Fourteen Norman residents filed for candidacy for the upcoming city council and Norman Public Schools Board of Education elections.
All Norman City Council elections are nonpartisan and residents elected for wards 2, 4, 6 and 8 will serve a two-year term.
Ward 3 and 5 elections will be held following the recent resignations of former Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya and former Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash. Those elected for the Ward 3 and 5 seats will serve until the next election in 2027.
Elections for city council seats will be held on Feb. 10. The election for the NPS Board of Education Office 1 seat will be held on April 6.
Ward 2
Jacy Deck is a project and financial manager and community advocate. According to her campaign website, Deck works at OU’s Advanced Radar Research Center.
If elected, Deck plans to advocate for economic investment specific to Ward 2, affordable housing and infrastructure, mental health community partnerships and stormwater infrastructure, the website reads.
“I’m running because I love this community, and I believe we can lead with both head and heart — balancing fiscal discipline with humanity, so every decision we make builds a Norman that lasts,” Deck wrote on her website.
Russell Rice is a co-founder of Norman Care-A-Vans, a nonprofit that provides transportation to people experiencing homelessness. He is also an organizing member of Red Dirt Collective, a nonprofit that provides mutual aid throughout Norman. By trade, Rice is a union electrician.
In 2024, Rice ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Ward 2 seat, losing to current Councilmember Matt Peacock in a run-off election.
Stephanie Adams is an animal welfare and behavior specialist. She currently works as a pet adoption coordinator for the Norman Animal Welfare, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Adams announced her candidacy in a Facebook post Tuesday. She said in the post she is running for the community members and wants to run with compassion and transparency to Norman residents.
“I am so excited to do it,” Adams said on the post. ”It’s a little nerve-wracking as a first time person doing this and going through all the steps and getting to talk to people I've already talked to. I’m really excited. I think Ward 2 is going to have some really great options.”
Ward 3
Robert Bruce is the current Ward 3 representative for Norman City Council and an Air Force Veteran. He was appointed in October.
Bruce previously served on the city’s Greenbelt Commission. He retired from the Air Force in December 2007 as a lieutenant colonel and commander of the 72nd Contracting Squadron stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. He continued to work at Tinker in civil service for 17 years before retiring earlier this year.
In October, Bruce said his biggest priorities included quick first responder times and the University North Park tax increment finance, or TIF, district. Bruce also said he would support a public vote on the TIF. The city’s website reads that Bruce hopes to promote responsible economic development and advance Norman as an ADA-compliant city.
Cullen Bieger is a Ward 3 resident. According to campaign donation filings from November 2024, Bieger worked for Agiloft, a software company specializing in contract lifecycle management headquartered in California. Bieger donated to Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman’s campaign.
The Daily could not find additional information about Bieger’s campaign.
Ward 4
Helen Grant is running for reelection for the third time. Grant has served as the Ward 4 representative since 2022.
Throughout Grant’s tenure, they have served as chair of the oversight committee and as the city’s alternate to the Oklahoma Municipal League, according to their website.
Some of the priorities listed on Grant’s website include expanding affordable housing solutions, strengthening public transit and walkability, and creating a mental health crisis response program.
“It has been an honor to serve this community, and I remain deeply committed to providing experienced, dependable, and visionary leadership,” Grant wrote on their website.
Cindy Gordon is the director of the human anatomy program at OU and has served as a professor in the School of Biological Sciences at OU for over 21 years.
Gordon served two years in the peace corps as a high school teacher and has won multiple awards and honors including Regent’s Award for Superior Teaching and James and JoAnn Holden Faculty award according to her website.
Gordon opposes the Rock Creek Entertainment District TIF and turnpike development, according to her campaign Facebook page. Her priorities include neighborhood engagement, disciplined economic development and implementing comprehensive solutions to city challenges, particularly homelessness.
