Last Updated on April 5, 2023, 9:04 PM | Published: April 5, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY METRO (Free Press) — The OKC metro saw a number of close elections for city council seats Tuesday.
In a closely contested runoff race, voters in South OKC Ward 5 narrowly elected a new councilmember.
In the same evening, The Village voters decided to bring back a former Mayor who had been defeated in the last election for Ward 1. An incumbent and a political newcomer were chosen by voters to represent Wards 2, and 3.
OKC Ward 5 runoff
Matthew Hinkle defeated his opponent Thuan Nguyen with a margin of 35 votes in the tight race for South-central Ward 5. Hinkle secured 50.4 percent of the total votes, while Nguyen trailed close behind with 49.5 percent, according to the unofficial election results.
“I feel good, it was a very close run race,” Hinkle said following the election results. “I have a lot of respect for my opponent. I think he’s a great guy. We see eye to eye on a lot of things, and I look forward to working with him moving forward.”
A businessman and longtime South OKC resident, Hinkle currently serves as the planning commissioner for Ward 5 and has been since 2017. He also served as chairman of the South OKC Chamber and was recognized as both Volunteer of the Year and Citizen of the Year by the Chamber.
Hinkle centered his campaign around public safety, homelessness, strengthening the economy, and ensuring equal opportunities for Ward 5. The ward largely encompasses the area between Interstate 44 and S Western Ave south of the I-240 service line, bordering where OKC meets Moore city limits.
In an interview with the Free Press, Hinkle said the biggest issue he’d like to tackle on day one is homelessness.
“The thing that’s bugging Oklahoma City the most right now is the homeless issue,” Hinkle said. “There’s no easy answer or it would have been done a long time ago. And so, with what’s going on right now and the relationships I’ve made in that community in the last six months, I’m looking forward to figuring out something that alleviates a large part of our problem there.”
Hinkle will be sworn in, along with three recently re-elected incumbents, before the May 2 City Council meeting to assume his four-year term on the eight-member horseshoe.
The Village City Council squeakers
Three seats of the five City Council seats – Ward 1, 2, and 3 – appeared on the ballots of voters living in The Village.
Ward 1
In another tight race, The Village voted to replace Ward 1 incumbent and vice mayor Wynter Griffis with David Bennett, formerly a longtime councilman and former Mayor of The Village.
It was an unusual turnabout in that Griffis unseated Bennett by a 6-point margin during citywide elections in 2021.
According to Tuesday’s results, Bennett beat Griffis by 44 votes. Bennett finished the race with 52 percent of the total votes, while his opponent ended with 47.9 percent.
Bennett said he ran mostly because he believed his years of experience would benefit the city well, especially after the city selected a new city manager, who he feels has little knowledge about the community.
“I made my campaign point to the people that I spoke with that much of my running this time had to do with the fact that we have a new city manager coming in..” Bennett said in an interview with Free Press following the election results. “So, I felt my 14 years of being on the council that I had institutional knowledge that could be supportive of the new city manager coming in.”
Ward 1 covers the area south and west of Cassidy Square at Britton Road and North Pennsylvania, bordering where The Village meets Nichols Hills to the north.
Ward 2
Incumbent Bubba Symes easily defeated newcomer Jon Sousa in the race for Ward 2, which covers a large portion North of W Britton Rd and East of Lake Hefner Parkway.
Longtime councilman Symes won by a wide margin of 26 percent, securing 63.1 percent of the total votes, while his opponent ended the race with 36.8 percent.
Ward 3
In the closest citywide race of the night, newcomer Melodie Moore barely defeated her opponent, Jane Lowther, by just 13 votes. Moore secured 50.6 percent, or 525 votes, while Lowther finished closely behind with 49.3 percent or 512 votes.
The seat for Ward 3 is currently held by David Glover who was appointed to the City Council after the unexpected resignation of former Mayor Adam Graham.
Ward 3 encompasses a large area East of N Pennsylvania and North of Britton Rd, including Cassidy Square and Cassidy School.
The Village Council members will be sworn in to serve a two-year term on the first Monday in May following the election.
Election results are still subject to changes and are not considered final until they’re certified by the appropriate election board. State and federal election results will be certified no earlier than 5 p.m. on April 7, according to the State Election Board.
Brianna Garcia is a freelance journalist covering local politics and culture for Free Press. She has a degree in Journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma.
