Nine City Council seats, three charter amendments on the ballot beginning Thursday

All nine City Council seats and three proposed City Charter amendments are on the ballot.

Early in-person voting hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There is no early voting on Monday.

Election Day is Tuesday, when the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Because of redistricting, which is done every 10 years after the U.S. Census Bureau conducts its constitutionally mandated population count, voters are encouraged to check their precinct number and voting location to be sure it has not changed.

Anyone with a question can call the Tulsa County Election Board at 918-596-5780, or go online to okvoterportal.okelections.us.

Tuesday’s municipal election is a general election. In those races where no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the candidates with the most votes whose total equals 50% will face each other in a Nov. 8 runoff.

For a comprehensive look at the candidates, go to Tulsaworld.com to read the candidates’ responses to the Tulsa World questionnaire.

The following is a brief summary of the candidates and proposed City Charter amendments that are on the ballot:

Proposed City Charter amendments

Proposition 1: The City Charter language dating back to 1990 refers to the mayor’s annual salary as $70,000. It’s actually $105,000, and it is set by the City Council by ordinance. The proposed charter amendment is a housekeeping measure to remove the obsolete reference to the mayor’s salary as being $70,000. It would not change the mayor’s salary.

Proposition 2: This would require candidates for mayor, City Council and city auditor to have been city residents of the city or City Council district for at least 365 days at the time of filing for office.

Proposition 3: This would change the city auditor’s term from two years to four years beginning in 2026.

City Council candidates

District 1: Incumbent Vanessa Hall-Harper, 50, is seeking her fourth term in office. She is opposed by community engagement specialist and tech entrepreneur David Harris, 48, and Francetta Mays, 59, a pastor and self-employed business consultant.

District 2: Councilor Jeannie Cue, 68, is running against a familiar face as she seeks her seventh term. Loan specialist Aaron Bisogno, 35, is challenging Cue for the third time. Cue is a retired nurse.

District 3: Roofing contractor Daniel Grove, 22, is looking to unseat incumbent Crista Patrick. Patrick, 48, was the longtime costume shop manager at the University of Tulsa. She currently works as a massage therapist and business owner.

District 4: This race has drawn a lot of attention and campaign contributions. The district, which includes most of downtown, is currently represented on the City Council by Kara Joy McKee, who is not seeking reelection.

Five candidates hope to succeed her: Laura Bellis, 33, is executive director of Take Control Initiative; Michael Birkes, 72, is an architect and planner; Michael Feamster, 39, is president of the southwest region for Nabholz Construction Corp.; Matthew Fransein, 34, is director of development and project manager at Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry; and Bobby Dean Orcutt, 40, is co-owner of Mercury Lounge.

District 5: This district in the center of the city is also packed with candidates. Incumbent Mykey Arthrell is seeking his second term.

His challengers are independent consultant Adil Khan, 38; small business owner Ty Walker, 56; entrepreneur Latasha Jim, 29; and Grant Miller, 35.

Arthrell, 37, is an education specialist at Urban Strategies Inc.

District 6: Two candidates hope to unseat incumbent Connie Dodson, 55, who has represented this east Tulsa district for four terms.

Christian Bengel, 54, is an implementation specialist for International Technology Corp., who has run against Dodson before. Lewana Harris, 45, is a senior consultant for Korn Ferry.

District 7: Incumbent Lori Decter Wright is being challenged by Dr. Jerry Griffin and Ken Reddick. Wright, 47, is executive director of Kendall Whittier Inc. Griffin, 78, is a college professor and a member of the Tulsa Public Schools board. Reddick, 39, has run against Wright before. He is a certified project manager.

District 8: This race in south Tulsa pits incumbent Phil Lakin against Scott Houston, who is making his first run for elected office.

Lakin, 55, was first elected in 2011. He is CEO of Tulsa Community Foundation. Houston, 67, is vice president of American Century Life Insurance Co.

District 9: Incumbent Jayme Fowler faces an old challenger and a new one as he seeks a second term. Lee Ann Crosby, 38, ran against Fowler two years ago. She is a mental health provider. Chad Hotvedt, 38, is a special education instructor making his first run for the District 9 seat.

Fowler, 63, is a wealth manager with Oak Creek Private Wealth.