Gordon served on the Norman Planning Commission for over five years, and has served on various city committees, including the Porter Corridor Revitalization Committee, Police Chief Search Advisory Committee and Community Development Block Grant program, according to her campaign Facebook page.
Ward 5
Dianna Hutzel was one of the four finalists considered for the Ward 5 interim position. Hutzel has lived in Norman since 1996 and is a Norman High and OU alum.
According to her campaign Facebook page, Hutzel opposes the turnpike development, plans to work to minimize urban sprawl, protect the city's water supply and prioritize responsible spending.
Trey 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 former Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash.
Kirby recently worked with the Food and Nutrition Service and Market Link to create a program for small farms to be able to accept electronic benefit transfer food stamps. The program now spans Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas.
The Daily could not find additional information about Kirby’s campaign.
Shaista Fenwick is a teacher at Moore High School, according to the school district and her LinkedIn page.
Her page also notes she has been a graduate research and teaching assistant for Gaylord School of Mass Communication and Journalism since August 2018. According to OU’s course catalog, she is the primary instructor for “Integrated Arts Education.”
Fenwick has been married to former Norman Transcript editor Ben Fenwick since 2009, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network. Ben Fenwick was considered as a finalist for the interim Ward 5 council member seat in August.
The Daily could not find additional information about Fenwick’s campaign.
Ward 6
Joshua Hinkle is the current Ward 6 council member. Hinkle was born and raised in Norman and has served on city council since July 2024.
Hinkle’s priorities are finding solutions for residents experiencing homelessness, mental health, public safety, responsible community development and engagement with Ward 6, according to his campaign website.
Hinkle has served on multiple boards including the Norman Arts Council Board and the Norman Next board. He currently serves on the business and community affairs committee and the finance committee.
Hinkle helped negotiate the purchase of the Griffin Park Soccer Complex, voted against the turnpike development and championed the new parking and public transportation trust, according to his website.
Hinkle has over 18 years of experience in the banking industry and he currently serves as an assistant vice president at First United Bank.
“I’m excited to continue helping keep the business of the City of Norman moving forward,” Hinkle wrote in a Monday Facebook post.
Kyle Steele is running his campaign based on TIF reform, transparency and proactive democracy, according to his campaign website. He is also outspoken against the turnpike construction set to begin this spring.
“The destruction of homes and environment far outweighs any perceived benefit to the community or state,” Steele wrote on his website.
Steele also believes Norman residents deserve to vote on the Rock Creek Entertainment District Project Plan. He also opposes the use of Flock cameras and supports the addition of a 24/7 homeless shelter in the Griffin Memorial Hospital area, according to his website.
Steel said, if elected, he’d write up bi-weekly updates to ensure transparency, according to his YouTube channel.
“My vision (is) to be a facilitator that empowers Ward 6 residents year round, not just during election cycles, and reform the TIF process to ensure residents have a bigger influence,” Steele wrote on his website.
Ward 8
Scott Dixon has served on city council since July 2024. Dixon also serves on the city council oversight committee and the business and community affairs committee.
Dixon is an OU alum and moved back to Norman in 2008. He currently works as an account manager for NCS Multistage, which provides engineered products and services for oil and natural gas wells.
No other residents filed a candidacy for the Ward 8 seat.
Norman Public Schools
Dirk O’Hara is running for reelection for the NPS Board of Education Office 1 seat. O’Hara has served in the seat since his election in 2014. He ran unopposed in 2016 and against Pixie Quigley in 2021. O’Hara is the owner of Tribute Memorial Care Southwest, a funeral home in Tuttle, Oklahoma.
If elected, O’Hara will prioritize collaboration between the board and district teachers, addressing mental health and hiring diverse teachers, according to his website.
“I’ve made my life in Norman and my family and I are 'all-in' on making sure our kids attend the best schools anywhere,” O’Hara wrote on his website.
No other residents filed a candidacy for the Office 1 seat.
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Natalie Armour.
