(Kyle Phillips / The Transcript). He credited "a grassroots campaign" who wanted a change. Experience: Before her election. recognition from the Oklahoma State Medical Association, ties to Unite Norman were elected to the council, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. As mayor, Dunn said his first priority would be for people to understand the need to conserve oil and fossil fuels in society. Newcomer Alex Ruggiers defeated longtime incumbent Dan Snell in the race for Norman Public Schools Board of Education Office No. received 42.62 percent and 39.68 percent yes votes, 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. 2. You have permission to edit this article. She addressed her relationship with the university in an interview with NonDoc. online throughout the pandemic. In that race, 13,068 total votes were cast. 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. Together they owned a small glass business on Main Street for four years. Breea Clark, the incumbent, had been mayor since 2019. on the 2021 Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index a measure of how supportive municipal governments are of their 2SLGBTQ+ residents as a notable accomplishment of her term. Clark said the election was not about her nor was it about her opponent it was about improving Norman. "If you have a city that has good public safety, there isn't a homeless issue, the crime isn't going up, your city is going to prosper," she said. On campus, she has served on the Universitys Legal Panel, Speakers Bureau, and the Committee on Discrimination and Harassment. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. No education information on file. I dont think people know a single barrel of oil contains 25,000 hours of human muscle power, Dunn said. Citizen efforts to force a recall election of Norman Mayor Breea Clark have fallen short, yet the recall effort also showed broad public displeasure with Clark's performance. Full Name: Breea Clark. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Heikkila received more than 53% of votes, with . Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Bill Hickman, the current Norman Ward 4 council member, works as an attorney and small-business owner. Mayor Heikkila and his wife have two adult children. Mayor Breea Clark will face Larry Heikkila in a runoff after neither candidate captured a majority of the vote Tuesday, preliminary election results indicated. Norman Mayor Breea Clark wasn't always certain she would pursue a second term after a tumultuous three years in office. Breea Clark, the current Norman Ward 6 council member, works as the director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Program at the University of Oklahomas Michael F. Price College of Business. Im really excited about the win tonight, Ruggiers said. Norman, OK 73070. Because weve got a lot of major issues and difficult issues we will be facing. 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. Norman Mayor Breea Clark looks up her election numbers during her watch party, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Blackbird Gastropub. accounts, the history behind an article. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. The Norman Transcript recently published analysis of Norman campaign finance reports through Jan. 28. Evan Dunn, a community activist and former teacher, attempted to set himself apart from his opponents by discussing moral problems in Norman. NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Former Norman safety manager Larry Heikkila defeated incumbent Breea Clark on Tuesday in the race to be mayor of Oklahoma's third-largest city. I give this to God.. Norman voters will cast ballots Tuesday, Feb. 12, to decide which of three candidates will become the next mayor of Norman. Clear skies. Law School:University of Oklahoma College of Law, J.D., 2008. Performance & security by Cloudflare. It is vividly clear that she inclines toward the democratic party. While the decision still resulted in an overall budget increase for NPD, the meeting encouraged the formation of Unite Norman. After that meeting, the police department has since restructured and created a community service and outreach bureau, more specific to building neighborhoods, building relationships, and better targeting at crimes.. I was new to Norman and didn't know anybody. As the current Director of the JCPenney Leadership Center, she advises the JCPenney Leadership Program and teaches leadership courses and Passport to Success workshops. Norman voters selected him to lead a transformation of our community. Its a need for our city, Hickman said. Updated Apr 5, 2022 Mayor Breea Clark continues to deliver her concession speech, saying "she hopes Norman holds Larry Heikkila to the same high standards that she was held to" while in. Mayor Breea Clark will face Larry Heikkila in a runoff after neither candidate captured a majority of the vote Tuesday, preliminary election results indicated. I will do everything I can in power to support mayor-elect Heikkila, she said to a crowd of supporters. While on council, Thompson supported the city's first public safety sales tax that funded additional police officers. She swore, if elected,not toimpose a maskmandateorimplement business lockdowns due to the pandemic. journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. Mayor, City of Norman, Oklahoma, 2019-present. He said he wants to rebuild public confidencein the city council and bring backcivilizeddialogue and respectful disagreementto local politics by working with all sides of an issue to find compromises. