Justin Van Kirk

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Justin Van Kirk

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Other

Rhema Bible College, 2010

Personal

Birthplace

Tucson, Ariz.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Owner of a car dealership

Contact

Campaign website

Justin Van Kirk ran for election to the Tulsa City Council to represent District 7 in Oklahoma. He lost in the general runoff election on November 3, 2020.

Van Kirk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Justin Van Kirk was born in Tucson, Arizona. He graduated from Rhema Bible College in 2010. Van Kirk’s career experience includes working as the founder and owner of a car dealership. He also founded a tree service and landscape business. Van Kirk’s community service experience includes volunteering with Life.Church.

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2020)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7

Incumbent Lori Decter Wright defeated Justin Van Kirk in the general runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan)	54.9	9,096
		Justin Van Kirk (Nonpartisan)	45.1	7,483

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 16,579
= 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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General election

General election for Tulsa City Council District 7

Incumbent Lori Decter Wright and Justin Van Kirk advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chad Ferguson in the general election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on August 25, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan)	47.2	3,252
✔		Justin Van Kirk (Nonpartisan)	38.2	2,632
		Chad Ferguson (Nonpartisan)	14.6	1,009

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,893
= 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

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Justin Van Kirk completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Van Kirk's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My wife and I have started multiple businesses from scratch. Our main company Affordable Auto was started 7 years ago in the heart of our district. We have the privilege of hiring from and serving the same community I plan to represent. We love to give back, We know if it wasn't for others giving to us we would not have the life we do. We are both involved with our church, I have also been able to get involved with the "Wise Foundation" serving our burn survivor community. We are a sponsor of Dave Ramsey's financial class for local high schools. Along with campaigning for other candidates and charitable causes.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Only candidate to own and operate a business in district 7. Who hires from and serves the community.
• Strong supporter of local Police and endorsed by our Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police, Education and Financial responsibility.
• I believe in the people of our great Country and will protect and honor our God given values and constitutional freedoms.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe in a smaller government. This would mean making more business decisions and less political ones.

I believe in our police men and women. But they need to be supported and represented better, while maintaining a level of accountability.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have many people who I can look up to. But one in particular would be my father, he taught me the importance of hard work and sacrifice. My dad was self-employed as long as I can remember and that wasn't always easy. I saw firsthand the need to budget and save for hard times, along with taking advantage of opportunities when you have them.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

The ability to bring people of different backgrounds and beliefs together. We will not always all agree but we can listen to the heart of the issues and look for ways outside of the box to solve the problems.

A servant leadership mentality, being willing to get in the trenches and see how our city runs and how we can improve it.

Having a history of giving, as a public servant we are to GIVE back to the community and I think we should be living our lives that way before elected. I have been able to be involved in many different ways of giving back to our community and look forward to more opportunities in the future.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe we are to be a bridge from the people of our community to the City.
Our job is to listen and actively purse feedback from our districts then take our expertise and knowledge to present that to the city in a way we can move forward with.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of hope and sustainability.
I believe it's better to teach a man to fish then to give him a fish. My goal will be to leave an impact that lasts and continues to help others reach their own level of success.

What is your favorite book? Why?

No Excuses

By Brian Tracy

It motivates me to be the best version of myself.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Confidence
By Sanctus Real

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The City council has the authority and ability to control the local Police department in the ways of funding and policy restrictions or freedoms. Personally I think our local police force is worthy of our support and encouragement. They are putting their lives on the line daily and I will do everything in my power to confirm they are never "Defunded"

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Personally I like an outsider opinion at the table. Though some skills are needed and fellow counselors with experience have some valuable knowledge I also think that bringing in out sider business perspectives can add value.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Leadership, contracts and finances.
I believe in strong leadership that is willing to make informed decisions and act on them. We also need experience in contracts and budgeting to confirm we are maximizing the tax dollars of our neighbors.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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