Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:50 AM | Published: February 4, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Three of the five OKC City Council candidates running in Wards 6 and 8 participated in a student-led forum Friday night at OSU-OKC to discuss their priorities ahead of the Valentine’s Day election.
The three participating candidates were the two Ward 6 candidates JoBeth Hamon (incumbent), Marek Cornett, and Ward 8 candidate Amy Warne.
Mark Stonecipher (incumbent) and Frank Urbanic were invited but did not attend the forum.
The event was organized and hosted by the Student Government Association partnered with local nonprofits, Let’s Fix This, the Oklahoma Civic Learning Coalition, and Vote for Change. Candidates had an equal time of two minutes to answer questions about their positions on homelessness, mental health, and public transportation.
Homelessness and Affordable Housing
Candidates were asked how they would address homelessness and affordable housing if elected.
In her response, Councilor Hamon said there are a number of avenues the city can take to address this issue, such as:
- Gap funding, otherwise known as a bridge loan to increase affordable housing.
- Zoning and development code updates.
- Work with stakeholders to improve tenant protections on a state level.
- Increase the minimum wage to a livable wage.
Hamon said she would like to see more low-income investments in the next city bond issue since there are not many resources available at the city level.
Cornett, who joined the forum virtually, shared her ideas on what could be done about affordable housing, which included:
- Work with state representatives to make changes to a state law that bans rent control throughout the state in an effort to put a cap on yearly rent increases.
- Zoning and development updates to allow more affordable housing options, like accessory dwelling units and duplexes.
- City outreach to change the perspective of in-fill developments.
Warne, who would be the first Native person on the City Council if elected, shared her approach to address this issue and also clarified what she wouldn’t do.
“What I won’t do as a city councilor is propose ordinances that aim to criminalize our unhoused community,” Warne said.
Her ideas on addressing affordable housing and homelessness include:
- Implementing housing assistant programs
- Inclusionary zoning practices
- Focus on median-income families and workers seeking affordable housing options
- Increase supportive services, such as financial literacy.
- More funding for affordable housing in the next city bond issue.
Mental Health
Candidates were asked how they would address community concerns surrounding police responses to mental health crises.
Hamon said the City Council is working to implement the 39 recommendations that focus on de-escalation and alternative responses to mental health calls.
“While that is there, it has been moving very slowly,” Hamon said. “To me, part of that is we haven’t really made the case to really tell the story of what the problem is.”
Also, the dispatch call system needs to be updated to better understand the appropriate response when dispatching police offers, said Hamon.
Cornett said that police departments are “open and willing” to implement alternative responses to mental health calls. She supports the task force’s implementation of the recommendations and the efforts made by the city council thus far.
Before answering, Warne took a moment of silence for those in the community who’ve lost their lives at the hands of police.
According to Warne, the city can do more to prevent police violence and improve responses to mental health by employing more social workers, street medics, and de-escalation experts.
“Policing is the last line of defense in public safety and when we prioritize only it in our public safety spending, we are accepting and planning to fail in all other areas that keep our community safe,” Warne said
Public Transit
The final question asked the candidates what more the city can do to improve the public transit system.
Hamon, who rode the bus to the forum, said there are a number of improvements that could be made to the current system, like:
- Increase bus frequency to every 15 min, which would mean additional investments to increase fleet, drivers, and operators.
- Move from the hub-and-spoke transit system, where nearly all the buses reach the downtown hub, to a grid system in order to more efficiently serve people.
Cornett agreed with Hamon, saying that the barriers to the current system are frequency, speed, and convenience. She said there are ways to remove these barriers:
- Increase BRT access to neighborhoods
- Potentially, giving BRT its own lane
- Free public transportation
‘This would be a huge move in making it a social equalizer where we can provide access to jobs, healthcare, education, and opportunity through transit,” Cornett said.
In response to improving public transit, Warne said one of her top priorities is connecting Ward 8 to the rest of OKC.
“With the geography of Ward 8 as it is, some residents would need to travel five miles to utilize our transit system,” Warn said.
She said she would improve connectivity by:
- Increasing bus lines.
- ADA-accessible bus stops in the Ward.
- Considering a bus stop at the local library in Ward 8
- Prioritizing natural and environmentally sound infrastructure
This event is a part of a series to give OKC City Council candidates up for election a chance to answer students’ questions. The following forum will be Friday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. at OSU-OKC.
Voting Info
The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14.To find your polling place and view a sample ballot for your precinct, visit the OK Voter Portal.
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.
