Nineteen candidates file for four OKC City Council seats in 2021 election

It will be a City of Oklahoma City ward seat election season where some wards are hotly contested and one where the incumbent was the only one to file.

Nice unopposed on east side

Nikki Nice ran against seven other contenders for the remainder of the John Pettis term in Ward 7 when he resigned in May 2018 while facing embezzlement charges.

Nikki Nice
Nikki Nice speaks at the groundbreaking for the new Homeland at NE 36th and Lincoln Blvd October 2020. (BRETT DICKERSON/Okla City Free Press)

She won that hot contest and has continued to work just as hard to represent the interests of the people in Ward 7, a ward still heavily influenced by Black culture but seeing changing demographics.

It’s a part of the City where Nice grew up and has spent the better part of her adult life.

This time around, none wanted to run against her for the next term and so she automatically advances to a new term next year when the new council members are sworn in.

“I’m grateful to the residents of Ward seven,” Nice told Free Press Wednesday evening when filing closed.

“I’m grateful for the City for believing in me to continue to represent a community in a ward that has done so much to bring me to this place. And then I want to continue to excel when it comes to bringing the things that we need for our ward.”

Busy campaign

The other three ward seats up for election February 9 promise to be active ones because of the number who filed to run.

At the end of the three-day filing period the following will be candidates:

Ward 1

Richard Thomas Buchanan, 63, Oklahoma City
Bradley Carter, 41, Yukon
Nana Abram Dankwa, 39, Oklahoma City
Joshua Debolt, 37, Oklahoma City
Bill Fleming, 76, Oklahoma City
Susan Kay Parisi, 69, Oklahoma City
Megan Scott, 36, Oklahoma City
Jay Sherrill, 40, Oklahoma City
Shay Varnell, 45, Oklahoma City

Ward 3

Trey Bishop, 45, Oklahoma City
Tim Long, 54, Oklahoma City
Jessica Martinez-Brooks, 43, Oklahoma City
Kelli Payne, 44, Mustang
Allen Swanda, 60, Yukon
Barbara Young, 45, Yukon

Ward 4

Sam Wargin Grimaldo, 33, Oklahoma City
Larry Hopper, 63, Oklahoma City
Todd Stone, 57, Oklahoma City, (incumbent)

Ward 7

Nikki Nice, 40, Oklahoma City

Suburban wards

In this cycle, voters in the suburbs and exurbs – some even in other counties besides Oklahoma County – will figure heavily in the makeup of the next City Council.

In fact, one candidate in the Ward 1 race has a Yukon postal address. In the Ward 3 race, one has a Mustang postal address and two have Yukon postal addresses.

Communities surrounding the cities of Yukon and Mustang represent substantial populations that are City of OKC residents and are a part of the larger OKC metro that spills into eastern Canadian County.

Ward 4 starts in historic Capitol Hill but then widens as it moves southeastward into the suburbs east of Moore and north of Norman.

To find out which ward you are in and where the ward lines are see this complete, interactive WARD MAP for the City of Oklahoma City.

About the election

After candidate filing, how the election proceeds in each Ward depends on the number of candidates:

  • If only one qualified candidate files to run, that candidate is automatically elected to office.
  • If two qualified candidates file to run, the winner of the Feb. 9 primary election is elected to office.
  • If three or more qualified candidates file to run, the Feb. 9 primary election determines whether a runoff on April 6 is necessary. 
    • If a candidate earns more than half the votes on Feb. 9, they are elected to office.
    • If no candidate earns more than half the votes on Feb. 9, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a runoff on April 6. The runoff winner is elected to office.

Winners take office April 13.

Voting information

To check or update your registration status, use the Oklahoma State Election Board’sOnline Voter Portal at ok.gov/elections/ovp. Find your polling place on your voter ID card or using the portal.

To register to vote, use the portal’s voter registration wizard to complete your application online, then print, sign and mail it to your local county election board. You can also download a voter registration application at ok.gov/elections, or get one at your county election board, post officestag agencieslibraries and other public locations.

Author Profile

Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.