Editor's note: OU Daily conducts a background check on all candidates in all elections. While examining a past record, the Daily will take into account any case details, timeframe of the incident and overall record while deciding what to include in election coverage. All Norman city elections are nonpartisan, and OU Daily will not note party affiliations unless a candidate self-declares as part of their campaign platform.
To secure a win in the Feb. 11 election, a candidate must receive over 50% of the total vote. If no candidate receives the required votes, the two candidates who received the most will compete in a runoff election on April 1. Those elected will be sworn in on July 1 and serve a two-year term.
This article was updated on 10:13 a.m. Jan. 30 to include information from Cindi Tuccillo clarifying how long she has lived in Norman.
Michael Nash, Trey Kirby and Cindi Tuccillo will face off for the Ward 5 Norman City Council seat in the Feb. 11 municipal election.
City of Norman is divided into eight geographical areas called Wards. The voters in each ward elect a council member to represent them, and al…
Michael Nash views, platform
Nash, current Ward 5 councilmember, is a mechanical engineer and founder of Nautilus Technologies, a company that consults and contracts for startups.
After growing up in Norman and graduating high school, Nash served in the U.S. Marine Corps for about four years. He returned to Oklahoma in 2007, going on to earn a doctorate in mechanical engineering from OU in 2018. Nash was a founding member of Pike Off OTA, a nonprofit that fights the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority expansion.
Nash was first appointed to the seat in 2020 when former Councilmember Sereta Wilson resigned. He served until July 2021 and was reelected in April 2023.
Nash said he’s running again because he has “unfinished business” to pursue on council, which includes an ordinance mandating environmental studies and finding long-term solutions for Norman residents experiencing homelessness.
“People seem to appreciate the job that I’m doing,” Nash said. “They collectively decided I’m their preferred representative, and that's democracy in action, giving them the opportunity to choose.”
He said local government is important because it accomplishes needed changes in people’s lives, even if it’s as small as filling a pothole in front of their house.
“Little things like that, making sure that the government is working on behalf of the people and not the other way around,” Nash said.
Nash has spent nearly his entire life in Norman, and he said anything that threatens Norman is a threat to his home.
“When I was in the Marine Corps on deployment, this is the place that I thought about wanting to go back to, and this is always the most important place to me,” Nash said.
Homelessness
Nash said he’s optimistic about City Care running A Friend’s House and prioritizing permanent housing for guests who treat it as a permanent shelter. The shelter was originally intended for emergency overnight guests, but according to Nash, some guests have been there for months, keeping others out on the streets.
Nash said the best solution is to work with local nonprofits to promote existing resources, rather than pouring more money into permanent shelters that don’t prioritize permanent housing. When people experiencing homelessness are better connected to all the options available, they can make informed decisions, he said.
“Our goal should just be getting these people off the streets into a better situation,” Nash said. “Regardless of the side of the aisle, one thing I found is that overwhelmingly, ... whether they're Republican or Democrat, is they agree that on this one topic, in this aspect that they want to help get people off the streets and into better situations.”
Nash said he and Darrel Pyle, city manager, worked to ensure recreational centers can be converted into emergency shelters when the weather gets dangerously cold.
The city must find a long-term solution to the homelessness crisis, Nash said, and he expects such a large effort will require a publicly-voted bond project. Having the support of all the wards will be crucial, he said.
“This is public money that we need the approval of the public, and it doesn't mean that we can just dismiss half of the town's population because we don't agree with them,” Nash said. “We can find that middle ground. We need to find a way to get everybody on board.”
Public safety
Nash said he is working on an ordinance that would prevent people from building structures and having personal items greater than a cubic yard on public property, which would prevent homeless encampments and address health and safety issues.
It’s also important to provide resources for people without homes, Nash said. He hopes Norman will create an outreach team to connect people to preexisting organizations that can provide options for them.
Affordable housing
Nash said as people buy smaller homes to keep as rental properties, young homebuyers’ options become scarce, and they are robbed of an entry point into homeownership. As prices continue to increase, he said owning a home will become rare.
“That nightmare scenario is one of the small things that I'd like to see guided back into a direction of being in the hands of the people, rather than the hands of a select wealthy few,” Nash said.
