Lori Decter Wright
Lori Decter Wright is a member of the Tulsa City Council in Oklahoma, representing District 7. She assumed office in 2018. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.
Wright ran for re-election to the Tulsa City Council to represent District 7 in Oklahoma. She won in the general runoff election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Lori Decter Wright was born in San Francisco, California. She earned a high school diploma from Lick-Wilmerding High School, a bachelor's degree from San Jose State University in 1998, and a graduate degree from San Jose State University in 2001.[1] Wright moved to Tulsa in 2008. As of 2024, she is the General Director & C.E.O. for Tulsa Opera, Inc. Prior to that, was the executive director of Kendall Whittier Incorporated (KWI), a nonprofit organization. Before that, she was the director of education and membership for Sweet Adelines International, a nonprofit association for women founded in Tulsa in 1948. Before moving to Tulsa, Wright ran her own business as a professional opera singer and voice teacher.[2][3]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2024)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7
Incumbent Lori Decter Wright defeated Eddie Huff in the general runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan) | 52.9 | 7,757 |
 | Eddie Huff (Nonpartisan) | 47.1 | 6,920 | |
| Total votes: 14,677 | |||
 = 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 Eddie Huff advanced to a runoff. They defeated Margie Alfonso in the general election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on August 27, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan) | 48.6 | 2,534 |
| ✔ | | Eddie Huff (Nonpartisan) | 43.7 | 2,277 |
 | Margie Alfonso (Nonpartisan) | 7.7 | 403 | |
| Total votes: 5,214 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wright in this election.
2022
See also: City elections in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2022)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7
Incumbent Lori Decter Wright defeated Ken Reddick in the general runoff election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan) | 57.4 | 6,415 |
 | Ken Reddick (Nonpartisan) | 42.6 | 4,764 | |
| Total votes: 11,179 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
General election
General election for Tulsa City Council District 7
Incumbent Lori Decter Wright and Ken Reddick advanced to a runoff. They defeated Jerry Griffin in the general election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan) | 49.8 | 1,840 |
| ✔ | | Ken Reddick (Nonpartisan) | 26.3 | 972 |
| Jerry Griffin (Nonpartisan) | 23.9 | 884 | ||
| Total votes: 3,696 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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 | |
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
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 | |
| 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. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Decter Wright's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.
2018
General election
Special general election for Tulsa City Council District 7
The following candidates ran in the special general election for Tulsa City Council District 7 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lori Decter Wright (Nonpartisan) | 27.4 | 3,245 |
| Michael Patton (Nonpartisan) | 23.0 | 2,719 | ||
| Ken Reddick (Nonpartisan) | 16.4 | 1,936 | |
| Brandon McCombs (Nonpartisan) | 11.1 | 1,312 | ||
| Ellouise Cochrane (Nonpartisan) | 9.9 | 1,166 | ||
| Eric Turley (Nonpartisan) | 6.8 | 802 | ||
| Elliott Parker (Nonpartisan) | 5.5 | 650 | ||
| Total votes: 11,830 (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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Oklahoma House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 28, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was April 15, 2016. Incumbent Pam Peterson (R) did not seek re-election.
Scott McEachin defeated Lori Decter Wright and Zac Davis in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 general election.[4]
| Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Scott McEachin |
69.37% | 13,951 | |
| Democratic | Lori Decter Wright | 26.22% | 5,274 | |
| Libertarian | Zac Davis | 4.41% | 887 | |
| Total Votes | 20,112 | |||
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board | ||||
Lori Decter Wright ran unopposed in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Democratic primary.[5][6]
| Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Lori Decter Wright (unopposed) | |
Scott McEachin and Tom McCloud defeated John T. Croisant in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Republican primary.[5][6]
| Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott McEachin |
40.49% | 2,385 | |
| Republican | Tom McCloud |
34.87% | 2,054 | |
| Republican | John T. Croisant | 24.63% | 1,451 | |
| Total Votes | 5,890 | |||
Scott McEachin defeated Tom McCloud in the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 67 Republican primary runoff.[7]
| Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 67 Republican Primary Runoff, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Scott McEachin |
56.44% | 1,928 | |
| Republican | Tom McCloud | 43.56% | 1,488 | |
| Total Votes | 3,416 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lori Decter Wright did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Lori Decter Wright completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wright's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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First elected to represent District 7 in November 2018 and re-elected in 2020, Councilor Decter Wright has established herself as a successful leader who actively listens, creates coalitions, builds consensus and takes action. In 2022, she was named Chair of the City Council by unanimous vote of her Council colleagues. Councilor Decter Wright also currently chairs the Tulsa City Council's Budget and Special Projects Meetings, as well as the Local Development Act Review Committee for the newly established TIF District for Woodland Hills Mall and serves on the Council's Tribal Nations Relations Committee, the Mayor's Small Budget Working Group, Mayor's Federal Infrastructure Task Force, and the Residential Habitability Working Group. She also represents the City of Tulsa on the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust and the Vision Arts Grant Review Committee.
