The Aug. 27 election for Tulsa City Council District 3 features two longtime Tulsa residents, one drawing on her experiences as a liquor store owner and the other wanting to see city government adhere to strict constitutional principles.
Candidates Jackie Dutton and Susan Frederick are competing for the open seat. District 3 covers much of northeast Tulsa, including Tulsa International Airport, and part of Route 66, a tourist attraction preparing for its centennial celebration in 2026. From its western boundary of North Lewis Avenue, District 3 stretches east to Northeast 145th Avenue and south to East 11th Street. Its northern border is East 56th Street.
The district has been represented by Councilwoman Crista Patrick since 2018. Her father and uncle had previously served as Tulsa City Council members for District 3. Patrick announced in March she would not seek reelection.
Dutton wants to address ‘safety problems’
Dutton, 64, is a retired liquor store owner. In a phone interview, she said she entered the race in part because of her time volunteering in the community and getting to know people from all walks of life in her store.
“After being a 30-year resident and a community volunteer, I think it was time to live a more purposeful life,” she said. “My previous experience allowed me to meet so many people, including homeless people. It was a great spot to learn about people in your community.”
If elected, Dutton said she would continue the initiatives Patrick worked to implement during her time on the council.
“The city budget for 2025 has already been approved by the council, but in 2026, I will be able to work on the budgeting for that year,” Dutton said. “I have some things that I would like to tackle, including creating satellite resources that downtown has that we don’t have on the east side. I want to create partnerships with nonprofits. We need to see more economic development on the east side. It’s the gateway to Route 66, and when people land at Tulsa International Airport, they’re landing inside District 3. I’d like to see more infill development.”
Dutton said the district also needs infrastructure upgrades. She said the district doesn’t always get its share of the pie when it comes to economic development in the city.
“We have large parts of 11th Street that are without lighting and that’s not attractive,” she said. “There is a lack of proper sidewalks in some places which makes it difficult for people with mobility problems that might be in wheelchairs or scooters. It’s not safe to navigate some of the streets. I know one person in a wheelchair who has been hit by cars twice. It also creates safety problems for kids who are walking or riding bikes. I think a lot of the time when it comes to those kinds of investments District 3 remains out of sight and out of mind.”
Frederick, 62, is a retired UPS driver and equine enthusiast who has raised and trained two dozen show horses. She said her work experience on city and county roads as a UPS driver gives her a unique perspective on the city.
“I delivered to north Tulsa, Sperry, and Skiatook,” she said. “The counties take care of their roads. The people doing them in Tulsa don’t put a crown on them, so the water just sits. Roads are a huge thing, and they need to be built right. Instead, they build them on the cheap to the lowest bidder. It should be done right the first time.”
As for District 3’s needs, Dutton said that all boats rise together.
“My thing is, anything that is positive that gets passed will benefit my district,” she said. “Let’s say we work to improve life for those who are unsheltered, that’s going to help my district.”
Frederick: Tulsa City Council District 3 ‘overlooked’
In an interview, Frederick said she decided to run in part because of a previous dispute with the city involving rezoning her land in a more rural area of Tulsa City Council District 3. She said the issue was resolved successfully in her favor after she made her case to the council years ago.
“They tried to tell me that my property was zoned improperly,” she said. “I had been here for 25 years, and the zoning had been in place since 1970. I was going to have to tear down my barn. They were trying to take away my livelihood and my constitutional rights.”
More recently, she has become concerned with blight in the district.
“There are a lot of boarded-up businesses and drug and human trafficking,” Frederick said. “We’ve seen quite a bit more homeless people. I want to be a voice for the homeless. Obviously, some have mental issues and problems with drugs and alcohol. I want to try and seek out help for them. Some don’t want it, but those that do should get it.”
Dutton said her past jobs in the community, from working with nonprofits to helping people express their art through murals in District 3, makes her best suited to represent the district in the future.
“I’ve been actively involved,” she said. “I have had a presence in the district. I have networked with city department heads and others who have advocated for housing solutions in Tulsa. I have a history of volunteerism under my belt, and I’d like to bring that experience to the council.”
Frederick said District 3 often fails to get a fair shake from the city council.
“I want to be a voice for northeast Tulsa,” she said. “I talk to people when I knock on doors, and they don’t feel safe going out and there are a lot of boarded-up homes. On one street I door knocked, there were four boarded-up homes. Transients are moving in. It’s not good. I think we get overlooked a lot. Downtown gets a lot of things but I think that should be spread more evenly across the city.”
Frederick said that, if elected, she would hold town halls and work to promote small businesses, including farmer’s markets.
“I want to make sure that people’s voices are heard, and I think town halls are a good way to do that,” she said. “I also want to promote small businesses and entrepreneurship.”
But Frederick said that before the city expands its boundaries or adds new infrastructure, it needs to take care of problems that already exist.
“The are a lot of problems we need to fix,” she said. “The Fontana shopping center and The Farm shopping center at 51st and Sheridan have a lot of empty buildings. I think we need to concentrate on places that need to be redone. There are vacant buildings all over Tulsa. We need to fix our internal problems. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about bike paths on two-lane roads that don’t leave enough room. There aren’t any safe sidewalks in a lot of areas. People have been hit in District 3. Bike paths make sense downtown and around places like Cherry Street but not everywhere in the city.”
