Municipal actions and municipal policies can change the way Oklahoma brands itself and how Oklahoma can go from being one of the least-desirable states to being a leader in shaping our foreign policy and shaping our domestic policy, Dunn said. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Heikkila received more than 53% of votes, with . The Norman Transcript recently published analysis of Norman campaign finance reports through Jan. 28. We believe The Prior to his election as mayor, he served as the Chairman of the Excise Board and Equalization Board, Vice-Chair of the Tax Roll Correction Board and as a Member of the Industrial Authority for Cleveland County. Norman voters will also vote inNorman City Councilraces on Feb. 12. One group, Unite Norman, attempted to recall Clark later that year, falling short of the required number of signatures required to trigger a recall election. The conservative candidatehas been criticized for being in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, for a rally led by former President Donald Trump, although Kish says she was nowhere near the U.S. Capitol when a pro-Trump mob stormed the building. I know theres a candidate (Bob Thompson) trying to say that we shouldnt be red or we shouldnt be blue, and I absolutely agree, Clark said. In an interview, Hickman talked about restoring public trust in the City of Norman. 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During her tenure as mayor, the Norman City Council allocated CARES Act funding, Norman remains the largest city in Oklahoma without a dedicated stormwater utility. Larry Heikkila was elected as the 61st mayor of Norman in 2022. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the runoff election will take place Tuesday, April 5. Im voting no on all of them because we have bypassed, I think, the opportunity to turn the funding source for the implementation of those programs to be derived from resident investments. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2008, she started working for the . After nearly deciding she would surrender the mayorship after a single . Affordable housing and homelessness solutions would be prioritized with further federal aid dollars if she is elected to a second term, Clark said. AlthoughHeikkila saidthe council shouldn't be sofocused on issues related to homelessness, he said the city should work with the state to get mental health treatment for those who need it and try to entice moreproperty owners to offer government-subsidizedaffordable housing. I dont make partisan decisions, because partisan politics dont fill potholes. An example is our animal welfare shelter, Clark said. If elected, Stephenson-Leuck plans to ask the tribe to build a new, state-of-the-art homeless shelter. She is also a proud graduate of the 2018-19 OU Leadership Council class. What Is Breea Clark's Political Party? [2] General Results [ edit] Whoever is at the helm of the ship doesnt need a learning curve, she said last month. Breea Clark is originally from Wichita, Kansas, where she graduated with her B.A. Sworn In: 07/05/22 Ill really start digging into the budget, Ruggiers said. The number of citizens who supported Clark's ouster was 153-percent greater than the number of citizens who voted to elect Clark mayor in 2019. Its very clear that everyone wants to keep moving in a positive direction.. Cheat sheet: Norman mayoral race a clash over city's direction - NonDoc I give this to God.. Breea serves as the Mayor of Norman, the 3rd largest city in the state of Oklahoma. Keep it Clean. Law School:University of Oklahoma College of Law, J.D., 2008. The married mother of two boys has been praised and vilified for signing Norman's emergency stay-at-home order earlier than most cities and waiting later than other cities to ease restrictions. Both Kish and Heikkila have said they want to increase the number of police officers and boost pay across public safety departments. Citing a study the council commissioned to better address homelessness and identify gaps in prevention programs, Thompson said he wants to follow through on those recommendations. I want to thank every candidate, she said. Liberal Oklahoma Mayor Faces Recall - Rabid Republican Blog Here's how they could affect voters in future elections. Long-term maintenance and staffing of such facilities could pose an obstacle for the city, Clark said. Grant, who works at Oscillator Press in Norman and serves on several municipal committees, ran on a platform of bridging the divide between Normans urban core and its outlying areas. He serves at the Cleveland County Detention Center and at Mission Norman as a Chaplain endorsed by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. (NonDoc) Support Journalism In the culmination of two years worth of debate over city leadership, Larry. Norman remains the largest city in Oklahoma without a dedicated stormwater utility. . One of the silver linings of the pandemic is people really did start paying attention to local government more, and regardless of what side you're on, I don't think that's a bad thing, Clark said. He also voiced support for no-tax transportation bonds that would allow Norman to build a new traffic management center. Dunn acknowledged that selling war bonds might not generate the revenue of stormwater utility bonds, but called it a first step in finding some financing. Previous experiences with similar projects and collaboration at the county level could help alleviate those issues. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. A proposition that would have raised the base fee charged to Norman residents who use city water services failed Tuesday, capturing just 45.75 percent of the vote. Were not your typical city that just has an urban feel to it if you look at our map, it goes way past Lake Thunderbird, Clark said. Affordable housing has always been the missing piece in Norman, and something that Norman has kind of always struggled with.. Dunn advocated for a Ward-by-Ward, door-by-door approach to inform people of oils value. Liberal Oklahoma Mayor Faces Recall Posted August 16th, 2020 by Iron Mike Unite Norman just turned in 20,560 signaturesin their attempt to force a recall election of their new mayor - Breea Clark. 32. There arent just parts of Norman, little pockets, having this issue. Ruggiers picked up 64.17 percent of the vote, compared to Snells 35.83. NORMAN Although the four mayoral candidates challenging Norman Mayor Breea Clark span the political spectrum, they all agree public safety fundingwould be theirtop budget priority upon taking office. