Five candidates have filed for the open Tulsa City Council District 2 seat. Voters will choose their favorite among the five, who have vastly different backgrounds and professions, in the Aug. 27 municipal elections to replace Councilwoman Jeannie Cue.
Cue, who has held the seat since 2022, made an unsuccessful bid this year for the Tulsa County Commissioner District 2 seat. She missed making the runoff by just 230 ballots in a three-candidate race.
The Tulsa City Council District 2 candidates are minister and small business owner Anothony Archie, Oklahoma Mariner Finance assistant manager Aaron L Bisogno, president of The Christian Ministers Alliance W.R. Casey Jr., mental health therapist Stephanie Reisdorph, and director of grants management at Tulsa Housing Solutions Rhené Ritter.
Tulsa City Council District 2 covers western and southwestern portions of the city.
In-person early voting will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 22 and 23 and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 24 at the Tulsa County Election Board. For the Aug. 27 Tulsa City general election, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If none of the Tulsa City Council District 2 candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the race will go to a Nov. 5 runoff between the top two finishers.
The following cheat sheet provides an overview of the Tulsa City Council District 2 candidates and is derived from publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports and social media accounts. The District 2 candidates responded to a questionnaire published by the Tulsa World on Aug. 11.
Anthony Archie
Age: 36
Professional Background: Listed on Archie’s LinkedIn, he has a bachelor’s degree of pastoral Christian ministries as well as a master’s degree of divinity in theology and theological studies from Oral Roberts University. Archie served as a youth minister at the Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church before founding the student ministry of Kirk Crossing Church.
According to his campaign website, Archie has also worked as a geography and social studies teacher at Robertson Elementary, Monroe Demonstration Academy and Edison Preparatory School in the Tulsa Public Schools district. He won the Oklahoma Education Association’s 2023 Tuskahoma Miller Brown Citizenship Award.
Archie and his wife, Chelsea, have owned and operated the Oklahoma Toffee Company since 2017. According to his website, their candy company emphasizes support for “local educators by using 20 percent of their profits to fulfill the immediate classroom supply needs of Oklahoma teachers.”
Platform: In the Tulsa World questionnaire, Archie said he believes he is the best District 2 candidate because he is relatable and trusted within his community.
“I have invested more time with residents at their doorsteps, living rooms, churches, [Home Owners Associations] meetings and classrooms listening to concerns and earning trust than any other candidate,” he said.
On his campaign website, Archie lists his campaign focuses under a tab titled “visions” where he starts each section with the phrase, “Together we will,” before explaining his platform points.
Regarding economic development, Archie says he wants to “pass city policies that spur economic growth, streamline regulations, energize local business owners, and attract job-creating employers to our city.” Archie also says district infrastructure is one of his main focuses and that he wants to raise funds for projects that will “make our streets wider, brighter and safer to travel.”
According to his campaign website, Archie also prioritizes issues surrounding public safety, transportation, housing and homelessness in District 2.
Aaron L. Bisogno
Age: 37
Professional Background: According to his LinkedIn, Bisogno graduated from Tulsa Community College in 2009 with an associate of arts in film, cinema and video studies.
From 2013 to 2015, Bisogno worked as a loan officer at Service Financial Company before working as an assistant manager for multiple finance companies, including Regional Finance, OneMain Financial, and Mariner Finance.
Platform: In the Tulsa World questionnaire, Bisogno said he is running “because the people of Tulsa deserve better, they deserve someone who will stand up against the nonsense of uni-party politics.”
According to his Facebook bio, “Taxation is theft” summarizes a core belief for Bisogno. Running for Tulsa City Council for the fourth time, Bisogno posted a six-minute video on Facebook speaking about who he is as a person, his beliefs on taxation, his opinion of other District 2 candidates and his founding of the Tulsa Bike Brigade.
“I’ve learned that I have to be myself. I can’t be a politician. I despise politicians,” Bisogno said in the video about his political candidacy. “I really don’t think that there is any good argument being made for the government taking your tax dollars away and spending it on stuff you don’t want, or that you need, or giving it to somebody else.”
Rev. W.R. Casey Jr.
Age: 58
Professional Background: According to his Facebook page, Casey has lived in Tulsa his entire life and studied Christian education at Oklahoma Baptist University.
After joining over 35 years ago, Casey now serves as the president of The Christian Ministers Alliance Inc. According to an article from Tulsa Kids, Casey said the organization encourages ministers of all different ethnic groups and denominations to join and work together.
In the Tulsa World questionnaire Casey said he has also worked in politics for 35 years helping to get candidates elected.
Platform: According to Casey’s responses to the questionnaire, he chose to run to “help those who can’t help themselves.”
“I want to help District 2 with the homeless population, provide drug programs for them, substance abuse programs for them, swimming pools for young people, programs for kids that dropout of school,” Casey said.
Casey also said he supports reparations to families affected by the Tulsa Race Massacre and would push for more businesses, employment and education to promote economic development.
Stephanie Reisdorph
Age: 37
Professional Background: According to her website, Reisdorph has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Trinity Lutheran College and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa.
According to her Facebook page, Reisdorph currently works as a school-based mental health therapist, but she formerly worked as an adult intake mental health therapist at Family and Children’s Services. She says she is the founder of multiple organizations, such as Lovolution, Eugene Field Neighborhood Watch and Eagle Outreach.
When responding to the Tulsa World questionnaire about why she started Lovolution, Reisdorph said, “With the division in our nation in 2020, I founded Lovolution to alleviate the political and racial animosity that was tearing our nation apart.”
Platform: In the questionnaire, Reisdorph said she is running for the Tulsa City Council because she wants to “positively impact individuals, families and neighborhoods”.
“I would like to be able to continue the work I’ve been doing on a larger scale and come up with more innovative solutions to help solve our district and city’s most pressing challenges,” Reisdorph said.
Categorized on her website, Reisdorph’s main campaign points focus on topics such as discussing the barriers to shelter access, addressing Tulsa’s law enforcement shortage, enhancing crime reduction strategies and making Tulsa a “thriving hub” for economic growth.
Rhené Ritter
Age: 54
Professional Background: According to her LinkedIn, Ritter first attended Tulsa Community College and earned an associate of arts and sciences degree in sociology before studying sociology at Oklahoma State University.
Ritter now works as the director of grants management at the Tulsa-based nonprofit Housing Solutions, and she volunteers on multiple nonprofit boards.
According to Ritter’s campaign website, she was appointed to the City of Tulsa Human Rights Commission by Mayor G.T. Bynum.
Platform: According to the Tulsa World questionnaire, Ritter said she is the best candidate for District because she is experienced and ready to serve.
“Over the past 33 years, I have committed myself to our community by volunteering in classrooms at Tulsa Public Schools and on nonprofit boards,” Ritter said. “My extensive experience working with both city and county governments has provided me with invaluable insights into the inner workings of municipal operations.”
According to Ritter’s campaign website, she is focusing on issues involving public safety, economic opportunity and affordable housing. In the questionnaire, Ritter also said the most pressing issues in her community are housing and homelessness.
“Tulsa is experiencing a housing crisis and in order to address it we must prioritize development of housing units by streamlining the permitting process and by providing developer incentives,” she said. “Homelessness in Tulsa increased by 26 percent this year. I will work with the A Way Home for Tulsa collaboration to explore ways to be part of their strategic plan, which aims to create greater housing stability for District 2 residents. This will involve cross-sector coordination to provide better access to vital housing navigation and support services, and healthcare for Tulsans.”
