Ward 5 Norman City Councilmember Rarchar Tortorello will face former Councilmember and former Pike Off OTA president Michael Nash in a runoff election on Tuesday, April 4.
During the February election, incumbent Tortorello faced Nash and small business owner Cindi Tuccillo. Tortorello received 39.98 percent of votes cast and Nash received 34.51 percent, according to results from the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Rachar Tortorello
Tortorello defeated Nash in 2021 to win his first term as council member for Ward 5. He serves on the council’s finance committee and regularly volunteers with the city’s Volunteer Emergency Response Team.
Tortorello told OU Daily during his campaign that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s ACCESS Oklahoma project, which aims to build a new toll road through the ward, is Ward 5’s most pressing issue.
Tortorello said the Norman City Council will continue to support residents as they advocate against the proposed turnpike.
The council unanimously approved a resolution in March 2022 that expressed opposition to ACCESS. In August 2022, the council hired an outside law firm to take legal action against OTA, later filing a brief in September with the Oklahoma Supreme Court opposing the authority’s $500 million bond issue.
Tortorello said he hopes to preserve Ward 5’s way of life by protecting Lake Thunderbird, the Garber-Wellington Aquifer and wildlife. He said it is important to protect the city’s water supply despite Norman’s rapid population growth.
“I know that change is coming,” Tortorello said. “We have to temper that change by the availability and impact to our natural resources, and that is water. We cannot allow anything going forward that would impact that source of life.”
Tortorello also told OU Daily in February that he was advocating for bridge repairs and emergency response times in Ward 5. He also said homelessness and public safety fundings are his priorities regarding citywide issues.
Tortorello, along with Ward 3 Councilmember Kelly Lynn and Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila, are the three self-proclaimed “conservatives” on city council. Lynn lost reelection to Bree Montoya and could lose his seat before his term expires as the city will take him to court next week for holding dual offices. If Tortorello loses, Heikkila may remain as the sole “conservative” on council.
During his campaign, Tortorello focused on the importance of nonpartisanship, saying council needs to return to the political center to gain the trust of its residents.
“There are so many things that we've done on council together,” Tortorello said. “Working together in a nonpartisan manner is what the people are asking us to do, so that's what I've done.”
Michael Nash
Nash, who was placed on the ballot by petition, is a fourth-generation Normanite and United States Marine veteran. He was appointed to council in 2020 after former Ward 5 Councilmember Sereta Wilson resigned. Nash served for just under a year before he lost the 2021 election to Tortorello.
Nash also founded and formerly served as the president of Pike Off OTA, a grassroots organization formed in opposition to ACCESS Oklahoma projects. Nash said council needs to be doing more to support residents that could be affected by the turnpike, telling OU Daily in February that it was one of his inspirations for running.
Nash also said he aims to protect the city’s water supply and the state law allows a broad authority for this protection.
Nash hopes to uphold the 2060 Strategic Water Supply Plan, a long-range comprehensive plan working to maintain water independence for Norman. Nash said its also important to ensure Ward 5 remains rural to better protect the water supply.
“If any part of the city thinks that our water supply or the 2060 Strategic Water Supply Plan or Lake Thunderbird aren’t important, or even if this turnpike isn’t going to impact them, they’re absolutely wrong,” Nash said. “Anything that happens to our water supply is going to hit the pocketbooks of every resident in Norman.”
Nash said he wants to improve emergency response times in Ward 5 by implementing a satellite department so responses can improve without increasing patrols. He said he wants to ensure the 2025 Land Use Plan aligns with a long-range vision for Norman.
According to Nash, a committee will soon be chosen for 2045 Land Use Plan and the city needs to ensure the right people are chosen for that committee.
“That land use plan really is the most important document that protects us from unnecessary development,” Nash said. “We want real people on that committee, … ideally people who have lived here for decades and understand the city, the overall vision of the city and what we’re trying to achieve and ultimately trying to preserve.”
Nash said if elected, he wants to return to nonpartisanship and professionalism on council. He said partisanship has always found its way onto council, but it has never been as divisive as it is now.
The Ward 5 runoff as well as the Norman Public School Board Office 3 seat runoff will be held on Tuesday, April 4. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on where, when and how to vote, visit the Cleveland County Election Board website.
This story was edited by Alexia Aston. Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