Lori serves as the Executive Director of Kendall Whittier Incorporated (KWI), a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 1968 that is focused on food insecurity in Tulsa's Kendall Whittier, The Pearl, and Crutchfield neighborhoods. She lives in Shadow Ridge Neighborhood, is president of the HOA.- Reducing crime and investing in public safety
- Updating infrastructure including roads and bridges
- Innovating and growing opportunities for business development
This has been at the center of my work in Tulsa long before I arrived at City Hall in December of 2018.
And it certainly informs my approach to collaborative leadership, bold advocacy and smart policy making as your City Councilor for Southeast Tulsa’s District 7.
As a proven leader, I will continue to work on your behalf to:
▪️improve public safety and neighborhood conditions;
▪️update infrastructure;
▪️revitalize our commercial corridors;
▪️invest in entrepreneurs, support small businesses and attract employers offering high quality jobs;
▪️increase availability of affordable housing while also reducing evictions, addressing homelessness, and increasing opportunities for home ownership;
▪️deliver excellent constituent services and communications, not only to keep you informed but to also listen to your ideas and concerns;
▪️responsibly steward our city’s resources;
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.
2020
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released October 3, 2020 |
Lori Decter Wright completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wright's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Bold Leadership
- Collaborative Partnership
- Ethical Stewardship
Building trust, increasing accessibility, accountability, and transparency in our local government have been and continue to be my top priorities.
Now, more than ever, we need calm, pragmatic, experienced leaders who will work together to build consensus and cooperatively create a Tulsa that is unified, equitable, and prosperous for all. This leadership style has been at the center of my work in Tulsa long before I arrived at City Hall. It informs my approach to collaborative leadership, bold advocacy and smart policy making as a City Councilor.
In the state of Oklahoma, municipalities are unique in the entire country in that we require those services to be funded primarily by sales and use taxes along with some fees. That requires extra diligence on the part of the Mayor, City Council and City of Tulsa staff to steward And conserve those resources since they are not the most stable sources of revenue and can fluctuate greatly.
The City Council is responsible for budgetary oversight and to ensure the voice of the citizens is heard and reflected in our budget priorities and municipal policies. We approve zoning applications, write or amend ordinances, and assume responsibility to protect the health, welfare, and safety of our citizens.
Tulsa invests the majority of city dollars on public safety and as City Councilors we must protect those funds to keep dispatchers answering calls to 911, ambulances rushing to folks in need, and firefighters and police fully funded to support their personnel and equipment needs. We also need safe roads and bridges, clean water, reliable trash service, well-maintained parks, public transportation and all of the many municipal services provided to citizens by the City of Tulsa.
I was 14 and a camp counselor to at-risk middle school students attending an academic enrichment program called Aim High. I mentored them in music and dance classes.
Aim High was hosted at the elite private college preparatory high school that I had received a scholarship to attend and this was my first opportunity to engage with schoolmates as an alumnus of our middle school in this new setting.
As one of nine City Councilors, I think it is important voters understand that no one Councilor has so much influence or say as to "get this or that done" without working with the other eight Councilors and Mayor. Many candidates seeking a City Council seat don't seem to truly understand this either. As legislators for the City we must collaborate and build consensus, compromise and find common ground for the good of all Tulsans not just those we represent in our own districts. Finally, I think many Tulsans would be surprised to know that this "part-time" City Council work is actually more of a full-time, 24/7 job if the Councilor truly is going to be responsive to citizens' needs, active in the community, and also be fully prepared for every meeting, decision, and vote.
More so, I think it's absolutely crucial for a City Councilor to have a great amount of experience in the community they represent as well as in the City, as a whole. Possessing a solid business acumen, people skills, and a record of service to others is also essential.
The most successful city councilors actively listen, are accessible in their community, and unite folks together around common goals. They know how to skillfully connect, collaborate and communicate with constituents, community stakeholders, fellow councilors, the Mayor's Office and city staff.Most of all, a truly excellent city councilor needs the heart of a servant, empathy for the people they represent, compassion for different viewpoints on the issues, the ability to remain flexible and responsive to ever changing needs and full understanding of the consequences of every action taken while serving on the council.
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Tulsa City Council District 7 |
Officeholder Tulsa City Council District 7 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2022
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 3, 2020
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Lori Decter Wright," June 20, 2024
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Federal, State, Legislative and Judicial Races General Election — November 8, 2016," accessed November 28, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "2016 Candidate List Book (Official List of Candidates)," accessed April 18, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results - Primary Election," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, “Official results for runoff primary races — August 23, 2016,” accessed May 2, 2017
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| Preceded by - |
Tulsa City Council District 7 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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