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
As a founding member of Pike Off OTA, Nash said he is careful to put aside his biases against the OTA, but he is opposed to all turnpikes.
ACCESS Oklahoma is a 15-year, $8 billion plan to develop new turnpikes and expand existing highways across Oklahoma. The original project was approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in August 2023.
The proposed turnpike in the OTA’s ACCESS Oklahoma plan will act as a barrier between Norman and Moore, he said, cutting off economic growth. According to Nash, only chain gas stations, hotels and fast food restaurants can thrive in an environment like that.
Nash said he is working on a moratorium on large building permits and an ordinance requiring in-depth environmental studies on big developments, which will hopefully remedy issues with the OTA’s plan.
The OTA’s existing environmental impact studies are not rigorous enough, Nash said, and the turnpike will hurt Norman’s water resources by going through its watershed.
“We're doing everything that we can to at least ensure that if it's going to happen, that the people in the city are going to be safe,” Nash said.
The city has the authority to sue the OTA for water supply pollution, Nash said, but only after the damage has been done. Nash estimates that damage to Lake Thunderbird could cost $500 million, which, according to him, the city cannot afford.
“The question becomes, ‘What do we need to do now to make sure that we have all the evidence that we need to win that court case?’” Nash said.
Entertainment district
Nash was one of the four council members who voted against the controversial Rock Creek Entertainment District project plan, which passed last September. The plan would fund the project through a pair of tax increment finance districts, one collecting sales tax and the other property tax. Residents protested, and many said the TIFs would deplete Norman’s general fund and take money that would have otherwise funded public schools.
According to Nash, Ward 5 doesn’t want the entertainment district, and it’s his responsibility as a neutral party to represent his constituents.
“We don't know if its construction is going to burn the city down, or we don't know if not constructing it is going to burn the city down — we have no idea,” Nash said. “A lot of it's just speculative economics that most of us aren't qualified to even start analyzing in depth.”
Nash said the project has both risk and promise. He said the diversion of all sales tax in the district to the project will deplete the city’s general fund. Additionally, the district will attract spending that would otherwise happen in other areas in Norman, but the TIF will take all of that new sales tax, Nash said.
According to Nash, a TIF that takes all sales tax in an area is rare because most take only a portion. The project shouldn’t have moved forward with such an irresponsible financial plan, Nash said, and he wants the developers to revise the plan and bring it to council again.
“This being 100% to the TIF is insane, frankly stupid, but they did it because they thought that the council was ignorant, naive enough to do it, and unfortunately, they're right,” he said.
Nash signed the community petition aiming to bring the entertainment district to a public vote and helped gather signatures and promote the effort. Nash said, considering how quickly signatures were gathered — over 11,000 in about a month — it is clear that Norman does not want the district.
Promoting local business
Nash said he doesn’t want Norman to be full of generic chain franchises, so the city must support the small businesses that give it its unique culture.
“Local businesses are what define a community,” Nash said. “They're the impression that people who visit us are left with, and money that flows through those local businesses really (goes) further to have an economic impact to Norman than money flowing through franchises.”
Preserving the environment
Having Lake Thunderbird and its watershed puts Norman in a special situation, Nash said, allowing the city to be water independent. It also gets to monitor and access that water supply, and can catch when there’s a problem before it becomes a bigger issue, he said.
“We need to identify the causes before they turn into those larger scale, long term consequences,” Nash said. “That's where knowing our stormwater and understanding our water quality in our stormwater is kind of critical.”
The city needs to be conscious of any development that could threaten water quality and independence, Nash said.
Responsible growth
According to Nash, Norman is growing at a great rate, despite irresponsible policy being pushed that forces artificial growth. The city must stay vigilant to prevent that, he said.
“I'm not anti-development or anti-progress. I'm pro smart development and smart progress,” Nash said. “Jumping ahead and growing that quickly in that short of a time frame, it's not natural. It's not natural for a city, and there are consequences.”
Nash said manufactured growth, referencing the University North Park commercial space, leaves other spaces behind and underused, like Ed Noble Parkway, which he said is now 44% vacant.
“That's a forced growth,” he said. “Forced growth is not smart growth. Forced growth is damaging to a city and the community.”
