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John Pettis Jr.
John Pettis Jr. was a member of the Oklahoma City Council, representing Ward 7. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on May 17, 2018.
Pettis ran for election to the Oklahoma City Council to represent Ward 7. He lost in the general runoff election on April 1, 2025.
Pettis was the Ward 7 representative on the Oklahoma City Council in Oklahoma from 2013 to 2018.
First elected in 2013, he won a new term in the primary election on February 14, 2017.[1]
On May 11, 2018, Pettis was charged with three counts of felony embezzlement and one count of intentionally failing to file tax returns. Prosecutors alleged Pettis stole more than $175,000 from charitable organizations he started or controlled and used those funds for personal reasons.[2] Pettis pleaded not guilty in court on May 15, 2018, and resigned effective May 31, 2018.[3][4]
Biography
As of his 2017 bid for re-election, Pettis was a workforce development consultant for PHA Consulting, Inc. His professional experience also includes work with the national service organization AmeriCorps.[5]
Pettis has led a national coalition to promote equal employment opportunity regulations for federal employees. He has also served as chair of the Central Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board Youth Council and a board member for the Boy Scouts of America's Last Frontier Council, the Faith, Hope & Love Baptist Church, and the cancer prevention and treatment organization the Rhonda K. Hutson Foundation.[5][6]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (2025)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Oklahoma City Council Ward 7
Camal Pennington defeated John Pettis Jr. in the general runoff election for Oklahoma City Council Ward 7 on April 1, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Camal Pennington (Nonpartisan) | 64.5 | 2,798 | |
 | John Pettis Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 35.5 | 1,543 | |
| Total votes: 4,341 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Oklahoma City Council Ward 7
Camal Pennington and John Pettis Jr. advanced to a runoff. They defeated Masood A. Haqq and Andrea Holman in the general election for Oklahoma City Council Ward 7 on February 11, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Camal Pennington (Nonpartisan) | 45.5 | 2,311 | |
| ✔ | | John Pettis Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 30.2 | 1,536 |
 | Masood A. Haqq (Nonpartisan) | 14.8 | 754 | |
| Andrea Holman (Nonpartisan) | 9.4 | 479 | ||
| Total votes: 5,080 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Pettis received the following endorsements.
2018
General election
General election for Oklahoma County Commission District 1
Carrie Blumert defeated Brad Reeves in the general election for Oklahoma County Commission District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Carrie Blumert (D) | 64.2 | 45,431 | |
| Brad Reeves (R) | 35.8 | 25,348 | ||
| Total votes: 70,779 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for Oklahoma County Commission District 1
Carrie Blumert defeated Al McAffrey in the Democratic primary runoff for Oklahoma County Commission District 1 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Carrie Blumert | 63.7 | 9,049 | |
 | Al McAffrey | 36.3 | 5,146 | |
| Total votes: 14,195 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Oklahoma County Commission District 1
Carrie Blumert and Al McAffrey advanced to a runoff. They defeated John Pettis Jr. and Ben Janloo in the Democratic primary for Oklahoma County Commission District 1 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Carrie Blumert | 45.8 | 14,598 | |
| ✔ | | Al McAffrey | 27.4 | 8,752 |
| John Pettis Jr. | 19.6 | 6,240 | |
| Ben Janloo | 7.3 | 2,314 | ||
| Total votes: 31,904 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oklahoma County Commission District 1
Brad Reeves defeated Chad Albee in the Republican primary for Oklahoma County Commission District 1 on June 26, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brad Reeves | 72.6 | 11,303 | |
| Chad Albee | 27.4 | 4,268 | ||
| Total votes: 15,571 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Pettis Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
The Oklahoma Gazette reported in January 2017 that, if re-elected, Pettis "would continue to work on building the trust between police and the community as well as other efforts he began over the last three and a half years. Pettis championed the development of a tax increment finance (TIF) district to support the Northeast Renaissance Urban Renewal Plan, which was passed by the council in 2014. The plan is designed to benefit the blighted NE 23rd Street corridor between Interstate 235 and the Oklahoma River as well as spur development along and near NE 36th Street."[7]
Pettis also advocated for the city's general obligation bond program. "We have community centers that are dilapidated where you can only use one third of the building," he told the Gazette. "We have streets that need repairs and haven’t seen repairs for decades. We have a lot of work that must be done."[7]
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Oklahoma City Council, "Biography," accessed August 13, 2014
- ↑ KFOR, "Oklahoma City Councilman John Pettis charged with embezzlement, stealing money from charities he started," May 11, 2018
- ↑ News OK, "Charged OKC councilman surrenders Tuesday, makes first court appearance in embezzlement case," May 16, 2018
- ↑ OKC.gov, "Council appoints Cooper as interim Ward 7 representative; election is Aug. 28," June 5, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 John Pettis Jr. "Home," accessed January 6, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Councilman John Pettis for Ward 7," accessed January 6, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Oklahoma Gazette, "Two Candidates an an Incumbent Run for the Ward 7 Seat on the Oklahoma City Council," January 26, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Oklahoma City City Council, Ward 7 2013–2018 |
Succeeded by Lee E. Cooper Jr. |
| |||||||||