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. On campus, she has served on the Universitys Legal Panel, Speakers Bureau and as an interim Pre-Law Club Advisor. He said that the failure of city government to deliver on the Norman FORWARD project, including the construction of a new senior center, had eroded public trust. Analysis Efforts in Norman, Oklahoma, to recall Mayor Breea Clark and councilmembers Kate Bierman, Alison Petrone, Sereta Wilson, and Stephen Holmam were initiated in July 2020. Heikkila and Leuck did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Her campaign for a second term, she said, is focused less on restating commitments made in her first three years and more on goals she will pursue, if reelected. Larry Heikkila unseats incumbent Breea Clark, wins first term as Norman There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. I dont make partisan decisions, because partisan politics dont fill potholes. He credited "a grassroots campaign" who wanted a change. He retired as the Command Master Chief, 9th Naval Construction Regiment. Heikkila is a 26-year Navy veteran. He moved to Norman in 1978 and was a longtime City of Norman employee who now sits on several Cleveland County citizen boards. Asked his priority now that he is elected, Ruggiers said he wants to ensure families trust the district. Experience: Before her election. Her mayoral tenure became defined largely by the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide policing debate. She addressed her relationship with the university in an interview with NonDoc. In 2022 he was named one of Cleveland Countys Men of Influence. Personal keyboard_arrow_down. I think we could have a ward-specific citizen commission, and experts in stormwater infrastructure and water quality combine again and make a proposal.. Hickmans campaign has received$48,670 in contributions, Clark has received$18,781, and Dunn did not raise enough to meet the minimum reporting requirement. Breea Clark, the current Norman Ward 6 council member, works as the director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Program at the University of Oklahoma's Michael F. Price College of Business. I love Norman, Hickman said. recognition from the Oklahoma State Medical Association, ties to Unite Norman were elected to the council, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Ruggiers is a former Norman Public Schools teacher, and he said his election shows that the community wanted to give teachers a voice. He won over incumbent Mayor Breea Clark. or anything. We need someone who can bring us together moving forward.. Floyds death led to efforts across the country to reduce police funding, but calls to defund the policy also gave birth to a movement among people who opposed the idea. The mayoral race came down to incumbent Mayor Breea Clark and challenger Larry Heikkila. Mayor Breea Clark will face Larry Heikkila in a runoff after neither candidate captured a majority of the vote Tuesday, preliminary election results indicated. In the Norman community, she served on the Norman City Council from 2016-2019 representing Ward 6 in NE Norman and currently serves as its first Millennial Mayor. (They asked), Why would you want the progress youve made to be undone, Clark said. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. He is a member of the Norman Chamber of Commerce. Clark and Hickman feel the same about many Norman issues and both have city council member experience. The Voter's Self Defense System - Vote Smart On campus, she has served on the Universitys Legal Panel, Speakers Bureau, and the Committee on Discrimination and Harassment. "We were the first todeclare a state of emergency," she said. Reach her atmwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420. Votes cast totaled 24,345 with 12,999 for Heikkila and 11,346 for Clark. Thompson, who has owned and operated the Norman eatery Midway Deli for 36 years, is mounting an intraparty challenge against Clark. SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. in Political Science from Wichita State University in 2005. Im really excited about the win tonight, Ruggiers said. She swore, if elected,not toimpose a maskmandateorimplement business lockdowns due to the pandemic. After that, I am not at all opposed to these bond sales as an alternative or adjunct approach. Clark became Normans 60th mayor in 2019 after serving three years on the City Council. As the current Director of the JCPenney Leadership Center, she advises the JCPenney Leadership Program and teaches leadership courses and Passport to Success workshops. Clark received 4.45% more of the votes than Heikkila in the primary. This is hard.. She called local business closures at the start of the pandemic"devastating" forher practice. But, we are the county seat and it doesnt need to just be Normans problem, because its a countywide problem, its a nationwide problem. She cited Norman's low unemployment rate and record sales tax revenue as signsthe city's economy is strong. Thompson said he jumped into the mayoral race because he figured the only way to stop the political divisiveness inNorman was a change in leadership. Breea Diane Clark from Norman, Oklahoma | VoterRecords.com She represented her city in the 4th class of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership initiative and is currently a fellow in the VV Engage Global Fellowship with Vital Voices. Three years ago, the police union endorsed Clark, but the group rescinded its endorsement after the 2020 vote on the police budget that led the Norman Police Department to eliminate nine unfilled officer positions. In a news release, she called the visit a "field trip" to watch democracy in action, spurred by reports of election integrity issues in the 2020 presidential election. Previously, Blake has served as an intern reporter, senior news reporter, summer news editor and news managing editor. Clark graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wichita State University in 2005 and then received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2008. In that race, 13,068 total votes were cast. Helen Grant won the Norman City Council Ward 4 seat Tuesday, defeating opponent Gale Hobson. Norman, OK 73019-4004. Each petition failed to gather enough signatures or was invalidated by duplicate signatures. Norman mayor Breea Clark unseated in election by newcomer Larry - KOKH