Maybe it's simply perception, but the 2006 Oklahoma City mayoral race seems to be one of the least talked-about in recent memory. Whether that's a case of candidates without a lot of money to spend on advertisements and the like or whether Mick Cornett is just a favorite to win reelection, I'm not sure.
Nevertheless, there is an election for Oklahoma City mayor coming up. And here is a brief look at each of the candidates. It should be noted that I attempted to contact each of them, but only Bob Waldrop responded. I never heard back from Mayor Cornett, and nobody (not a single election agency or body in Oklahoma, it seems) has any kind of contact information for Joe Nelson's campaign. The only two numbers I could find were disconnected.
So, while I would have loved to offer you the candidate's direct quotes on their priorities, we'll have to rely on a more general approach to give you the information you need before voting.
The Election
The primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 7, 2006. If you are a registered city voter, you will go to your usual polling place printed on your registration card. If you are unsure of your polling location, you can contact the Oklahoma County Election Board at (405) 713-1515.There are three candidates on the ballot. The Incumbent Mayor Mick Cornett is being challenged by Robert Waldrop and Joe Nelson (profiles below).
If one candidate does not receive a simple majority in the March 7 election, the general election will be April 4, 2006.
The Candidates
- Mick Cornett - The incumbent, Cornett was elected Mayor in 2004 when Kirk Humphries resigned the position to run for US Senate. Elected at the age of 45, he became the youngest OKC Mayor since 1959.
A native Oklahoman, Cornett was born and raised in OKC, attending high school at Putnam City. He made a name for himself in the metro as a television reporter and anchor, both in news and sports. He was on Oklahoma newscasts for nearly 20 years before going into private business in 1999.
A short time later, he was elected to the Oklahoma City Council, serving there for 3 years before his run for Mayor.
As Oklahoma City Mayor, Cornett has enjoyed the accolades associated with the continued success and growth of Bricktown, including bringing the NBA's New Orleans Hornets to OKC on a temporary basis following the Hurricane Katrina damage in Louisiana.
But his office points to other successes as well, emphasizing the MAPS for Kids initiatives, job creation and the improvement of the city's image.
- Robert Waldrop - It's his long, gray beard that you first notice about Bob Waldrop, but it's his no-nonsense, unconventional campaign style that keeps you interested.
Waldrop is a native, 4th generation Oklahoman who grew up in Tillman County and is now the music director at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church. Running his mayoral campaign from a website and his living room, Waldrop wants to talk about issues such as energy conservation, opposition to the present plans to reroute I-40, privatizing Will Rogers Airport and a more frugal city government.
"Oklahoma City hands out a lot of money," he says. "And I am not sure that all of its subsidies are going for prudent causes. We need to examine each and every subsidy in the City’s budget and determine if it is to be continued or handled in another way."
But Waldrop does not accept campaign contributions to help get his message out. He calls giving money a "substitute for civic engagement," and he believes that word of mouth can do amazing things. In the end, he's primarily seeking to encourage personal involvement from residents in city policy issues.
- Joe Nelson - 69-year-old Joe Nelson told the Oklahoman that he hates politics. He considers himself to have a common-man approach to his campaign for Mayor.
Nelson ran for Mayor in 2002 but was disqualified because of a problem with the signatures required for placement on the ballot.
He considers his primary campaign platform to revolve around cutting taxes for the poor, education support and the funding of health care.
"If I got elected mayor," he told the Oklahoman. "I'm gonna walk in there and just start chompin' at the bit and get the sales tax cut down right now."
Nelson speaks highly of current Mayor Mick Cornett as a friend, but the Vietnam War veteran hopes to defeat him in the coming election.
