The League of Women Voters of Norman hosted a city council candidate forum Wednesday evening.
Candidates answered questions from Norman residents in a panel format.
Ward 2 candidates Jacy Deck, Russell Rice and Stephanie Adams attended the forum.
Deck is a project and financial manager and works at OU’s Advanced Radar Research Center, according to her website. Rice is a union electrician and co-founded Norman Care-A-Vans, a nonprofit that provides transportation to people experiencing homelessness. Adams is an animal welfare and behavioral specialist and previously worked as a pet adoption coordinator for Norman Animal Welfare.
Incumbent Ward 3 Candidate Robert Bruce was in attendance but candidate Cullen Bieger was not.
Bruce retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in December 2007 and continued to work in civil service at Tinker Air Force Base before retiring in 2025. Bieger has two decades of experience working in information technology.
Incumbent ward 4 candidate Helen Grant and candidate Cindy Gordon were in attendance.
This election is Grant’s third time running for reelection since joining council in 2022. Grant has served as chair of the oversight committee and as the city’s alternate to the Oklahoma Municipal League. Gordon is the director of the Human Anatomy program at OU and has been a professor for over 21 years. Gordon has served on the city’s planning commission and other committees, according to her campaign Facebook page.
Ward 5 candidates Shaista Fenwick and Dianna Hutzel attended, but Trey Kirby did not.
Fenwick is a teacher at Moore High School, according to the school district. Hutzel was one of four finalists considered for the Ward 5 interim position following the resignation of Michael Nash. Kirby owns Kirby Land and Cattle and is a facilities manager for a cannabis facility in Oklahoma City. Kirby unsuccessfully ran for the Ward 5 seat in the February election, losing to Nash.
Incumbent Ward 6 candidate Joshua Hinkle and candidate Kyle Steele attended the forum.
Hinkle has over 18 years of experience in the banking industry and he currently works as an assistant vice president at First United Bank. He serves on the business and community affairs committee and the finance committee. Steele has over ten years of experience in IT and is a self-employed server administrator, according to his website.
Incumbent Ward 8 candidate Scott Dixon is running unopposed. He wrote in a Facebook comment Monday he was not originally invited to the forum and had reached out to the League of Women Voters of Norman because a previous uncontested candidate had been invited to participate in a prior forum.
“I was told they had a board meeting in a few days and would make a decision and let me know. A week went by so I made plans for my job that pays the mortgage,” Dixon wrote. “After more than a week after my initial inquiry, (the League of Women Voters of Norman) reached out and said I could give a two minute-opening statement and that’s it.”
Dixon was not in attendance.
Homeless shelter
Candidates were asked if they supported the potential homeless shelter and its proposed location along Reed Avenue south of Main Street.
All candidates were in favor of the proposed homeless shelter.
Rice encouraged residents to support those working to help the unhoused population.
Adams said there are already people experiencing homelessness in the area because that is where resources are.
“A homeless shelter is going to bring resources and solutions, not more problems,” Adams said.
Hutzel supports the shelter going to a vote of the people. She said she has heard residents’ concerns about the operating cost and details and wants residents to have a greater understanding of how it will be funded.
“The city … has not defined any of the costs and they have vacillated back and forth as far as whether it is a 24/7 shelter or it’s an overnight shelter,” Hutzel said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Candidates were asked what they would do if the city was asked to support ICE.
Rice, Adams, Deck, Gordon, Grant, Fenwick, Hinkle and Steele said they would not support ICE.
“I support our police department,” Adams said. “While I trust our leadership and I trust our judgement, I am not supportive of ICE coming in with procedures denying people of their civil rights.”
Bruce questioned if council would have a choice in supporting ICE.
“Laws make a civil society,” Bruce said. “What do the laws say regarding supporting ICE? Do we have a choice until it’s written differently?”
Hutzel said she would not violate federal law.
