2022 OKC Mayoral Race

[nighttrain12]

. . . long time Republican. . .Holt!!!!

But he hasn't always acted 'Republican' during his Mayoral term.

[Jersey Boss]

But he hasn't always acted 'Republican' during his Mayoral term.

How so?

[RangersYear]

How so?

Having a soul comes to mind.

[HangryHippo]

Having a soul comes to mind.

Bravo! 👏

[WheelerD Guy]

Being woke af comes to mind.

Fify

[Mississippi Blues]

Fify

Those darn woke af socialists and their center-right political ideologies.

[foodiefan]

But he hasn't always acted 'Republican' during his Mayoral term.

Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.

John F. Kennedy

[TheTravellers]

Those darn woke af socialists and their center-right political ideologies.

Trying to make life better for everybody, just freaking horrible....

[Pete]

Urbanic is still in the race, but oddly Carol Hefner has deleted all her posts supporting him and has officially thrown her hat in the ring:

https://hefnerformayor.com/

[Richard at Remax]

Oh boy

[Bill Robertson]

Oh boy

My wife told me about Carol running. I laughed. My wife only still follows Carol on FB for the laughable stuff she sees sometimes.

[CCOKC]

Not sure that all the Trump stuff helps her in OKC.

[David]

If she wants to split the crazy right wing vote then more power to her.

[citywokchinesefood]

Nationally I have voted for democrats for every election I have been eligible for since I turned 18. Obviously, I am voting for Holt because he is a solid mayor and exemplifies what republicans should aspire to on the national level. He represents the people of Oklahoma City well and is a great advocate for the best interests of our community.

[PhiAlpha]

My wife told me about Carol running. I laughed. My wife only still follows Carol on FB for the laughable stuff she sees sometimes.

I will say that for all her public craziness, Carol has always been very nice to me and I’ve never had a negative interaction with her.

That said, this should at least be a fairly entertaining road to a dominant Holt win now lol.

[Midtowner]

I will say that for all her public craziness, Carol has always been very nice to me and I’ve never had a negative interaction with her.

That said, this should at least be a fairly entertaining road to a dominant Holt win now lol.

Likely that her social media is all run by consultants and that the crazy thoughts are not her thoughts, but those are the things the so-called professionals think will get you elected. There are some truly stupid political consultants in this metro.

[chssooner]

Likely that her social media is all run by consultants and that the crazy thoughts are not her thoughts, but those are the things the so-called professionals think will get you elected. There are some truly stupid political consultants in this metro.

Not just here. Nationally, it isn't moderates who win elections. It is those who have the strong opinions, one way or the other.

[king183]

Likely that her social media is all run by consultants and that the crazy thoughts are not her thoughts, but those are the things the so-called professionals think will get you elected. There are some truly stupid political consultants in this metro.

This is not a case of consultant-driven madness. It is Carol herself and for proof of that one only need to watch her speech and actions at the city council meeting when the mask mandate was being debated. She was belligerent and saying insane stuff.

[Pete]

I have said many times that one of the biggest things holding OKC back from making the jump from big small town to legitimate big-city culture, is the fact so many people here 'know' each other.

And I put 'know' in quotes because many people think they really know someone but couldn't possibly know them at all. That comment really means, “I've spoken to them a few times.” And from some very superficial interaction there is the extrapolation that he/she is a “good person”.

This is an extreme comparison, but that's exactly what gets said about serial killers. I often say, “They have been nice and friendly to me but for all I know they have bodies buried under their porch.”

Think about how many times people do very terrible things for decades and even their own spouse doesn't know. The point is that you don't ever really know anyone, even someone you are married to and live with.

I judge people by their actions, plain and simple. And believe me, these days people go out of their way to be nice to me because most know I have a voice in this community that people listen to. So, when someone charms me but I have objectively observed and researched some very dark behavior and comments, I don't dismiss what I know just because of how they have made me feel.

Just remember that people that achieve success in any field are usually very charismatic, especially when they want to manipulate someone. Politicians in particular have an innate ability to make the people they interact with feel good about themselves; it's how they get support and votes.

So, the fact you've run into someone a couple of times and they are 'nice' to you should have absolutely no bearing on how you judge them in a broader scope and really has zero relevance in a discussion about someone's character. Bad people don't get very far in life by being overtly bad in social settings. And those who don't get very far have little influence on anything most people care about.

Because most everyone in OKC interacts with politicians and business leaders pretty frequently, there is this overriding culture of not only thinking highly of someone because they chatted with you for 2 minutes, but openly defending them as “good people” when you really know nothing about them at all.

There are a bunch of people in OKC that others praise to the heavens that I believe to be profoundly dishonest, even though I've had very pleasant personal interactions. And the fact that someone is objectively and deeply dishonest should matter, but oftentimes it does not in this city.



It's basically just a good ol' boy culture and it needs to change if we really want to move forward as a community.

(I'm not directly referencing any particular person with these comments, it's just overall observations I've had since I moved back.)

[Midtowner]

This is not a case of consultant-driven madness. It is Carol herself and for proof of that one only need to watch her speech and actions at the city council meeting when the mask mandate was being debated. She was belligerent and saying insane stuff.

I mean.. that pretty much falls in line with what a political consultant would probably advise a candidate to do, i.e., use their current position to somehow stand out from the pack. The trouble with that strategy in a run for OKC mayor is that OKC can't be gerrymandered into a solid red or blue district, so I'm not sure what she's thinking. We've had candidates who are extreme right do extremely poorly in citywide elections. I'm not sure what race she is actually running. I tend to think this act is more about trying to win a primary in CD5 than the OKC mayoral race.

