“Unlikely candidate” and Norman native Alice Stephenson-Leuck placed her bid for Norman mayor to address Norman’s “essential needs” and ask the Riverwind Casino to build a “state-of-the-art” homeless rehabilitation center.
Leuck is retired from a 20-acre farm and said, from 2004 to 2009, she spent her free time speaking with people across the globe on Dr. Phil’s message board. Leuck said she consoled many people who expressed feelings of suicide and helped over 20 people “choose life.”
Leuck said her decision to run was a Christmas gift to herself, and she is campaigning in memory of her parents and grandparents. The Norman City Council’s decision to reallocate $865,000 from a proposed police budget increase in 2020 also sparked Leuck’s interest in the mayoral seat, she said.
Projects like the opening of the Blake Baldwin Skatepark at Andrews Park in 2020 are an example of how the city doesn’t focus on “essential needs” like the Norman Police Department, Leuck said. If elected, Leuck said she would work to reallocate money from Norman Forward — a citizen-initiated proposal to renovate and expand public facilities — to fund infrastructure, sewage, police and recycling.
Leuck said, just as people should respect the police, the police should respect people. She said sometimes police officers get “carried away,” citing an incident in Dallas in which she was threatened as an example.
In the early-to-mid ’90s, Leuck said she was stopped by an officer while driving through a North Dallas neighborhood. At the time, robberies involving a white truck, similar to the vehicle she drove, had occurred in the area, Leuck said.
“When I was slow (to grab my driver’s license), (the officer) said, ‘Don't try to run off unless you think you can outrun my shotgun,’” Leuck said. “That really scared me. I burst into tears. I know sometimes they do get carried away. I wasn't even thinking about running away. I just had my license in the glove box. The day any of us thinks we can't do better is the day we need (to do better) most and today's that day on all sides.”
To address Norman’s homeless population, Leuck said she’d request the Riverwind Casino fund a “state-of-the-art” recovery center. Leuck said she believes there’s a link between homelessness and gambling.
Leuck cited a 2012 article by the Philidelphia Magazine that compiled various studies, including a survey of 1,100 clients at Rescue Missions nationwide that reported 18 percent of clients said gambling was a cause of their homelessness. There is no data linking homelessness to gambling in Norman.
“I will march over there and ask them to (pay for a facility),” Leuck said. “I think they should accept responsibility.”
In January 2020, the Norman Human Rights Commission recommended Norman enact policies to become a sanctuary city. In response, Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-Broken Arrow) filed a bill preventing cities and state agencies from creating any sanctuary policies, according to The Oklahoman.
Leuck said if she were mayor during the time, she would have vetoed the potential policy, although the mayor does not have veto power. She said immigration laws maintain order, prevent organized crime and the exploitation of illegal immigrants for cheap labor.
“The exploitation of children to enter the country illegally (and) using children for emotional blackmail and for aid both in the (U.S.) and abroad is abhorrent,” Leuck said. “The exploitation of illegal immigrants taking their life savings to be lied to that it is okay to enter America illegally.”
When asked about her plans to address the COVID-19 pandemic, if elected, Leuck said she’s “unsure” of how she feels about face masks. She began masking before it was recommended by health officials and continues to mask, but said improper care of masks and wearing them incorrectly “defeats the purpose” of masking.
“A lot of children and adults are stuffing their face masks into their pockets,” Leuck said. “If they have change in there that day, that’s a contaminator.”
Leuck said she feels people’s reluctance to wear face masks might be a result of poor leadership in the Republican and Democratic parties. She said she was offended by the Black Lives Matter protests and campaign rallies held by former President Donald Trump during the pandemic.
Norman is painted as a “poster-child for racism,” Leuck said. She said Norman has progressed in terms of diversity and, because of it, she’s not prejudiced.
“I feel like Norman has come a long way,” Leuck said. “A lot of people have internalized hatred over history they've read or being from other cities. It doesn't mean racism doesn't exist here. It just means that Norman isn't the poster child of it.”
Leuck’s campaign is founded on her love for the Earth, young people and a desire to “back the blue,” she said. Leuck said she wants Norman residents to take care of each other.
“Life itself is a team effort. What can I say? I love people, I love Norman, (and) I love the Earth,” Leuck said. “Let’s be good stewards of the Earth and one another, behaving reasonably, responsibly, rationally and respectfully.”
Mayoral and city council elections will take place Tuesday, Feb. 8. In-person absentee voting takes place Thursday and Friday, Feb. 3-4. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the runoff election will take place Tuesday, April 5. For more information on where, when and how to vote, visit the Cleveland County Election Board website.
