important for the city’s budget to be balanced?	Very important
Which level of government do you feel should set a minimum wage?	Local
What do you think is the best way to improve a city’s public safety?	Increased economic opportunities
How do you think your city should emphasize economic development?	Recruiting new businesses to your city

The candidate was asked to answer three questions from Ballotpedia regarding specific issues facing Oklahoma City in 2017. This section displays the questions and the candidate's responses.

Q1: Sales tax revenue in Oklahoma City has declined recently. How, if at all, do you think the city should respond to the decline in revenue?

“

Assure that online sales tax revenue from Oklahoma City residents is distributed to the city government. Develop strategies to increase the number of commercial businesses within Oklahoma City limits and to attract residents in the surrounding suburbs to shop in Oklahoma City. Develop residential areas which will successfully compete with the surrounding suburbs for people looking to purchase homes. Diversify the revenue income stream of Oklahoma City government. Carefully consider budget cuts in non-vital components of the city government.

”

Q2: A general obligation bond package will go before Oklahoma City voters in September 2017. Which projects, if any, do you think should be included in the bond package?

“

Expansion of the Embark Bus System. Infrastructure needs that have public safety or health concerns. The most critical needs of the poorest neighborhoods.

”

Q3: Would you favor increasing the property tax rate to fund more bond projects?

Yes

Additional themes

Mangiaracina Benbrook's 2017 campaign website listed the following campaign issues:

“

Police Accessibility A: As a homeowner in a rural area of District 4, I have experienced long wait times for police responses to emergencies. Fresh and Healthy Food Options A: Living in District 4, I personally experience the insufficient availability of grocery stores providing fresh fruits and vegetables. Road and Traffic Safety A: I have been an active member of my neighborhood association. I worked with Councilman Pete White to improve traffic safety in our neighborhood by having a broken-yellow line replaced with a double-yellow line on a dangerous section of road. This area also had a street light that had been broken for many years, and I with a few phone calls, I was able to get it repaired. Immigrant Rights A: District 4 includes a large Hispanic neighborhood that has unique issues. When my daughter graduated from Classen School of Advanced Studies, I discovered that one of her friends could not go to college or event get a job because he had grown up in our city as an illegal alien. I helped him and his family financially because I recognized the leadership skills in this young man, and there were no legal options for him to function as a productive citizen. Once legislation was passed that allowed him to obtain a social security number, he was able to go to college and get a job, and he helped others in his community to overcome their fears of the government and obtain social security numbers. Education A: I agree with the OKC Council priorities with a special emphasis on stimulating the economy and improving our poor record on education. I appreciate that significant work that the Council has accomplished with building and supporting city infrastructure, much of which I have utilized and enjoyed. But in my experiences as a Boy Scout and Girl Scout Leader, Sunday school teacher, and mother of children attending OKC public schools, I witnessed the suffering of families living in poverty and the underfunding of our schools. Health A: I have experienced being shuffled around hospitals with critically ill loved ones because there are insufficient numbers of hospital beds available. As my husband suffered and died from multiple medical issues, I experienced the frustration of not being able to access the medical care needed to help him. As a member of the OKC Council, I would utilize my professional skills in working with the other council members to leverage the strengths of our city and to work on strategies to overcome the weaknesses in our city that I have experienced first-hand.

”

Mangiaracina Benbrook has also called for an increase in economic development in the city, to help provide revenue for city funding. "We need to bring more taxable businesses within the city limits," she told the Oklahoma Gazette in February 2017. "Most of the people who work at the health sciences center live in Edmond or Moore. They spend all their money in the suburbs rather than the city. If we had convenient grocery stores around areas of high employment, people could stop and shop."

See also

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Municipal government	Other local coverage

Endorsements

2017

Mangiaracina Benbrook received endorsements from the following in 2017:

• Ward 7 candidate Marina Mangiaracina

External links

Suggest a link

• Oklahoma City Council
• Campaign website
• Social media
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter