View Full Version : Campaign for Urbanist City Councillors?



king183
11-17-2010, 11:29 AM
Is there currently a citizen-led group--or has there been discussion of a creating a group-- that actively promotes, recruits, or campaigns for OKC City Council candidates who share the urbanist view that many people espouse on the board?

For instance, there's been much debate over where the convention center should go, its design, creating density, what type of housing needs to be built downtown, how that gets government support, and creating urban transportation options, including making OKC more walkable. But I see very little being done to actually elect people to city council who share these views.

Maybe I'm missing it. If I'm not, why don't some of us form a non-partisan organization dedicated specifically to recruiting and electing city councillors who support urbanism and hold others accountable?

Kerry
11-17-2010, 12:06 PM
You are right on King183. I know the City Council seats are non-partisan, but could a person run on partisan ticket if they wanted to? Could someone run on the Urban City ticket?

dankrutka
11-17-2010, 02:27 PM
This forum seems like a great place to self-announce. Who is up for it?

lcd1712
11-17-2010, 03:00 PM
Is there currently a citizen-led group--or has there been discussion of a creating a group-- that actively promotes, recruits, or campaigns for OKC City Council candidates who share the urbanist view that many people espouse on the board?

For instance, there's been much debate over where the convention center should go, its design, creating density, what type of housing needs to be built downtown, how that gets government support, and creating urban transportation options, including making OKC more walkable. But I see very little being done to actually elect people to city council who share these views.

Maybe I'm missing it. If I'm not, why don't some of us form a non-partisan organization dedicated specifically to recruiting and electing city councillors who support urbanism and hold others accountable?

I was thinking about it last week, but you beat me to it. Actually, I was wondering if there is any citizen led activist group in this desire of urban living.

Other than people in this forum which are few (and some of them don't even live here), I don't know of many interested in urban living in OK. Other than college students, everyone seems to favor living in the suburbs. I am not originally from Oklahoma, so I always thought it was a cultural thing in this state.

soonerguru
11-17-2010, 03:07 PM
I was thinking about it last week, but you beat me to it. Actually, I was wondering if there is any citizen led activist group in this desire of urban living.

Other than people in this forum which are few (and some of them don't even live here), I don't know of many interested in urban living in OK. Other than college students, everyone seems to favor living in the suburbs. I am not originally from Oklahoma, so I always thought it was a cultural thing in this state.

Where do you live?

lcd1712
11-17-2010, 03:09 PM
In Edmond

Architect2010
11-17-2010, 03:12 PM
There are vast numbers of people that prefer the inner-city other than college students, especially considering college students couldn't really afford very much downtown now could they? It is a cultural thing, but it's not suburbs or die here like you made it seem.

kevinpate
11-17-2010, 03:14 PM
You are right on King183. I know the City Council seats are non-partisan, but could a person run on partisan ticket if they wanted to? Could someone run on the Urban City ticket?

A council candidate could make promotion of an urbanist perspective his or her main agenda. No different than championing any other issue, be it business development, public safety, gay rights, family values, oust da rascals, etc. Non-partisan simply means he or she is not running the race as a D or an R.

lcd1712
11-17-2010, 03:14 PM
I sure hope not. Deep Deuce and Legacy Woods are full of college students.

lcd1712
11-17-2010, 03:16 PM
I sure hope not. Deep Deuce and Legacy Woods are full of college students.

This was in reply to Architect's post.

Spartan
11-17-2010, 03:44 PM
Well we need to get someone respectable who is part of our "camp" to run for mayor. Look at the publicity that goon who ran against Mick got last election, and he got slightly over 40% of the vote even for being a weirdo who works the Taco Bell lane. Not even joking. I've dreamed about running against Mick but I would be too aggressive in venting my pent-up anger in talking points, plus I'd rather not offend certain people who I'd surely end up offending.

Here's the reality..all of these people wanting change in OKC live outside OKC proper. When I'm in OKC I am constantly meeting and talking with urbanists..they live in Yukon, Norman, Edmond or are OKC ex pats who come back occasionally. I often envision a fantasy world in which I come back to OKC and it is urban and changes are occurring exactly as they should be and all the resources are in line. A month like this has been however, full of bad decisions in which we're a lot more apt to bitch and moan about all the other little things we're harboring anger over, leads me to believe things won't change. So I suppose the reality of the situation is somewhere in between euphoria and frustration.

The urban cause has always had to attach itself to other causes. We have had to find conservative downtown players who will also champion the downtown cause, and we've had to rely on that. That's just the way things are in this town. Oh, and there really is a strong political machine, but I'm not sure how that factors into things anymore. At any rate it's always been ran by the big wealthy downtown players, even when downtown sucked.

Popsy
11-17-2010, 05:44 PM
Wow Spartan. It is good to hear that you have finally recognized that you have been living in an urban fantasy world.

Spartan
11-17-2010, 11:18 PM
Wow Spartan. It is good to hear that you have finally recognized that you have been living in an urban fantasy world.

You could say that, actually.

