Mayor G.T. Bynum endorses five City Council candidates, including four incumbents

Mayor G.T. Bynum leaves office in December, but on his way out the door he’s endorsing five City Council candidates and will recommend that the political action committee he supported creating in 2021 provide them with campaign contributions.

The candidates are incumbents Laura Bellis, District 4; Christian Bengel, District 6; Lori Decter Wright, District 7; Phil Lakin, District 8; and Karen Gilbert, the former District 5 councilor who is taking another run at the office.

The city’s nonpartisan municipal elections are Aug. 27; runoff elections, if needed, would be on Nov. 5.

Bellis is a first-term city councilor whose district covers much of downtown. Her opponent in the race is Aaron Griffith.

“Councilor Bellis is smart, data-driven, and has been a strong collaborator on issues ranging from the budget to downtown infrastructure,” Bynum said.

Gilbert represented District 5 from 2011-18. She received $5,000 from the GT PAC, according to campaign reports filed with the Tulsa City Clerk’s Office. Her opponent is Alicia Andrews.

“Councilor Gilbert is one of the most effective leaders I’ve had the opportunity to work with,” Bynum said. “While people bemoaned public safety staffing levels for decades, she rolled up her sleeves and led the passage of the Vision Public Safety program, which allowed us to dramatically increase staffing in both the Police and Fire departments.”

Bengel is also a first-term councilor. His opponent is Uriah Davis.

“Councilor Bengel is one of the best city councilors I’ve had the opportunity to work with: common sense, hard working, and a tireless advocate for east Tulsa,” Bynum said.

Bengel said the mayor’s endorsement was “genuinely surprising and unexpected.”

“I feel fortunate to have been a small part of his public service to Tulsa,” Bengel added. “Lending his credibility and family’s legacy is a big decision, and I am truly grateful to have earned that trust. I have enjoyed working with him and will fondly remember some of our conversations.”

Lakin, who was first elected to the City Council in 2011, is being challenged by Chris Cone. Bynum described Lakin as one of his closest collaborators for the last 12 years.

“Hard working, fair-minded, scrupulous with the details — he is a model for public service at any level,” Bynum said.

Wright faces insurance agent and former radio personality Eddie Huff in her bid for a fourth two-year term.

“Councilor Decter Wright has developed a niche as the foremost expert on the Council when it comes to the Tulsa Fire Department and has been a tireless worker on developing solutions for one of Tulsa’s greatest challenges: homelessness,” Bynum said.

Wright said she and Bynum have a productive working relationship that values diverse perspectives, consensus building and collaboration — even when they have differences of opinion.

“I am encouraged by his support for my reelection campaign for City Council, which demonstrates his confidence in my leadership and respect for the results I have achieved for District 7 and the city of Tulsa,” Wright said.

The GT PAC was established with Bynum’s support and blessing to back pro-Tulsa candidates for municipal office.

After the last City Council elections in 2022, Bynum indicated that the PAC’s days were numbered.

“It has been the most overexposed $15,000 PAC in American history,” he joked at the time, adding, “All of that is in the rear-view mirror.”

The GT PAC’s 2024 first quarter filing seems to support that claim. It shows a balance of $11,846.

It’s safe to assume that the figure will decrease significantly once all the councilors Bynum has endorsed this year cash their checks.

The Tulsa World is where your story lives