Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. faculty, staff and alumni on campus and around the world for more than 100 years? 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. Thats why I really like what the stormwater citizen committee has come up with. Im voting no on all of them because we have bypassed, I think, the opportunity to turn the funding source for the implementation of those programs to be derived from resident investments. Mayor | City of Norman, OK Information on City Council and Committee Meetings City of Norman, OK Building an Inclusive Community Mayor How Do I? Norman Mayor Breea Clark looks up her election numbers during her watch party, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Blackbird Gastropub. is a wildly inappropriate breach of municipal governments non-partisan nature, Clark said. Clark missed the mayoralforum due to a work conflict, but later said in an interviewshe supports fully fundingthe police department. He also voiced support for no-tax transportation bonds that would allow Norman to build a new traffic management center. 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. AlthoughHeikkila saidthe council shouldn't be sofocused on issues related to homelessness, he said the city should work with the state to get mental health treatment for those who need it and try to entice moreproperty owners to offer government-subsidizedaffordable housing. The conservative candidatehas been criticized for being in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, for a rally led by former President Donald Trump, although Kish says she was nowhere near the U.S. Capitol when a pro-Trump mob stormed the building. You have permission to edit this article. E-mail: breea@ou.edu. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote inTuesday's election, the top two vote getters will square off in an April 5 runoff election. He credited "a grassroots campaign" who wanted a change. Midway Bob, Dr. Kish, Ms. Leuck, and again, mayor-elect Heikkila, I wish you the very best.. On campus, she has served on the Universitys Legal Panel, Speakers Bureau, and the Committee on Discrimination and Harassment. Weve never addressed this, ever. accounts, the history behind an article. It was an election both candidates fought on battleground issues facing Norman, from increasing police funding to boost staff levels to economic development and quality of life projects to retain families and attract tourism to the city. 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. Use the 'Report' link on Its a need for our city, Hickman said. Im invested in both [the City of Norman and OU], and so Im going to make sure our negotiations are fair.. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2008, she started working for the . She also served on various task forces with Norman Public Schools. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.. Clear skies. Norman Mayor Breea Clark looks up her election numbers during her watch party, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, at Blackbird Gastropub. E.W. She addressed her relationship with the university in an interview with NonDoc. Her mayoral tenure became defined largely by the coronavirus pandemic and nationwide policing debate. 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 . We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to stretch those federal dollars, build partnerships and collaborate to solve long-standing problems in our community.. While the group also endorsed candidates in Wards 2, 4 and 6, none were elected. First. In that race, 13,068 total votes were cast. Runoff: Mayor Breea Clark to face Larry Heikkila in April. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. City of Norman, 201 W Gray St,Norman, OK 73069, Information on City Council and Committee Meetings. The incumbent also thanked Thompson for running a clean race. She saidRiverwind Casino,owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, is the reason homelessness is on the rise in Norman. "We're still in the middle of this crisis,and there's no one better equipped to keep us going forward in our recovery,with an optimistic view to the future," Clark said. Citizen efforts to force a recall election of Norman Mayor Breea Clark have fallen short, yet the recall effort also showed broad public displeasure with Clark's performance. 2. Theres no room for political ideology or political party in local government, because were not tackling issues like abortion or gun rights. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring pledge. By July 2020, the group attempted to trigger a recall election for Clark and several Norman city council members. Phone: (405) 325-2501. or anything. University of Oklahoma College of Law, J.D., 2008. He said its the key to bringing our community back together., Im proud that my message has been both positive and optimistic, he said. He moved to Norman in 1978 and was a longtime City of Norman employee who now sits on several Cleveland County citizen boards. He also recently chaired thecitys Charter Review Committee. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the electiondespitewidely debunked claims of election fraud spread by Trump and his supporters. The individuals who do it, they dont take on debt. There was a problem saving your notification. Once she returned from the nation's capital, Kish said she was harassed, stalked and doxxed by "leftists" that called her practice numerous times a day for weeks on end, leading her to hire off-duty Norman police officers as security. Heikkila received 53.39% of the votes, beating incumbent Breea Clark. The more we can collaborate, the more we can stretch our dollars to do the most good.. 32. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Clark received 4.45% more of the votes than Heikkila in the primary. It looks like Norman was really ready to put a teacher on the school board, Ruggiers said. 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. Mayor Breea Clark pursues second term, prioritizes homelessness, stormwater, encouraging voter participation, The Wichita, Kansas natives Norman ties began in 2005, when she moved to Oklahoma to attend the OU College of Law after receiving a bachelors degree in political science at Wichita State University. During his service, he served four years in the Submarine Force, and twenty two years as a US Navy Seabee. Breea Clark's Political Summary . Full Name: Breea Clark. 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. Norman, OK 73019-4004. Before receiving her J.D. Heikkila received 53.39% of the votes, beating incumbent Breea Clark. There was a problem saving your notification. She also supported the city council ordinance requiring masks in public. 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.. Issue Category All . Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. So I'm glad that people are watching and participating.. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma's law school anddirector of OU'sJ.C. Penney Leadership Center, Clark decided to run for reelection because she believes she's the best person to continue guiding Norman through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. news. You have permission to edit this article. Part of that solution should involve more collaboration between rural and urban Normanites, she added. Be Nice. Mayor, City of Norman, Oklahoma, 2019-present. While the decision still resulted in an overall budget increase for NPD, the meeting encouraged the formation of Unite Norman. 2023 Whitbeck Bennett | Website By CC&A Strategic Media. This is a really important election for Norman, Hickman said, adding that the new mayor will appoint a new city manager and a new city attorney and that he has the necessary experience to do so. We make a whopping $100 a month to do this, so its certainly not for the money. Mayor Heikkila and his wife have two adult children. Share Background Report Overview of Breea Diane Clark Lives in: Norman, Oklahoma Phone: View phone number Age: 39 Breea Clark's Voter Registration Low near 40F. We need someone who can bring us together moving forward.. What Is Breea Clark's Political Party? Address: 307 W. Brooks. She also said she wants to help the city prioritize how to spendmillions in federal aid comingfrom the American Plan Act and the $1 trillion infrastructure package. Low near 40F. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the runoff election will take place Tuesday, April 5. After nearly deciding she would surrender the mayorship after a single term, Clark said support shes received from community leadership inspired her to run again. "I am humbled, and so very honored the citizens of Norman have chosen me to become Normans next mayor," Heikkila said. Saying she couldnt previously support the status quo of policing in Norman, Clark defended her vote nearly two years ago to cut $865,000, or 3.6%, from thedepartments proposed budget request that sought a funding increase. Some Norman conservatives are hopeful this election could lead to a sea change in city leadership, especially after two Republicans with ties to Unite Norman were elected to the council over the summer. The two candidates made their cases to voters in a final push to get out the vote. 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.. Weve made a lot of progress in the last three years, and were just getting started. She serves on Normans ABLE Board, and continues to champion opportunities for the disabled. government. At one point during the pandemic, I called our city manager (Darrel Pyle) and said, Darrel, I am like 99 percent sure Im not running again.. Previously, he served the citizens of Norman with seventeen years of service as an employee of the City of Norman. In 2019, propositions for stormwater utility bond projects and a stormwater utility fee. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.