James Cooper and JoBeth Hamon are Oklahoma City’s newest council members.
Cooper won OKC Ward 2 and Hamon won OKC Ward 6 this evening, each pulling more than 53 percent of the vote and narrowly avoiding an April 2 runoff.
In Ward 5, incumbent David Greenwell prevailed over challenger Kristina Hull. Greenwell won a third term representing Ward 5, which covers much of south Oklahoma City.
Ward 8 incumbent Mark Stonecipher defeated challenger Lauren Durmus on Tuesday evening. Stonecipher was first elected in 2015 to represent the northwest Oklahoma City ward.
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Cooper ran for Ward 2 previously against current Councilman Ed Shadid, who did not file for another term in office. A former mayoral candidate, Shadid developed a reputation during his time on the council for questioning certain elements of municipal finance and arguing against arrangements he deemed corporate welfare.
“Ward 2 made history tonight because what they voted for was to honor their local history by preserving and revitalizing all the diverse districts in Ward 2,” Cooper said.
“The vision is walkable neighborhoods, shops in those walkable neighborhoods and buses and streetcars connecting people through and to those local neighborhoods.”
Hamon will succeed Councilwoman Meg Salyer, a once-rumored mayoral candidate herself who supported city development efforts more regularly than Shadid. Shadid endorsed Hamon during the election.
All results published here are drawn from the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website. The results are unofficial.
Broadbent finishes second in Ward 2
Cooper led Ward 2 early and absentee voting with 46.5 percent of ballots and built a sizable lead over his four opponents as precincts reported Tuesday evening.
Finishing second, Suzanne Broadbent received about 18 percent of the vote in Ward 2, which runs north and west from the intersection of I-235 and N.W. 23rd Street. Mike Dover (about 15 percent), Marilyn Davidson (about 12 percent) and Tracey Halley-Terrell (about 2 percent) also ran for the open seat.
Harding led Ward 6 early and absentee totals
In Ward 6, Hamon trailed Nathaniel Harding by 10 early and absentee votes before outpacing him in precinct results. Jim Holman finished third with about 5 percent of the vote.
(Editor’s Note: This post was updated on February 12 at 10:13 p.m. to include quotes from James Cooper.)
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