Two candidates will face off for the Ward 8 seat in the Feb. 13 election, looking to take over the spot from current Ward 8 Councilmember Matthew Peacock.
Due to the annual reapportionment process, Peacock was moved out of his current ward in 2022. He is now seeking reelection in Ward 2, leaving candidates Kyle Hurley and Scott Dixon to compete for the Ward 8 seat.
Kyle Hurley
Hurley is a lifelong Norman resident and currently works as the director of EMSSTAT paramedic services at the Norman Regional Health System. Hurley has worked at Norman Regional for over 20 years and is a graduate of OU.
Currently, Hurley serves on the board of directors for the Cleveland County YMCA and has previously served as president of the Norman Rotary Club. Specifically in city government, Hurley chairs the Norman Forward Citizen Ad Hoc Committee for the Young Family Athletic Center and is a member of the Public Safety Sales Tax Oversight Committee. He previously ran for council in Ward 7 in 2018.
Hurley said his main goal, should he be elected, is to ensure Norman achieves financial growth in the future. He aims to be accessible to constituents and work alongside city staff to make the most well-informed decisions possible.
Fiscal responsibility
Hurley believes one of council's top priorities should be an emphasis on financial stewardship. Hurley said due to his job, he’s familiar with how to properly execute a budget, a skill he can bring to the table at council meetings.
Having knowledge of the inner workings of a budget and how to make informed financial decisions is very important to city government, according to Hurley.
“The city does not have unlimited funds,” Hurley said. “You always need to be aware of protecting the general fund and making sure you’re being a good steward of the city’s finances.”
Public safety
As the director of EMSSTAT, Hurley said he works very closely with the Norman Police Department and Norman Fire Department. Hurley said he supports both the fire and police departments.
“It’s not so much like extra staffing,” Hurley said. “It’s being aware of what the police department's and the fire department's needs are at any one given time and being a good advocate for them.”
Hurley said his time on the Public Safety Sales Tax committee, which monitors expenditures from the tax on a monthly basis, provided him experience advocating for first responders’ needs directly to council.
When the city fire department needed a $1.1 million ladder engine in 2017, Hurley said he visited several council meetings and encouraged the members to make the purchase using funds from the Public Safety Sales Tax.
Hurley believes public safety support and public safety oversight go hand in hand.
“There needs to be good citizen input into what our law enforcement officers and firefighters need,” Hurley said.
Water
Norman needs to address the ongoing issues with stormwater, according to Hurley. Norman voters have denied the creation of stormwater utility twice in 2016 and 2019, leading the city to have to find different financial resources through the general fund.
Hurley believes the city should revisit a stormwater utility.
Hurley said while taking part in the city's AIM Norman Comprehensive Plan strategic planning, water resource planning was often discussed among residents.
One of Hurley’s concerns is the estimated timeline that Norman will begin facing water shortages in four to five years. He believes recycling water through the water treatment facility on Robinson Street to avoid a shortage is a good solution.
“That solves all sorts of water shortage problems for decades to come, which is something I would support,” Hurley said.
Homelessness
Hurley believes everyone in Norman needs to become more informed about the current state of homelessness and the programs the city already provides. He said there’s a lot of misinformation being spread about homelessness, and education would prevent this.
“There’s already people doing a lot of really good hard work about this, so I think the first thing is to get educated on what people are doing,” Hurley said. “Then at that point, it’s do we need to think of new things to do, or do we need to continue to support what’s already being done.”
Hurley said there is a need for a 24-hour shelter in the city. He said he doesn’t think the city’s job is doing the same work as nonprofits that reach people experiencing unhousing, but Norman does have some responsibility.
“I do think the city and the county need to have some skin in the game and provide some infrastructure,” Hurley said. “Having some land and having a building in which … nonprofits could take care of unhoused folks and then get them moving in the direction where they need to be.”
Proposed entertainment district
In September, the Norman Economic Development Coalition unveiled a proposed $1 billion entertainment district in University North Park, which is part of Ward 8. Hurley said he supports the development, along with the proposed arena for the district. He also supports the use of a tax increment finance district to fund the development.