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 2008, and became director of OUs JCPenney Leadership Program in 2018. I think accountability is always good, and voter education. 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. I want to thank every candidate, she said. Norman Mayor candidate Larry Heikkila watches as election numbers come in Feb. 8 during his watch party for the general election at Red Rock Canyon Grill. When asked to provide evidence of her claim,Stephenson-Leuck, who is retired, cited statistics that homelessness and gambling cango hand-in-hand, but she had no Norman-specific data to show the casino is contributing to homelessness in the city. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Clark encouraged Norman residents to address the citys challenges and to shop local, regardless of whomever has the job. Were trying to clean water and build roads.. For more information on where, when and how to vote, visit the, Support independent journalism serving OU. . Eventually, her supporters in city government and the community at-large led her to reconsider. NORMAN, Okla. - Larry Heikkila has won the runoff race for Norman mayor, defeating incumbent Breea Clark.An unofficial vote count shows that Heikkila won 12,999 votes (53 percent) to Clark's . Norman Mayor Breea Clark looks up her election numbers during her watch party, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Blackbird Gastropub. Heikkila got 32 percent of the primary vote, and Clark received 36.5 percent. e-mail: mayor@NormanOK.gov, Vital Information: Ruggiers picked up 64.17 percent of the vote, compared to Snells 35.83. The turnout in Tuesdays election significantly eclipsed the turnout in 2019. Cockfighting fight turns back time at Oklahoma Capitol, The awkward family affair of Gov. In an interview, Hickman talked about restoring public trust in the City of Norman. Asked his priority now that he is elected, Ruggiers said he wants to ensure families trust the district. The 2020 presidential election spurred a wave of voting laws that some say could restrict access to the polls. 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We make a whopping $100 a month to do this, so its certainly not for the money. Theres no room for political ideology or political party in local government, because were not tackling issues like abortion or gun rights. As mayor, he said he would deliver on projects people had voted for. There was a problem saving your notification. She is also a proud graduate of the 2018-19 OU Leadership Council class. Fighting for the mayoral position of Norman, Oklahoma, Heikkila got around 53% of the total votes which was around 1600 more than what Clark got. The youngest female and first Millennial to hold this seat, she is invested in. Both Kish and Heikkila have said they want to increase the number of police officers and boost pay across public safety departments. 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. Norman got to this point in the race after neither Clark nor Heikkila secured 50% of the vote against numerous other candidates during the February election. Specifically, Clark said she aims to produce long-term facilities solutions for Normans homeless population, pass a stormwater utility for Norman and bolster local infrastructure. I tend to be right about in the middle. 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. person will not be tolerated. [1] Recall organizers submitted enough signatures to put the recall election against Councilwoman Petrone on the ballot. 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. Around the world, communities are grappling with what At a mayoral forum held by the Norman chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police last month, the candidatesvowed toprioritizepublic safety funding after the Norman City Council, including Clark, in 2020 approved a cut to the proposed police budget an issue that has embroiled the city ever since. Weve made a lot of progress in the last three years, and were just getting started. Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. I think Norman Public Schools could use a lot more transparency. "I will be the champion Norman needs to make a positive impact for everyone in our community.". Phone: 405-366-5402 As a first-time candidate and a businesswoman not a politician I am proud of the race that we ran. She was endorsed by Sallys List and the Red Earth Group, Normans Sierra Club affiliate. 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. . Ruggiers is a former Norman Public Schools teacher, and he said his election shows that the community wanted to give teachers a voice. in Political Science from Wichita State University in 2005. Member of the Oklahoma Bar Association; Oklahoma Bar Foundation; member of the Family Law Section; member of the OBA Law Schools Committee; member of the OBA Legislative Monitoring Committee, Emergency Authorization of Medical Treatment, Family Law, Criminal Law & Other Cases Involving Mental Health Issues. Im invested in both [the City of Norman and OU], and so Im going to make sure our negotiations are fair.. Click on the video above to hear what . SUPPORT US TODAY FOR AS LITTLE AS $1. Current Term Ends: 07/01/25. The past three months have been a bumpy ride for Clark, 37, a Kansas native who put herself through college at Wichita State and law school at OU. Former Mayor Breea Clark The City Charter dictates that if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, candidates