Clark was elected mayor in a three-way contestin 2019after serving on the city council for three years. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Norman voters have chosen Larry Heikkila to be the city's next mayor, preliminary election reports indicated Tuesday. Before receiving her J.D. A proposition that would have raised the base fee charged to Norman residents who use city water services failed Tuesday, capturing just 45.75 percent of the vote. Clark graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wichita State University in 2005 and then received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma . Clark became Normans 60th mayor in 2019 after serving three years on the City Council. Current Legislative Committees keyboard_arrow_down. #okwx #texomawx. Cockfighting fight turns back time at Oklahoma Capitol, The awkward family affair of Gov. E-mail: breea@ou.edu. Breea Clark, Larry Heikkila make final cases to voters ahead of Norman mayoral runoff election Ari Fife, senior news reporter Apr 3, 2022 Updated Apr 4, 2022 0 Mayoral incumbent Breea. It was built, but we were not prepared for the staffing and maintenance costs. Currently, the mayor is presented as superior to the rest of the council when the mayor should really be more of a collaborative peer who works closely with all of the other members, he said. Heikkila opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 measures, while Clark had supported them. He said he wants to rebuild public confidencein the city council and bring backcivilizeddialogue and respectful disagreementto local politics by working with all sides of an issue to find compromises. She also served on various task forces with Norman Public Schools. While the decision still resulted in an overall budget increase for NPD, the meeting encouraged the formation of Unite Norman. NORMAN Larry Heikkila won a first term as mayor of Norman on Tuesday, unseating incumbent Breea Clark. I give this to God.. After withstanding a recall attempt in 2020 and coming under fire from some residents for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark, a Democrat,is vying for a second three-year term on the nine-member city council. "If you have a city that has good public safety, there isn't a homeless issue, the crime isn't going up, your city is going to prosper," she said. Gov. But initially, as they are right now, I dont think theyre equitable, I dont think they summon or motivate our residents to change the way that their homescapes are designed so that stormwater isnt the problem.. Clark said she had not heard from other candidates, but was working to contact them. Breea Clark is originally from Wichita, Kansas, where she graduated with her B.A. I was new to Norman and didn't know anybody. She also previously served as interim Pre-Law Club Advisor and was a member of the 2018-2019 OU Leadership Council class. The money should instead be used to fund the city's "essential needs," she said. Heikkila opposed mask mandates and other COVID-19 measures, while Clark had supported them. You have permission to edit this article. Norman Mayor Breea Clark wasn't always certain she would pursue a second term after a tumultuous three years in office. She earned a Juris Doctorate in 2008, and became director of, After beginning her stint in local government as Normans Ward 6 city council member in 2016, Clark, defeated opponents Bill Hickman and Evan Dunn. 2. As mayor, Dunn said his first priority would be for people to understand the need to conserve oil and fossil fuels in society. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Previously, he served the citizens of Norman with seventeen years of service as an employee of the City of Norman. I interned for (former President) George W. Bush, and at the state capitol of Kansas.. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. NORMAN Although the four mayoral candidates challenging Norman Mayor Breea Clark span the political spectrum, they all agree public safety fundingwould be theirtop budget priority upon taking office. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. She serves on Normans ABLE Board, and continues to champion opportunities for the disabled. I know theres a candidate (Bob Thompson) trying to say that we shouldnt be red or we shouldnt be blue, and I absolutely agree, Clark said. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The youngest female and first Millennial to hold this seat, she is invested in. Kishhas litigation pending against several people she says made false statements about her that led her to endure death threats andlose clients and business income. She also serves as a member of the Oklahoma Municipal League Board of Directors and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments Board of Directors. Funding the project has been a lengthy processfeaturingmultiple failed proposals. I dont make partisan decisions, because partisan politics dont fill potholes. Earlier in the pandemic, some Norman residents criticized Clark for requiring some businesses to close and imposing capacity limits on businesses and public gatherings to reduce the spread of COVID-19. "Because of Mayor Clark, I bet youre going to see the pendulum swinging conservative.". Heikkila told NonDoc he decided to run in the wake of the Norman City Councils decision to shift more than $850,000 of a planned increase in the police budget to other municipal programs. "I really object to the idea that funding the police department has turned into a Democrat-versus-Republican question," he said. Her portrayal as a raging liberal by campaign opponents is wildly untrue and inaccurate, Clark said, given her voting record and past political experience. accounts, the history behind an article. "Everyone who ran entered the mayoral race had one central goal, and that was to improve the City of Norman. Fighting for the mayoral position of Norman, Oklahoma, Heikkila got around 53% of the total votes which was around 1600 more than what Clark got. "Alice" Stephenson-Leuck and "Midway" Bob Thompson. "We were the first to put a maskmandate in place, the last to remove it, and so I'm very, very proud of how we managed to protect our residentswhile keeping our economy going.". Thats not who we are. 405-876-9216. Who is rating Clark ? Mayor | City of Norman, OK Information on City Council and Committee Meetings City of Norman, OK Building an Inclusive Community Mayor How Do I? Some have argued my being a staff member at the university is a detriment, Clark said. Her challengers in the nonpartisan race are Nicole Kish, Larry Heikkila, A.E. I will do everything I can in power to support mayor-elect Heikkila, she said to a crowd of supporters. Funding the project has been. On Tuesday, the total ballooned to more than 24,000. One of her top issues is addressinghomelessness. Clark had planned to make this her final term as mayor. The past three months have been a bumpy ride for Clark, 37, a Kansas native who put herself through college at Wichita State and law school at OU. She also wants the city to vote on reallocating Norman Forward dollars generated from a 15-year sales tax increase intended to fund quality-of-life improvements across the city. Bill Hickman, the current Norman Ward 4 council member, works as an attorney and small-business owner. He credited "a grassroots campaign" who wanted a change. At a watch party Tuesday night, Clark told supporters she will weather the loss. for Clark and several Norman city council members. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Heikkila received more than 53% of votes, with . Dunn advocated for a Ward-by-Ward, door-by-door approach to inform people of oils value. Your IP: Education keyboard_arrow_down. Breea Clark is Of Counsel at WhitbeckBennett. Clear skies. He also wants the city to cut red tape and speed up the permitting process for businesses in order to spur more development. (NonDoc) Support Journalism In the culmination of two years worth of debate over city leadership, Larry. Heikkila was endorsed by Cleveland County Commissioners Darry Stacy and Harold Haralson, the local fraternal order of police and the firefighters union, among others. Its about long-term water quality and supply, its also about our stormwater drainage pipes, which we have never looked at, so therell be lots of replacement, and then lots of maintenance.. Eventually, her supporters in city government and the community at-large led her to reconsider. (Kyle Phillips / The Transcript). tomorrow by helping launch the careers of media professionals. government. He and his wife Janet were married in 1976, and moved to Norman from Tulsa in 1978. Long-term maintenance and staffing of such facilities could pose an obstacle for the city, Clark said. In 2019, propositions for stormwater utility bond projects and a stormwater utility fee. Heikkila received 53.39% of the votes, beating incumbent Breea Clark. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is people really did start paying attention to local government more, and regardless of what side you're on, I don't think that's a bad thing, Clark said. Here's how they could affect voters in future elections. E-mail:breea@ou.edu She saidRiverwind Casino,owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, is the reason homelessness is on the rise in Norman. journalism is worth and how to fund the civic good that robust news organizations can generate. I told everyone I have one more term left in me and then someone else can have all the fun.. "For example, our current Mayor and Council have dedicated City resources for the welfare of the transient population, which has become a detriment to the City, our citizens and local businesses.". 80 talking about this. He also serves as an ordained Deacon and Sunday School Teacher at a local church. Mayor Clark's police budget-cutting seemed to many as a ME-TOO reaction to the groundswell of DEFUND movements following the death of George Floyd. Breea Clark, the current Norman Ward 6 council member, works as the director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Program at the University of Oklahoma's Michael F. Price College of Business. Potential affordable housing solutions under consideration now include single-room occupancy spaces near the intersection of Robinson Street and Berry Road. Her mayoral tenure became defined largely by the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide policing debate. It's time for the drama and the partisan politics to end, she said. Updated Apr 5, 