Trey Kirby views, platform
Kirby owns Kirby Land and Cattle and is a facilities manager for a cannabis facility in Oklahoma City.
Kirby said he has never run for public office, but he 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. Kirby and his team also worked with Food and Nutrition to create a grant program that funds farmer’s websites and EBT equipment for the first year and teaches them how to use it, he said.
The program was instituted in August and Kirby’s ranch has been accepting EBT food stamps for a few months now, he said.
“We're one of the first to be able to (use) that system, and that was a big win,” Kirby said.
Kirby said he and his wife use all income from their cattle ranch to support their community. He says they have used their profits to buy soccer uniforms for Little Axe Schools, sponsor an FFA student and purchase books for a sixth grade teacher at Cooper Middle School.
“We believe our community is our future,” Kirby said.
Kirby’s family arrived in Norman before 1950 and has been there since, he said.
“Norman is everything,” Kirby said. “Everywhere I look is a memory, and everywhere I go is a family member.”
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
If elected to council, Kirby said he would fight the OTA’s ACCESS Oklahoma plan because it will take over homes and farmland through eminent domain law, which refers to the government’s right to take private property for public use.
“No matter which route it's taking, it's taking out my family members and my friends because we have been in Norman since before the 50s,” Kirby said.
The recently passed Landowner’s Bill of Rights gives landowners priority to buy back their land if it’s taken over by eminent domain; however, Kirby said that doesn’t protect landowners enough.
“If we can stall it long enough to get a state-level pass to shut it down, that's ultimately the main game, because we can't really stop it on a city level,” Kirby said.
According to Kirby, council members need to work with state legislators to effectively stop the OTA, so he said he has been working with lawmakers in the Oklahoma House who care about preserving ranches and wildlife.
“We can't eat concrete, but we can eat food that our soils produce,” Kirby said. “But we won't be able to if they’re all full of developmental poison.”
Homelessness and affordable housing
Kirby said the amount of people without homes in Norman complicates nearby residents’ lives, especially on Reed Avenue, where residents have voiced complaints about encampments along the street.
“Homelessness is 100% a community issue,” Kirby said. “If you force it on the community then people will probably be more resistant.”
Kirby said he worries about his family since Norman has little affordable living options.
“Will my son and will my grandson be able to stay?” Kirby said. “Will my daughter? My daughter's already had to move to Noble because it was more affordable to live in Noble, so that's where they bought their house. But I would love to see for her to be able to come back to Norman one day.”
When Kirby spoke to OU Daily, the city was still trying to find an operator for a Friend’s House, an emergency shelter in Norman, and he said he was concerned it would close and cause chaos.
“If they close that facility without a plan, then a lot of residents in Norman are going to suffer,” Kirby said.
Entertainment district
It is clear Norman does not want the Rock Creek entertainment district and arena, Kirby said, and the vote was “mishandled.” He signed the petition to bring the decision to a public vote, he said.
“The city was very vocal, the residents were very vocal, and it shouldn't have been near as controversial as it was if the current council and mayor would have just listened to the residents,” Kirby said.
Public safety
Kirby said Norman needs to fully fund and equip police and city officials so they can effectively do their jobs. Council should not have reduced the budget for police salaries and benefits as they did in 2020, he said.
He believes the Oklahoma City Police Department has better resources for police to handle dangerous situations, including protective vehicles, that the Norman Police Department also needs.
“A lot of these cops are very compassionate people, they have family members, they've seen stuff, you know, in their life, so they would much rather help these people than hinder them,” Kirby said. “But if we tie their hands where they can't get (people) evaluated or they can't get them to the proper help, then we're never going to fix the problem.”
Protecting resources and wildlife
Forever chemicals, “humanure” made from human waste, pesticides and other toxins are damaging Norman’s food and water sources, Kirby said, and farmers have to throw out milk and meat due to carcinogens and chemicals. According to Kirby, the city must take better care of its resources.
“Everybody wants to improve our infrastructure and build, but nobody wants to take the time to improve the main (issue),” he said.
Supporting businesses and education
Kirby said he wants to support his fellow business owners, which he has already started doing by pushing for small farms to accept food stamps. He also wants to help farmers by working to ban humanure and advising them to make cost-efficient business decisions.