A TIF allows cities to use a portion of property taxes to invest in infrastructure, hoping to promote private investment and development in a community.
However, Hurley still has questions about the development as the final site and financing plans have not yet been released. To those who adamantly opposed the development, Hurley suggests that they wait to draw final conclusions when the plans are publicly presented.
“Everything hasn’t come out just yet, so let’s just wait until a final proposal has occurred,” Hurley said. “If you don’t want your tax dollars going towards this thing, don’t shop there.”
Scott Dixon
Dixon is a graduate of OU who moved back to Norman in 2008 to raise his family. He currently works as an account manager for NCS Multistage, which provides engineered products and services for oil and natural gas wells.
Dixon ran against Peacock in the 2022 election. Dixon is running for council with the mission of working with everyone and finding common ground with other council members. His main goal is to improve the downtown area and help business owners in that district.
Dixon is endorsed by the Norman chapter of the International Association of Firefighters, the city’s Fraternal Order of Police and Mayor Larry Heikkila, according to his campaign website.
Public safety
Dixon said he wants to create a “positive vibe” toward the police department should he be elected to council. He cited the 2020 $865,000 decrease in the city’s proposed increased police budget as a difficult time for the police department.
“It’s just been a pretty dismal climate for these folks,” Dixon said.
Dixon wants to work and talk with first responders to ensure their needs are being met at the city level. In a recent conversation with law enforcement, Dixon said officers don’t feel supported or appreciated, and he would like to change that.
Crime reduction
Dixon believes this effort would be partnered with Cleveland County leadership. He said the main solution to reducing crime in Norman needs to start in the public school system.
Dixon said reaching children when they are young will ensure success early in a child’s life, breaking cycles of poverty.
“(We) get these kids some help early on, so we’re not having to deal with some issues later on in life,” Dixon said.
Small businesses and downtown Norman
Over the past month, three locally-owned businesses have closed their doors in Norman, including Penny Hill Deli on Lindsey Street and 405 Burger Bar on Main Street. Dixon said this was unfortunate, adding the city’s locally-owned restaurants are part of what makes Norman, Norman.
Dixon said he loves the downtown area and is worried that some Normanites don’t feel safe. Downtown business owners have expressed concern regarding people experiencing homelessness inhabiting the Main Street area, given the city’s homeless shelter operating to the north on Gray Street.
“A lot of people — right, wrong or indifferent — don’t feel safe downtown,” Dixon said. “We have to stay on top of that so that people do feel comfortable walking around downtown and just Norman in general.”
Homelessness
Dixon said the shelter on Gray Street must be moved for the sake of downtown business owners and managers. Dixon does not support the construction of a permanent shelter in Norman.
Dixon said the city doesn’t have the funding to build a shelter, and even if it did, they couldn't build one large enough to accommodate the need.
“It might be big enough for six months, but then it’ll be full,” Dixon said. “We don’t have the money or the resources. We’re going to have to work with the county and the state to figure this out.”
Outside of a shelter, Dixon said he would like to see more effort put into preventing homelessness, such as affordable housing.
“I’m for spending money to keep people in their homes to prevent them from becoming homeless,” Dixon said.
Water
Dixon is concerned with the future of Norman’s water, adding that a fair solution needs to be found for everyone across the city regarding stormwater.
Dixon wants to prioritize looking for solutions to Norman’s drinking water before the source depletes.
“I’d like to start looking at solutions for that now instead of waiting until 2030 and having to scramble,” Dixon said.
University North Park
Dixon said he supports the proposed entertainment district but is anxious to see the final project plans. He said he’s talked to all parties involved, including OU athletics, the county commissioners and city leadership, about the proposal and is interested in the final outcome.
Dixon said the good thing about financing coming from a TIF is if people are against the proposal, they don’t have to shop in University North Park.
“I really believe that it will help Norman in numerous ways,” Dixon said. “It should help keep our recent graduates from OU, and once the TIF is paid off, all that money that it’s generating will go straight into the general fund.”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure and Ismael Lele. Natalie Armour and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
