Members of the Oklahoma County Commission have taken part in some heated arguments this year, and now NonDoc is pleased to announce that the candidates for Oklahoma County Commissioner District 2 will have the chance to turn up the heat once again in a debate Thursday, Oct. 8.
The debate between candidates Brian Maughan and Spencer Hicks will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the OKC Farmers Public Market, 311 S. Klein Ave. Tres Savage of NonDoc and Aaron Brilbeck of News 9 will moderate the debate, which will last about one hour.
NonDoc’s 2020 debate series is made possible through the support of financial sponsors, including the public advocacy firm McSpadden, Milner & Robinson and the State Chamber of Oklahoma. For this debate, the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma County is serving as an event partner.
Limited in-person seating is available by emailing Angela Jones for a reservation, but the public is encouraged to view the live stream of the debate on News9.com or the News 9 Facebook page. To be reminded of the online livestream, you can RSVP for this Facebook event, but the Facebook event RSVP is not the same as the in-person seating reservation process noted above.
Those attending the event will have their temperature taken, will be required to wear a mask and must adhere to social distancing guidelines in seating.
Know your candidates
Incumbent District 2 Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan has been in office since 2008. In 2016, the south-OKC Republican was automatically re-elected when nobody filed to run against him.
Running against Maughan is Democrat Spencer Hicks, who previously worked as a staffer for former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry. Hicks works at Henry’s consulting firm and does standup comedy on the side.
Maughan’s campaign promises that, if re-elected, he will focus on infrastructure, youth programs and continuing supervision of the now-completed transfer of county jail operations to the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, also called the Jail Trust.
In August, Maughan voted for the controversial transfer of the majority of the county’s federal CARES Act funds to the jail.
Maughan waited to announce his re-election intention until he was cleared of wrongdoing in March after an investigation into the purchase of county equipment by SHINE, an alternative sentencing program started by Maughan in which low-level offenders work on community-improvement projects.
Hicks’ platform emphasizes infrastructure, government accountability and reforming criminal justice in the county.
The northwest OKC resident supports building a new jail and changing laws “so that non-violent offenders don’t crowd our prisons,” according to his website.
About OK County Commission District 2
The Oklahoma County Commission, which oversees a wide variety of budget and managerial issues for the county, is made up of three commissioners. District 2 covers roughly the southern third of Oklahoma County and includes Bethany, Warr Acres, Choctaw, Harrah and Nicoma Park. Commissioners are elected every four years, and District 2 is the only seat up for grabs this election cycle.
