Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma municipal elections, 2015
2016 →
← 2014
|
 |
2015 Elections By Date Recent News |
Arlington • Aurora • Boise Boston • Buffalo Charlotte • Chicago Cleveland • Colorado Springs • Columbus • Dallas • Denver Durham • El Paso Ferguson • Fort Wayne Fort Worth • Garland • Greensboro Henderson • Hialeah Houston • Indianapolis Irving • Jacksonville Kansas City • Laredo • Las Vegas • Lincoln • Los Angeles • Long Beach • Louisville • Madison Memphis • Miami Milwaukee • Nashville North Las Vegas Oklahoma City • Orlando Philadelphia • Phoenix Pittsburgh • Plano • Raleigh Riverside • Sacramento San Antonio San Francisco San Jose • Seattle St. Louis • St. Paul St. Petersburg • Tampa Toledo • Tucson Washington, D.C. Wichita |
| Note: Cities listed in this box are those among the 100 largest in the United States that held elections in 2015. |
The city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, held nonpartisan elections for city council on March 3, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 30, 2015. Four of the eight city council seats were up for election: Wards 2, 5, 6 and 8.
Incumbents ran for re-election in every ward except for Ward 8. Three-term Ward 8 incumbent Patrick J. Ryan announced his intentions to retire from the council in January 2014. In Ward 5, incumbent David Greenwell was unopposed.[1]
Some of the major points of contention that shaped Oklahoma City's 2015 election cycle concerned the side effects of downtown development and expansion. Voters and candidates alike debated several closely-related issues ranging from downtown traffic and walkability to gentrification, property values, city resource allocation and housing costs. You can read more about downtown development in Oklahoma City and its impact on city politics below.
City council
Candidate list
Ward 2
- March 3 election candidates:
- Ed Shadid
- Incumbent Shadid was elected to the council in 2011. - James Cooper
- Major Jemison
- John Riley
- Ed Shadid
Ward 5
- March 3 election candidates:
- David Greenwell - Incumbent Greenwell was elected to the council in 2011.
- David Greenwell
Ward 6
- March 3 election candidates:
- Meg Salyer - Incumbent Salyer was elected to the council in 2008.
- Bob Waldrop
- Dario Alvarado
- Meg Salyer
Ward 8
Note: Incumbent Patrick J. Ryan did not run for re-election.[2]
- March 3 election candidates:
Election results
| Oklahoma City City Council, Ward 2, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Ed Shadid Incumbent |
59.1% | 2,547 | |
| Major Jemison | 20.3% | 873 | |
| James Cooper | 15.8% | 680 | |
| John Riley | 4.9% | 209 | |
| Total Votes | 4,309 | ||
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official general election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Oklahoma City City Council, Ward 6, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Meg Salyer Incumbent |
53.7% | 675 | |
| Bob Waldrop | 39.6% | 497 | |
| Dario Alvarado | 6.7% | 84 | |
| Total Votes | 1,256 | ||
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official general election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
| Oklahoma City City Council, Ward 8, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Mark Stonecipher |
60.1% | 1,756 | |
| Steve Curry | 35.2% | 1,028 | |
| John Ederer | 4.7% | 138 | |
| Total Votes | 2,922 | ||
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official general election results," accessed May 29, 2015 | |||
Issues
Downtown development
Downtown Oklahoma City began experiencing considerable expansion and growth in the late 1990s, a trend symbolized by the construction of the Devon Energy Tower between 2009 and 2013 (see image above).[3][4] Expansion and growth continued into the 2010s, and in 2014 and early 2015 the city laid the groundwork for several future projects such as high-rise condos, urban parks and green spaces, expansions and renovations of already-existing structures, a possible streetcar project and the demolition of historic buildings.[5][6]
Downtown development was not without controversy, however. Many Oklahoma City residents expressed concerns over downtown traffic and walkability as well as gentrification, property values, housing costs and, perhaps most critical, the allocation of city resources.[6][7] Several 2015 city council candidates — especially from Ward 6, where much of downtown Oklahoma City is located — echoed these concerns. Ward 6 candidate Bob Waldrop, for example, stated:
| “ | Just a mile from where those [condos] are going to be built, I have been knocking doors in neighborhoods that, by United States standards, are in extreme poverty. Where is the justice in subsidizing high-end condos for wealthy people when poor people, who pay a higher percentage of their incomes in taxes, are in bigger need?[8] | ” |
Similarly, Dario Alvarado, also a candidate for Ward 6, said:
| “ | There’s been a lot of development in Ward 6, but I feel it has been just focused on certain areas. You can’t just target certain areas. You also have neighborhoods down south of the river, like Capitol Hill, where you have some projects that have been started but they haven’t been finished.[8] | ” |
Conversely, Ward 6 incumbent Meg Salyer was generally supportive of development projects, saying,
| “ | There is stuff happening all over the city, but Ward 6 happens to be the epicenter of public and private development that is going on right now [...] I feel a huge responsibility to deliver the projects we promised. I feel like I am prepared to do that, I have the institutional knowledge to do it.[8] | ” |
Candidates and incumbents outside of Ward 6 also weighed in on issues connected to downtown development. Ward 8 incumbent Mark Stonecipher, for instance, stressed the importance of neighborhood vitality and improvements alongside downtown growth and expansion. Quoting an interview in the Daily Oklahoman, he said:[9]
| “ | 'if your neighborhoods are not complementing your downtown you have nothing.' The city must stay united and continue to improve our neighborhoods.[8] | ” |
Ward 2 incumbent Ed Shadid, on the other hand, focused on the issue of preserving historic buildings. On January 31, 2015, he filed an appeal against the demolition of the city's historic Union Bus Station. The Downtown Design Review Committee approved the demolition of the bus station on January 15, 2015, in order to make space for the construction of two parking garages and a new 27-story office building complex. Shadid had initially requested that the city council overturn the Review Committee's decision, but the council voted 7-2 in favor of demolition.[10]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Oklahoma City Oklahoma Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- City of Oklahoma City - City of Oklahoma City Elections
- City of Oklahoma City - Official 2015 Candidate List
- Oklahoma State Election Board - Official general election results
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Oklahoma City, "City of Oklahoma City Elections," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ News OK, "Oklahoma City Councilman Pat Ryan will not seek re-election," January 8, 2014
- ↑ Devon Energy Tower, "About," accessed February 13, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oklahoma Gazette, "City Council elections: Salyer draws two challengers in downtown ward," February 11, 2015
- ↑ KOCO, "Committee votes to make way for new high-rise in downtown OKC," January 15, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 News OK, "Oklahoma City is getting ready for downtown growth," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Oklahoma Gazette, "Downtown’s paradox: How growth, change impacts walkability, travel," February 11, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ News OK, "Q&A: Oklahoma City Council Ward 8 candidate Mark Stonecipher," November 15, 2014
- ↑ News OK, "Oklahoma City councilman appeals downtown bus station demolition," January 31, 2015
 |
State of Oklahoma Oklahoma City (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