“I’m a firm believer in supporting the law, but I also believe in citizens’ rights. So any law that is enforced should be done with citizens’ rights in mind, but it is federal law,” Hutzel said. “As an officer, if I were voted to city council, I couldn't sit here and violate federal law, but I would certainly support our citizens and ensure they are treated properly and everything is done the way it should be done.”
Watershed preservation
Candidates were asked what they would do to ensure the preservation of Norman’s watershed.
Fenwick expressed concern over what kinds of pesticides are sprayed on properties in the watershed. Fenwick also advocated for stricter compliance of existing watershed protection policies.
“I want to make it a real problem for folks who violate those existing statutes,” Fenwick said.
Hutzel noted that Moore and Oklahoma City share a watershed with Norman.
“I would like to see more effort from them because what they do runs downstream to us and (Lake Thunderbird),” Hutzel said.
Grant said limiting urban sprawl toward the watershed could help preserve it. Grant acknowledged pesticide concerns and encouraged residents to be mindful of the chemicals they use. Grant also noted the mesocosm study from the Norman Water Reclamation Facility on how chemicals break down in natural wetland environments.
Gordon said the issue was important to her because of her work as a scientist. She said a turnpike would not help the situation. Gordon believes the watershed can be preserved by capturing water runoff and maintaining stormwater infrastructure.
Deficit city spending
Last year, city budget experts projected a negative general fund balance in eight years if no changes are made.
Rice and Grant expressed support for city audits. In October, former City Auditor Shaakira Calnick resigned due to municipal code requiring the city auditor to be a certified public accountant. Calnick worked for the city for almost two years due to an incorrect job listing.
The position has not been filled since Calnick’s resignation. Council recently discussed amending city charter to add qualifications to the position.
“We had an internal auditor and I would really like to get one hired again,” Grant said.
Gordon and Hutzel shared ideas for bringing more visitors to the city to increase sales tax.
“On Campus Corner, (there are) seven vacant storefronts during the middle of an SEC season with five home games,” Hutzel said. “Why is that?”
Fenwick said council has a responsibility to be careful when working to reduce the city budget.
“A budget is a moral document,” Fenwick said. “We can cut things, but we do need to make sure that when we cut, we’re not cutting our morals.”
Hinkle noted the potential increase to hotel guest room taxes that council has discussed adding to the April ballot. The proposed increase would raise the hotel guest room tax from 8% to 10%.
“It shows that tourism is coming into Norman at increasing rates,” Hinkle said. “Other people’s money contributes a lot to our sales tax.”
Adams said sales tax revenue could be increased by bringing commerce back to “core Norman.”
“How can we get development back into the south side of Norman, …” Adams asked. “Ward 2, we’re the gateway to core Norman.”
Bruce mentioned partnering with the university to bring jobs to the city.
“I want to see leveraging the university a little bit more as far as (a) partnership with IT,” Bruce said. “Bring those high-paying jobs to Norman.”
Public transit
Hutzel expressed support for the city’s public transportation and said she wants to ensure vehicles are accessible.
Hinkle also expressed support, citing the recent unanimous vote of city council to create the Norman Parking and Transit Authority, which will establish a public trust for parking and transit operations. According to a presentation at Council’s Dec. 2 study session, projected revenue from the trust in 2026 is $364,000.
“We now have a funding mechanism that we’ve never had before that other big cities have,” Hinkle said. “This will be something that is very, very big for Norman in the upcoming years as our population grows.”
Rice raised concerns about transportation costs and the accessibility of bus stops.
“There are some people walking half a mile to a bus stop,” Rice said. “How do you know it’s going to work on Friday when they gotta walk home at 9 p.m. half a mile in ten inches of snow?”
Grant noted the upcoming Regional Transit Authority of Central Oklahoma vote.
“That will integrate our bus system and microtransit system and rail with OKC and Edmond,” Grant said. “Should voters pass that, that would greatly expand our options.
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton and Madisson Cameron.