2022 Mayor Breea Clark continues to deliver her concession speech, saying "she hopes Norman holds Larry Heikkila to the same high standards that she was held to" while in. is a wildly inappropriate breach of municipal governments non-partisan nature, Clark said. The citys unique position as the only Oklahoma municipality required to vote on the creation of a public utility poses a challenge for city officials to create an easily understandable, equitable funding solution, Clark said. Thompson said he hopes his message of nonpartisan local politics continues to be heard. Norman voters will cast ballots Tuesday, Feb. 12, to decide which of three candidates will become the next mayor of Norman. In addition he holds many technical certifications in Disaster Relief Operations, Occupational Safety, and Construction. in June 2020. Norman residentCasey Holcombrecently filed a lawsuit against Hickman on the grounds of free speech violations. Click on the video above to hear what . received 42.62 percent and 39.68 percent yes votes, I know theres a candidate (Bob Thompson), trying to say that we shouldnt be red or we shouldnt be blue, and I absolutely agree, Clark said. Norman, OK 73019-4004. In his campaign announcement, Heikkila chided the council for its focuson addressing homelessness. Ultimately, despite what many have characterized as a year of polarizing local politics, Clark said she is grateful more Normanites have been interested in local participation. Norman voters have chosen Larry Heikkila to be the city's next mayor, preliminary election reports indicated Tuesday. Clark also stated a desire to increase the civic engagement of OU students, describing them as student citizens of Norman. KOCO 5 asked the five about COVID-19 mitigation measures, working with a divided City Council, police funding, federal funds for cities and how to address Norman's growing homeless population. Kish was endorsed by Unite Norman, a group that formed in the summer of 2020 to restore police funding after the council reallocated $865,000 from the Norman Police Departments proposed budget increase. Norman mayor-elect Larry Heikkila Norman's new mayor will be Larry Heikkila, who is far to the right of the more progressive Clark, as he made clear in a campaign ad earlier this year. Like Clark, Hickman has dealt with his own public backlashafter using his role asmoderator in a Ward 4 Facebook page to delete comments he judged as personal attacks. With Mayor Lynne Miller not seeking re-election, two city council members and a community activist seek to fill her spot. Clark received 36.46% of the. "I hold the confidence the citizens have given me to bring a change to Norman very serious," he said. Mindy Wood covers City Hall news and notable court cases for The Transcript. During her tenure as mayor, the Norman City Council allocated CARES Act funding, Norman remains the largest city in Oklahoma without a dedicated stormwater utility. At a mayoral forum held by the Norman chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police last month, the candidatesvowed toprioritizepublic safety funding after the Norman City Council, including Clark, in 2020 approved a cut to the proposed police budget an issue that has embroiled the city ever since. Be Truthful. Mayor Heikkila earned a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. They dont put debt on future generations to repay those bonds back.. Larry Heikkila has defeated Breea Clark and clinched the position of Mayor in the recent election. Sworn In: 07/05/22 Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. But, we are the county seat and it doesnt need to just be Normans problem, because its a countywide problem, its a nationwide problem. 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In a news release, she called the visit a "field trip" to watch democracy in action, spurred by reports of election integrity issues in the 2020 presidential election. Dunn is the only candidate who does not support the stormwater utility bond. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, "I think our next mayor needs to be able to steer us from … the waters of calamity into the sea of reason," he said. Affordable housing and homelessness solutions would be prioritized with further federal aid dollars if she is elected to a second term, Clark said. After nearly deciding she would surrender the mayorship after a single . NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Former Norman safety manager Larry Heikkila defeated incumbent Breea Clark on Tuesday in the race to be mayor of Oklahoma's third-largest city. She currently serves as Vice President of the Mayors Council of the Oklahoma Municipal League and on the Board of Directors for both the Oklahoma Municipal League and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments. Norman Mayor Breea Clark looks up her election numbers during her watch party, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Blackbird Gastropub. Thompson said he jumped into the mayoral race because he figured the only way to stop the political divisiveness inNorman was a change in leadership. Phone:(405) 325-2501 While the decision still resulted in an overall budget increase for NPD, the meeting encouraged the formation of Unite Norman.