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/11/stephen_avenue_sc0269.jpg

Kerry
11-18-2010, 05:52 AM
Since my kids are home schooled I have started showing them cities and towns around the world via Google Earth. If they see a building on TV or something we fire up G.E. and go check it out. At 9 and 12 years old they are amazed at dense cities around the world area, and even the small towns are compact. They also comment about how you can walk everywhere or take a train. Even at their young age they intuitively know how much of a better design that is than places like here in Jacksonville where we have to drive everywhere. Just from our house to the entrance to our subdivision is a half mile. We have to drive to the pool.

metro
11-18-2010, 10:58 AM
This forum seems like a great place to self-announce. Who is up for it?

I was going to run last time until Meg Salyer announced. I'd like to run again in the future after she steps down.

Spartan
11-18-2010, 01:07 PM
Metro, don't you live in Skip Kelly's district (Deep Deuce)? Good luck running there..

metro
11-18-2010, 01:42 PM
No, I live in Ward 6, Meg Salyers district, hence my previous post. After having helped and watch her campaign, I think I could have had a good shot actually, especially by running a good viral social media campaign ala James Lankford.

krisb
11-18-2010, 09:39 PM
Which wards will be open during the next city election cycle? I guess that depends on who is stepping down and who's going for re-election. Pete White said during the last council meeting that he believes at least 3 councilors will not run again.

Spartan
11-18-2010, 11:18 PM
No, I live in Ward 6, Meg Salyers district, hence my previous post. After having helped and watch her campaign, I think I could have had a good shot actually, especially by running a good viral social media campaign ala James Lankford.

Yikes

metro
11-19-2010, 05:42 AM
Why you say yikes?

king183
11-19-2010, 09:18 AM
No, I live in Ward 6, Meg Salyers district, hence my previous post. After having helped and watch her campaign, I think I could have had a good shot actually, especially by running a good viral social media campaign ala James Lankford.

I hope you do run, though I wouldn't rely on social media for a city council race. Those races are won on the doorstep.

I'm serious about starting some group to start recruiting urbanist candidates. I have extensive campaign experience that I'd like to put to use outside of partisan issues. City Council races are a lot easier to win than most people think...if you have a good candidate willing to put in the time.

metro
11-19-2010, 10:14 AM
I hope you do run, though I wouldn't rely on social media for a city council race. Those races are won on the doorstep.

I'm serious about starting some group to start recruiting urbanist candidates. I have extensive campaign experience that I'd like to put to use outside of partisan issues. City Council races are a lot easier to win than most people think...if you have a good candidate willing to put in the time.

king, of course I would not rely solely on social media alone, that'd be foolish. I know it takes door knocking, but not as much as you think. I've ran for City Council before in a suburb. I'm a young professional living downtown, my key demographic is the young/hipsters for the most part, getting out the vote with this crowd coupled with knocking on doors of the affluent in Heritage Hills, Mesta, JPark, Edgemere that have voted in past special elections is what wins local elections. I learned that the hard way last time I ran as I knocked almost every door in my district. I plan on running in the future as my generation is the future of OKC.

CaseyCornett
11-19-2010, 10:51 AM
Metro - Sounds like it might be time to switch your username to your real name if you want to start gaining some name recognition for a future election...

metro
11-19-2010, 11:14 AM
Most people on here no me in real life or real name anyways (especially when Steve calls me out on occasion on his blog).

urbanity
11-24-2010, 09:13 AM
Commentary: Maintaining Ward 2’s legacy http://bit.ly/exweLO

krisb
11-24-2010, 10:52 AM
Commentary: Maintaining Ward 2’s legacy http://bit.ly/exweLO

I thought Ward 6 was the smallest geographically, most densely populated, and the most culturally diverse. Maybe I'm wrong.

Spartan
11-24-2010, 11:00 AM
Ward 6 runs from SW 44th to NW 23rd. Ward 2 runs from NW 23rd to NW 122nd, which Nichols Hills and The Village take a large chunk out of.

Both Bowman and Salyer are tied for my favorite councilors. Their comments are always great and spot-on, 100% of the time. Bowman goes out of his way to champion the inner city and stands up to Walters more than anyone.

LakeEffect
11-24-2010, 12:10 PM
Ward 2 is 19.14 square miles; Ward 6 is 17.91 square miles. Population density is about the same, mainly because of vacant/abandonded properties in the southern part of Ward 6.

Spartan
11-24-2010, 03:46 PM
Well city charter requires that all of the wards be equal in population at the time they are drawn, so not only does that tell you they'll all be pretty equal (thus smaller = denser always) but if one is denser then that signifies population growth.

As for Ward 6--the southern part of it used to have a lot of abandoned homes which have been filled, I would imagine it's as occupied as anywhere in the city and in my experience the inner south side has gotten much denser and grown dramatically just by filling old places, not through new construction like further south where I am actually from. I don't know if there is any way to account for certain demographics that may be undocumented though, as we know is the case in large quantities in the south side. That should be accounted for in terms of services and traffic but not in terms of voter registration, and I don't know which wards are tied to.