Today marks another Norman election, in which residents will vote on three propositions, a public school board representative, and a new Ward 3 City Council member.
The propositions on the ballot, collectively called “Vision for Norman,” aim to address infrastructural issues related to stormwater and transportation. Proposition 1 is a $72 million transportation bond, Proposition 2 is a $60 million stormwater bond, and Proposition 3 is a stormwater utility fee.
The Ward 3 City Council runoff race is also today, with candidates Alison Petrone and Richard Bailey competing for the seat.
Finally, residents will vote on a representative for Office 4 of the Norman Public Schools Board of Education. The candidates are Victoria McBride, a florist, and Chad Vice, the incumbent and a local business owner. If elected, McBride or Vice would serve a five-year term. Office 4 represents the northwest part of the school district.
Proposition 1 would undertake 19 transportation projects in Norman. It would act as a renewal of a similar 2012 bond and maintain the current tax rate for the city.
Ward 7 councilman Stephen Tyler Holman told The Daily that transportation bonds have generally done well among Norman voters — he said this proposition is the one he’s least worried about.
Proposition 2 would fund 33 stormwater infrastructure projects in an attempt to resolve Norman’s flooding issues. If passed, this would be the city’s first stormwater bond, according to the Vision for Norman website.
Perhaps the most controversial measure on the ballot is Proposition 3, the proposed stormwater utility fee. Stephen Ellis, an OU philosophy professor who also studies economics, told The Daily that the tax was regressive — he said the buildings that create the most runoff would pay a lower percent of the total cost.
But many City Council members, including Holman, said they believe the passage of this measure is imperative to solving flooding, which can be dangerous.
Back in February, Ward 3 City Council candidates Petrone and Bailey secured 49.84 percent and 44.81 percent of the vote, respectively, defeating third candidate Patrick Ahern. Since neither Petrone or Bailey secured a majority vote, Norman residents must vote again today.
For more information about each candidate, click here. To confirm your voter registration and find you polling place, click here.
