Three candidates will appear on the ballot for Tulsa City Council District 7 — senior model and actress Margie Alfonso, insurance company and former radio show host Eddie Huff and incumbent Councilwoman Lori Decter Wright — but only two are actively seeking the post.
Alfonso recently decided to stop her campaign efforts for the open seat in the Aug. 27 municipal election, according to an official with the Tulsa County Election Board, but she made her decision too late for her name to be taken off the ballot.
Wright is seeking a fourth two-year term on the Tulsa City Council. She was first elected in 2018 and won reelection in 2020 and 2022.
City Council District 7 covers southeast Tulsa, including portions of the Quail Ridge and Woodland Glens neighborhoods.
In-person early voting is set 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. On Aug. 27, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If, despite Alfonso’s recent decision stop campaigning, none of the Tulsa City Council District 7 candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a Nov. 5 runoff.
The following cheat sheet provides an overview of the Tulsa City Council District 7 candidates and is derived from publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports, social media accounts and a questionnaire published by the Tulsa World. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order.
Margie Alfonso
Age:Â 89
Professional Background:Â According to LinkedIn, Alfonso has a bachelor’s degree in bacteriology and public health from Michigan State University and attended the University of Miami School of Nursing.
According to Alfonso’s resumé posted to her website, she served on former President Ronald Reagan’s economic recovery tour and coordinated the National Conference on HIV/AIDS for the White House during Reagan’s presidency. She also served on two former AIDS commissions under former Tulsa mayors Dick Crawford and Rodger Randell.
In 2022, Alfonso ran unsuccessfully for District 3 on the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners. In 2020, she ran unsuccessfully for the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 79 seat.
Platform:Â Alfonso does not have specific campaign priorities listed on her website, which proclaims, “5G is not healthy for children and other living things.” Her site features a number of blog posts and videos on various topics, but particularly fifth-generation technology standards for cellular networks.
According to Tulsa County Election Board staff, Alfonso recently tried to remove her name from the 2024 Tulsa City Council District 7 ballot before realizing it was too late to withdraw.
Eddie Huff
Age: 73
Professional Background:Â According to LinkedIn, Huff attended Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University and has owned multiple businesses over the years. He also is listed as the owner of Eddie Huff Insurance, which is a Tulsa-based insurance and financial service agency offering homeowner, life and car insurance services.
According to the company’s website, Huff is also the founder and owner of Uganda Mist — through the Lake Victoria Coffee & Tea Company. The coffee company prides itself on the use of its proceeds to support primary and secondary schools for children in Uganda.
According to the Tulsa World, Huff is also known as the former co-host of “The Pat Campbell Show” on KFAQ.
Platform:Â Huff does not appear to have an official campaign website and does not mention his campaign priorities on social media. But Huff did respond to the Tulsa World Questionnaire for Tulsa City Council District 7.
Huff said that the most pressing issues in the district involve public safety, and he said the need to widen and resurface city streets is pressing.
When asked what the district could do to promote economic development, Huff said: “Safe neighborhoods and clean, smooth wide streets for starters. Education is, of course always a component, but that is a state matter.”
Huff said the city of Tulsa is doing a poor job addressing infrastructure needs and could benefit from directing “more funds to infrastructure and less to arts and recreation until infrastructure is fixed.”
Lori Decter Wright (incumbent)
Age: 49
Professional Background:Â According to the Tulsa City Council website, Wright was first elected to District 7 post in 2018, serving three two-year terms.
Wright is the general director and CEO of Tulsa Opera, Inc., according to her campaign website. She worked as executive director of Kendall Whittier Incorporated, a nonprofit organization focusing on food insecurity in Tulsa neighborhoods, from 2015 to 2023.
According to the Tulsa City Council website, before working for nonprofits and local government, Wright and her husband were professional opera singers based in the Silicon Valley region in Northern California.
Platform:Â Responding to the Tulsa World questionnaire, Wright said she is the best candidate for Tulsa City Council District 7 because she is able to build upon the results she has accomplished on the council.
“I want to see several projects and initiatives through to completion,” Wright said. “Safe, quality, affordable housing continues to be a top priority. I will champion ongoing needs in District 7 whether it be road repairs, better code enforcement, improved water billing or trash removal services, or increased public safety and crime prevention. I have worked diligently for the last 5 1/2 years to be an advocate for the people of District 7 and will continue to do so when I am reelected this year.”
On her campaign website, Wright lists her top priorities as ” reducing crime and investing in public safety, updating infrastructure including roads and bridges, innovating and growing opportunities for business development, and improving the quality of life for all Tulsans.”
