Norman City Council swore in its new Ward 5 council member and made appointments to the Human Rights commission at its Tuesday meeting.
Ward 5 candidate appointment
The news: Council appointed Brandon Nofire to the Ward 5 seat, approving a recommendation from the Ward 5 candidate selection committee.
Nofire’s appointment follows former Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash’s resignation last month.
Ward 5 councilmember Brandon Nofire during city hall on Sept. 9.
An Oklahoma native and member of the Cherokee nation, Nofire is an OU graduate and former U.S. Marine. Nofire ran for Oklahoma State Senate District 15 in 2024 as a Republican and lost in a six-way primary election that Lisa Standridge eventually won.
During his interview with the Ward 5 candidate selection committee, Nofire said he believes the main issues in Ward 5 are the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s ACCESS Oklahoma project, the Rock Creek Entertainment District Project Plan and homelessness.
What they’re saying: Nofire told OU Daily after the meeting that he was nervous about filling the seat, but believes he can serve his community by opposing the proposed turnpike connector in Ward 5.
Two turnpikes are planned for the Norman area: the South Extension Turnpike and the East-West Connector. The South Extension would run approximately 19 miles through Cleveland County to south I-35 in Slaughterville. The East-West Connector would run about 28 miles, connecting Interstate 44 near Newcastle to Interstate 40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike across north Norman. OTA will release a revised alignment for the South Extension Turnpike later this month.
“I will absolutely use this platform to continue fighting against the turnpike and hopefully delay it, if not, stop it,” Nofire said. “Stopping it’s the goal.”
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman told OU Daily after the meeting that he feels good about the appointment decision.
“(Nofire has) been active in the community for a couple of years,” Holman said. “I’m excited to have him on.”
Holman said Nofire understands the turnpike issue well.
“He’ll do a great job representing the views of Ward 5 residents,” Holman said. “He will be very thorough in communicating with his constituents in Ward 5 about that issue as we learn more about the proposed routes.”
Dianna Hutzel, a Ward 5 resident who interviewed for the seat, congratulated Nofire on his appointment.
“I wish you the best as you step into this role,” Hutzel said. “Residents in Ward 5 are really depending on you and I look forward to going to your first meeting that you host for your community.”
Human Rights Commission appointments
The news: Rachel Wyatt-Swanson, a Ward 8 resident, and Brandon Clark, a Ward 5 resident, were appointed to the Human Rights Commission.
The Human Rights Commission is responsible for administering the civil rights portion of city code. According to the commission’s bylaws, it is responsible for encouraging fair treatment among residents and promoting the education of rights provided in city code.
What they’re saying: Holman said when he took office as mayor in July, the commission only had two members.
“One of my goals (as mayor) was to get that committee filled as quickly as we could,” Holman said. “Now we have a full Human Rights Commission.”
Ward 1 Councilmember David Gandesbery said he’s glad to see Wyatt-Swanson be appointed to the commission.
“I’ve worked with her personally in the community on several different projects,” Gandesbery said. “She’s a very, very hard worker and also somebody that truly cares for our (residents)s.”
The vote: The appointments were made unanimously.
Urban forestry plan
The news: Council discussed the city’s urban forest master plan during its conference meeting.
A presentation from Dana Karcher, market manager for Davey Resource Group, focused on the urban forest master plan’s 20-year vision, the forestry program and recommendations for an action plan.
Karcher said she collaborated with the city’s forestry services to make the master plan.
“(An urban forest) is all of the trees in the community - it's not just the trees the city manages,” Karcher said.
Roughly $449,947 or 0.16% of the city’s general budget was allocated to the urban forestry master plan. That’s about 0.31% less than the average for other southern towns, according to the presentation.
The plan recommends a $1 million increase to the budget to add three more staff members in forestry services.
Other recommendations outlined in the presentation include conducting routine maintenance of public trees every 5 to 10 years, monitoring and managing invasive species and pests, creating a long term planting plan for parks, and co-hosting volunteer plant days.
The presentation noted that the majority of Normanites do not think public parks have enough trees. Around 44% of surveyors responded that trees can pose threats during storms and 35% noted they can cause damage to utilities, according to the presentation.
According to the presentation, the city has planted 687 trees, pruned 610 trees, removed 85 trees and given away 900 trees from 2021-24.
What they’re saying: Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant asked Karcher about the state of federal funding for forestry services.
“There are many states that will no longer have a program this year,” Karcher said.
Karcher added most cities fund forestry programs through taxes.
This story was edited by Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza.
