Last Updated on November 30, 2021, 7:27 AM | Published: November 28, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Cathy Cummings confirmed to Free Press Sunday afternoon that she will move into the new District 3 and run for that Oklahoma County Commissioner seat.
“I’m in! I’m gonna go for it,” Cummings told Free Press Sunday afternoon.
Some news publications went out on a limb and reported last week that it was what she would do. But, it was not a foregone conclusion, at least according to her.
The only commitment she made Monday was that she was considering it and would not make a decision until she came back into town from visiting family over Thanksgiving. At the time, she said that she wanted to have one more big meeting with consultants and her close personal friend and former candidate for governor, Drew Edmondson.
“Over the anger”
She told us that one of the aspects of waiting over Thanksgiving week was to get beyond the anger she had at being gerrymandered out of District three by Commissioners Kevin Calvey and Brian Maughan.
She and her husband, Sean, were openly angry with the two commissioners accusing them of gerrymandering her out of District 3 to take her out of contention. She and her husband, Sean Cummings have lived in the same home for years in The Village.
Responses from both commissioners at the time were that it was simply a matter of balancing population numbers and not an attempt to make it harder for Cummings to run.
“You know, because of what happened to me, it was because of them taking my city out of district three and I kind of had to think about that because my initial reaction when they did it was that I was so angry about it,” Cummings told Free Press Sunday.
She continued, “I took a few days, and I spent it with my family. We talked it all out. And you know, the anger part’s over. I’m over the anger.
“And now it’s like, okay, let’s get to work. Let’s figure out what we need to do to win this. And let’s just get my volunteers back and organized. And let’s just do it.”
Decision
Cummings said that when she got back into the City, she met with long-term friend and political confidant Drew Edmondson and some campaign consultants to take a rational look at the political landscape of the newly-redrawn District 3.
They compared numbers and voting patterns of the area and found what they believed to be a possibility for Cummings to win that contest.
Commissioner-Maughan-Proposed-Map“I think we have a path to victory,” Cummings told us. “And, I know it’s gonna be a lot of hard work. And I know, it’s gonna be a lot more money to do this.”
And, because of the gated communities in Edmond and the sheer square miles of the northern third of the county, she said that she would have to depend more on campaign mailers and phoning. Her most recent campaign for The Village City Council was an intense door-knocking ground game.
She said that she is planning to send out a campaign fundraiser letter Monday morning, November 29 in a first step to raise the funds needed to reach out to those areas where it will be harder to knock doors, like the gated communities in Edmond.
Cummings also believes that she has strong relationships with the mayor and City Council members of Edmond and of the smaller cities in the new District 3 and will be able to understand their needs.
Residence
Cummings must live in and be a registered voter in the new District 3 before December 31.
“I’ve got it narrowed down to two places and I will probably make the decision tomorrow (Monday),” she said.
But, they won’t have time to get their house in the Village sold and a new house purchased before the end of December. Will this be an actual residence?
She said that it would be and that she would be living with her dog there. Also, she would be moving furniture to the new place. Cummings said that they just don’t have enough time to get their house sold in The Village and a new house purchased in District 3 all before December 31.
Also, Cummings said that there are other complications that will take more time to exit their Village home. Her office for her restaurant, Vito’s Ristorante, is in their Village home. Also, their garage is full of restaurant equipment for both her husband Sean’s restaurant and hers, too.
“I may actually find a house in Edmond that I really like and you know, that could be the next step,” said Cummings. But, just to get into a place in the district, this is what I have to do, because there’s just not enough time.”
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