[Jersey Boss]

Carol is way out there on the spectrum on governing. Equally important as the mayoral candidates are the candidates for school boards. Learn about the candidates and positions as there could be some running with similar world views as Carol.

[PhiAlpha]

I have said many times that one of the biggest things holding OKC back from making the jump from big small town to legitimate big-city culture, is the fact so many people here 'know' each other.

And I put 'know' in quotes because many people think they really know someone but couldn't possibly know them at all. That comment really means, “I've spoken to them a few times.” And from some very superficial interaction there is the extrapolation that he/she is a “good person”.

This is an extreme comparison, but that's exactly what gets said about serial killers. I often say, “They have been nice and friendly to me but for all I know they have bodies buried under their porch.”

Think about how many times people do very terrible things for decades and even their own spouse doesn't know. The point is that you don't ever really know anyone, even someone you are married to and live with.

I judge people by their actions, plain and simple. And believe me, these days people go out of their way to be nice to me because most know I have a voice in this community that people listen to. So, when someone charms me but I have objectively observed and researched some very dark behavior and comments, I don't dismiss what I know just because of how they have made me feel.

Just remember that people that achieve success in any field are usually very charismatic, especially when they want to manipulate someone. Politicians in particular have an innate ability to make the people they interact with feel good about themselves; it's how they get support and votes.

So, the fact you've run into someone a couple of times and they are 'nice' to you should have absolutely no bearing on how you judge them in a broader scope and really has zero relevance in a discussion about someone's character. Bad people don't get very far in life by being overtly bad in social settings. And those who don't get very far have little influence on anything most people care about.

Because most everyone in OKC interacts with politicians and business leaders pretty frequently, there is this overriding culture of not only thinking highly of someone because they chatted with you for 2 minutes, but openly defending them as “good people” when you really know nothing about them at all.

There are a bunch of people in OKC that others praise to the heavens that I believe to be profoundly dishonest, even though I've had very pleasant personal interactions. And the fact that someone is objectively and deeply dishonest should matter, but oftentimes it does not in this city.



It's basically just a good ol' boy culture and it needs to change if we really want to move forward as a community.

(I'm not directly referencing any particular person with these comments, it's just overall observations I've had since I moved back.)

For the record, I know you're talking about a broader issue (and I agree with you, I've seen it and have been guilty of it myself at times) but I actually do know the Hefner family fairly well (primarily Carol's children and their spouses) and have spent a decent amount of time around Carol so my opinion wasn't based on a few random encounters.

Having said that, while it's plausible that consultants might be behind some of her more crazier stuff...she's definitely responsible for plenty on her own that I don't agree with (the city council meeting debacle leading the charge). Doesn't matter since I don't live in OKC anymore but my vote would obviously be for Holt as it was the last time around. The guy's done a great job.

[ABryant]

My nonsensical opinion is this: candidates should explain their vision for the city.

[Bill Robertson]

I have said many times that one of the biggest things holding OKC back from making the jump from big small town to legitimate big-city culture, is the fact so many people here 'know' each other.

And I put 'know' in quotes because many people think they really know someone but couldn't possibly know them at all. That comment really means, “I've spoken to them a few times.” And from some very superficial interaction there is the extrapolation that he/she is a “good person”.

This is an extreme comparison, but that's exactly what gets said about serial killers. I often say, “They have been nice and friendly to me but for all I know they have bodies buried under their porch.”

Think about how many times people do very terrible things for decades and even their own spouse doesn't know. The point is that you don't ever really know anyone, even someone you are married to and live with.

I judge people by their actions, plain and simple. And believe me, these days people go out of their way to be nice to me because most know I have a voice in this community that people listen to. So, when someone charms me but I have objectively observed and researched some very dark behavior and comments, I don't dismiss what I know just because of how they have made me feel.

Just remember that people that achieve success in any field are usually very charismatic, especially when they want to manipulate someone. Politicians in particular have an innate ability to make the people they interact with feel good about themselves; it's how they get support and votes.

So, the fact you've run into someone a couple of times and they are 'nice' to you should have absolutely no bearing on how you judge them in a broader scope and really has zero relevance in a discussion about someone's character. Bad people don't get very far in life by being overtly bad in social settings. And those who don't get very far have little influence on anything most people care about.

Because most everyone in OKC interacts with politicians and business leaders pretty frequently, there is this overriding culture of not only thinking highly of someone because they chatted with you for 2 minutes, but openly defending them as “good people” when you really know nothing about them at all.

There are a bunch of people in OKC that others praise to the heavens that I believe to be profoundly dishonest, even though I've had very pleasant personal interactions. And the fact that someone is objectively and deeply dishonest should matter, but oftentimes it does not in this city.



It's basically just a good ol' boy culture and it needs to change if we really want to move forward as a community.

(I'm not directly referencing any particular person with these comments, it's just overall observations I've had since I moved back.)

Like PhiAlpha I din't base my personal knowledge of the Hefners on speaking to them a few times. My wife and I spent many, many hours with them from around 2000 to 2012. We were in a circle of friends that formed at church and got together every other weekend or so. Went on many weekend trips. Then the same group split from the church and worked on starting our own. That involved many long conversations on what everyone's beliefs, philosophies, etc. were and how to integrate them into our church. So, much more than a couple random encounters.

[amocore]

My nonsensical opinion is this: candidates should explain their vision for the city.

It would make too much sense and require real work from the candidates.

I just checked Frank Urbanic website and there is nothing except some bashing of Holt Covid induced closure of the bar and club at 11pm last November and the will to make Homeless go away.
So no program for the city really.