Four candidates, including Norman Transcript editor Ben Fenwick, were chosen by a selection committee on Monday to be interviewed for appointment as the next Ward 5 council member.
When reached by the Daily for comment, Fenwick said he needed to speak with his reporter first. He did not respond to subsequent calls.
An OU alum, Fenwick is a career journalist who has previously worked for Reuters, the New York Times, Tulsa World, Oklahoma Watch, KGOU and the Oklahoma Gazette, according to an article by the Norman Transcript naming him as the publication’s editor.
The Society of Professional Journalists advises against journalists getting involved politically, stating in its code of ethics reporters should avoid associations that could affect credibility or integrity.
“Don’t do it. Don’t get involved,” the website reads. “Don’t contribute money, don’t work in a campaign, don’t lobby, and especially, don’t run for office yourself.”
Alongside Fenwick, Dianna Hutzel, Brandon Clark and Brandon Nofire were named as candidates.
Nofire ran for Oklahoma State Senate District 15 in 2024 as a Republican. He lost in a six-way primary election in which Lisa Standridgetook the seat.
Clark, precinct officer of the Oklahoma Democratic Party in Cleveland County, applied to the position of Ward 5 council member in 2020.
Hutzel is an OU alum and Ward 5 resident who is active in city politics. Hutzel has not previously run for public office.
The search follows the resignation of former Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash, who announced his departure in an Aug. 8 Facebook post, nearly six months after his reelection in February. Nash wrote external factors caused his family to look for a new home, which they found outside Ward 5 boundaries.
After reviewing applications and resumes, Ward 5 candidate selection committee members Randy Carter, Heidi Smith, John Griego, Aysha Prather and Shavonne Evans narrowed down the candidates for the position from 14 applicants.
The committee scheduled the interviews for Thursday, with Sept. 2 as a backup date if a majority of the candidates are unavailable.
Evans was named chair of the committee with a nomination from Smith. The committee was joined by Deputy City Clerk Jamie Meyer and Assistant City Attorney Kathryn Walker.
The committee agreed three issues facing Ward 5 and Norman as a whole — ACCESS Oklahoma’s East-West Connector turnpike, the University North Park arena and homelessness — were the most crucial topics they would focus on when interviewing the candidates.
“Those were the three main issues that the Ward 5 voters voted on,” Carter said. “That was what made the difference in the election, not only that, but in the mayoral election too.”
Evans said if candidates don't bring up the turnpike themselves, they will make sure to ask, as the committee deemed it one of the most pressing issues facing residents of the area.
“If we don't ask about those, that would not be responsible of us,” Evans said.
Prather said it is important to consider the attention candidates’ give to concentrated housing, renters and public transit in Ward 5 alongside the issues of rural residents.
“The renters, for example, don't have access to public transit like Ward 1s do,” Prather said. “What happens a lot is that Ward 5 representation tends to kind of forget that we've got a lot of people living in apartments paying rent, and that they have very different concerns from the people who have 40 acres.”
Carter said Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman told him he hopes a candidate will be chosen by Sept. 5 before the city council meeting the following Tuesday. The committee plans to interview each candidate for up to 45 minutes.
“What's great about what this is, is it's just temporary,” Griego said. “Then, they're gonna have another opportunity to vote in February, then they're gonna get another opportunity to get back on track in (2027).”
This story was edited by Anusha Fathepure, Thomas Pablo, Natalie Armour and Ana Barboza. Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