Kirby said, while the council’s sway in public education is limited, he would do all he could to support schools by promoting resources for classrooms. Although he is generally against tax increases, the proposed raise in property taxes to fund the Moore Norman Technology Center — a vocational technology school — is an exception.
“I will go through (tax increases), hands down, every time, because once again, we have to invest in our future,” Kirby said.
Listening to constituents
Kirby said he listens to the residents of each ward because they all have needs and are part of the same community.
“Stuff don’t happen in Ward 5 that’s just a Ward 5 vote,” Kirby said. “You have to have the vote of all eight people, same thing with any other ward.”
Recently, a Ward 5 resident called Kirby because a power station was going to be installed too close to their front door. Kirby said he researched and discovered the person trying to build the station didn’t own the land, so it was stopped.
“Somebody called and asked for help, so I went and helped,” he said. “I mean, that's really just what I'm trying to do.”
Being a council member would be an honor, Kirby said, because it would be another way to serve his community. Anyone who wouldn’t listen to their constituents wouldn’t be fit for the job, he said.
“It’s not to get rich, it's not to profit. It's 100% to make sure that your community moves forward in the best way possible, and I think that people have forgotten that,” Kirby said.
Cindi Tuccillo views, platform
Tuccillo is a realtor and small business owner who has lived in Norman since 2017, according to a message Tuccillo sent to OU Daily on Jan. 30.
According to her website, Tuccillo and her husband Frank have been small business owners for 46 years. Tuccillo’s website describes her as an experienced conservative leader.
“Local POLITICS matter, because POLICIES matter, because PEOPLE matter,” her website reads.
Tuccillo did not respond to OU Daily’s requests for an interview.
Homelessness and public safety
At the League of Women Voters of Norman candidate forum on Jan. 27, Tuccillo said increased homelessness could be solved by equipping police to enforce existing laws against trespassing and encampments.
“If we start using our funds to adequately give tools to our public safety, first responders — which would be our police — we would be able to weed out those that are truly homeless and those who are just vagrants and are here just to take advantage, enable and encourage them,” Tuccillo said.
Tuccillo said the need to provide resources for people who are homeless should be met by residents, churches and nonprofits, not the city.
“There’s no such thing as free money,” Tuccillo said, talking about city spending on homeless shelters. “All money comes from us, and so I think we need to use it wisely, and we need to use it compassionately.”
Tuccillo said she cares most about families, businesses and public spaces impacted by people without homes. Many people who are experiencing homelessness choose that lifestyle or have mental health issues, she said, and adding more beds to shelters won’t solve their root issues.
According to her website, Tuccillo believes increased investment in public safety is key, especially to improve police response times in rural communities.
“Prioritizing funding for emergency services will save lives,” her website reads.
Entertainment district
At the forum, Tuccillo said the TIF will not take 100% of the district’s sales tax, but instead, only about 3%. According to an FAQ document from the city, 3% of the sales tax generated in the TIF district will go to the city’s general and capital funds, with the rest going to support the entertainment district project.
Tuccillo is not concerned about new businesses in the district stealing customers and revenue from established Norman businesses, she said, because only a small section of the district will be retail.
“It doesn’t affect us as far as traffic,” Tuccillo said, talking about her ward. “So that’s actually a good thing.”
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
At the forum, Tuccillo said the OTA was “a problem that we’re working on.”
Tuccillo said Ward 5 has been “shining a light” on the issue, and she’s excited to see what state legislation will be passed with the turnpike.
Finances
According to her website, Tuccillo would support fiscally conservative policy, including halting taxpayer spending on service for people who are homeless. Additionally, by entrusting that care to the private sector, Norman wouldn’t have to spend so much of its general fund.
“We can reduce government spending and live within our means,” her website reads.
Supporting residents
Tuccillo would discourage illegal activity by promoting policies that hold people accountable for breaking the law, according to her website.
“Prioritizing citizens' concerns and stability over political agendas will strengthen public trust,” her website reads.
This story was edited by Ismael Lele and Anusha Fathepure. Grace Rhodes, Sophie Hemker and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story
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