who receive the most votes will face an April runoff. Mayoral and city council elections will take place Tuesday, Feb. 8. Heikkila opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 measures, while Clark had supported them. Don't Threaten. In 2022 he was named one of Cleveland Countys Men of Influence. Saying Heikkila's years of public servicemake him the "stable, experienced leader Norman needs right now," the Norman Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the conservative candidate who has vowed to "rebuild" the city's police and fire departments. Part of that solution should involve more collaboration between rural and urban Normanites, she added. If youre able, please But initially, as they are right now, I dont think theyre equitable, I dont think they summon or motivate our residents to change the way that their homescapes are designed so that stormwater isnt the problem.. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. I think theres a lack of trust with what they did with our money.. A political outsider endorsed by Gov. Low near 40F. Some political observers viewed those results as Heikkila having momentum. Keep it Clean. "Adequately funding itjust seems obvious.". In-person absentee voting takes place Thursday and Friday, Feb. 3-4. Clark also thanked her volunteers, her campaign workers and her family for their support. While some of us had different opinions of what means, I thank all of the candidates for their dedication and their love for the City of Norman," he said. "These people messed with my livelihood, and that is cancel culture and that should never happen in the city of Norman," Kish said. Clark also praised NPDs efforts in interacting and building relationships with Normans unhoused residents, and said she hopes to pass additional funding to help the department staff its community outreach services. She also serves as director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Program in the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. We spoke truthfully about the issues that I know are important to voters including public safety, homelessness and jobs. Here's how they could affect voters in future elections. 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. First off, the defunding of the police department, they managed to truly deflate our wonderful police department that used to be a premier agency in Oklahoma, Heikkila said last month. E.W. Breea Clark is originally from Wichita, Kansas, where she graduated with her B.A. At a watch party Tuesday night, Clark told supporters she will weather the loss. Heikkila,70, is retired after serving 26 years in the U.S. Navy and working for the city for 17 years, ending his career as a safety manager who ensuredmunicipal departments hadsafe workplaces. Hickman views it as a way to balance the budget while Clark acknowledged TIFs as a valid economic tool, but that Norman residents wanted it removed. I want to say thank you to my supporters and all the volunteers and communities that rolled out, Clark said Tuesday. The City of Norman has made this mistake before. She teaches several undergraduate courses, including. 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. Earlier in the pandemic, some Norman residents criticized Clark for requiring some businesses to close and imposing capacity limits on businesses and public gatherings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The two candidates made their cases to voters in a final push to get out the vote. Personal keyboard_arrow_down. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Norman remains the largest city in Oklahoma without a dedicated stormwater utility. An example is our animal welfare shelter, Clark said. Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. He also wants the city to cut red tape and speed up the permitting process for businesses in order to spur more development. 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. To achieve this transformation, the management of it must be pragmatic, productive and visionary, and must redefine Norman into a city of excellence. 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. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Be Truthful. Office:Adams Hall, Suite 106 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. This is amazing. Breea serves as the Mayor of Norman, the 3rd largest city in the state of Oklahoma. Affordable housing and homelessness solutions would be prioritized with further federal aid dollars if she is elected to a second term, Clark said. Clark said the main separation between her and Hickman was leadership style. Phone:(405) 325-2501 Heikkila received 53.39 percent of the vote, compared to 46.61 for Clark, who was seeking her first reelection after winning in 2019. What tribal leaders are saying about Stitt inauguration. "We're still in the middle of this crisis,and there's no one better equipped to keep us going forward in our recovery,with an optimistic view to the future," Clark said. Do you appreciate the work we do as the only independent media outlet dedicated to serving OU students, At one point during the pandemic, I called our city manager (Darrel Pyle) and said, Darrel, I am like 99 percent sure Im not running again.. news. Reach her atmwood@normantranscript.com or 405-416-4420. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. She also serves as a member of the Oklahoma Municipal League Board of Directors and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments Board of Directors.