With one declaring himself a “placeholder,” four candidates have filed to run for the open Edmond mayoral seat, but another City Council race was decided by default this afternoon with only Phil Fraim filing to represent Ward 4.
Edmond city leadership will see an extensive shakeup in 2025, as incumbent Mayor Darrell Davis and sitting Councilwomen Stacie Peterson and Christin Mugg opted against reelection campaigns. The four-man race for Edmond mayor is the largest list of candidates in the upcoming city election cycle. What had been expected as a three-way contest grew on Monday when vocal council critic and eccentric veteran Leonard Scott announced his “placeholder” candidacy.
“When a candidate for mayor adopts a platform to restore citizen’s rights and freedoms I will withdraw as a candidate and back that candidate FOR THE PEOPLE,” Scott wrote in a campaign announcement that included a 14-point plan to “make Edmond great again.”
Scott, known locally as “Old Ranger,” also ran for Oklahoma Legislature in 2004. He frequently rails against the current Edmond City Council, berating its alleged “woke DEI” agenda and “including the language of the Democratic Progressive world order.” Scott was asked to leave the Oct. 28 council meeting after disrupting the early portion to criticize “woke, DEI stuff.” One of his constant demands is for the council to move citizen comments to the beginning of its meetings instead of the end.
About that arrest …
In 2023, Leonard Scott was charged alongside Ed Moore, another frequent critic of the Edmond City Council, after an altercation outside a State Board of Education meeting. Charges for obstructing passage into a state building and disturbing state business were ultimately dropped this September after Moore and Scott completed mitigation. Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Brook Arbeitman told NonDoc the two were asked to “write an essay on the importance of the First Amendment.”
Scott said Moore authored the essay, to which he made no changes. Arbeitman said the writing is part of the DA office’s litigation file and not subject to the Open Records Act.
Scott joins former Ward 1 Councilman Tom Robins, architect David Hornbeek and fiscal professional Mark Nash as 2025 candidates for Edmond mayor.
Before his stint representing Ward 1 on the Edmond City Council, Robins served as Oklahoma’s deputy secretary of energy and as a staff member to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, according to his campaign website. Robins has emphasized transportation, recreation, public safety and education as his primary concerns.
Hornbeek, a longtime local architect who helped design Oklahoma City’s First Americans Museum and who supports several arts programs at the University of Central Oklahoma, became the second candidate to announce his campaign Sept. 23. In his communications so far, Hornbeek has said he prioritizes “purposeful growth” in Edmond.
Prior to entering the election, Nash served for 12 years on the Edmond Economic Development Authority Board of Trustees, worked a decade in state government as an auditor and financial analyst and became director of finance for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. He also served on the editorial board of the defunct Edmond Sun and currently chairs the editorial board for The Edmond Way.
While absent from any 2025 ballot, a looming appointment to the Edmond City Council Ward 1 seat vacated Nov. 1 by Robins will introduce another new face to city government. The council is expected to finalize that choice during its Dec. 9 meeting. NonDoc has requested the names and applications of those seeking the two-year Ward 1 appointment, but city staff have yet to release that information.
Meanwhile, one seat is up for grabs on the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education as well, where current board president and District 5 member Marcus Jones filed to retain his position. He is being challenged by retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jim Putnam.
The mayoral race is set for a primary election on Feb. 11 since more than two candidates filed for the position. Even if one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a general election between the top two primary finishers is scheduled for April 1.
The Edmond City Council Ward 3 and EPS District 5 races will only appear on the April 1 general election ballot, since both seats drew only two candidates.
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Phil Fraim uncontested in Ward 4
Unlike the crowded mayoral field, Ward 4 drew a lone candidate in businessman Phillip Fraim. The 31-year president of Oklahoma Attorneys Mutual Insurance, Fraim will take the seat uncontested for a term beginning in May.
Fraim previously served as a trustee with the Edmond Economic Development Authority and as chairman of the UCO Foundation. His brief, uncontested campaign emphasized fiscal transparency and appropriate prioritization of city projects. Before the filing period, Fraim already touted an endorsement from former Ward 4 Councilman Nick Massey.
“I have witnessed tremendous change and growth over the years, and as that continues, challenges will certainly follow,” Fraim said in a press release announcing his candidacy. “Yet despite those challenges, I’m confident that all our residents will work together as Edmond continues to be the most desirable place to live in the great state of Oklahoma.”
Fraim also represents Edmond on the Regional Transportation Authority of Central Oklahoma, and he is on the advisory board for the University of Central Oklahoma’s Insurance, Risk Management and Actuarial Science Department. RTA cities including Edmond, Oklahoma City and Norman are expected to vote on sales tax proposals to fund a north-south commuter rail line at some point in 2025.
Review all candidates for Edmond elections
This list of candidate filings, and filings for other offices statewide, is available via the Oklahoma State Election Board website. Links to campaign websites with more information on individual candidates are provided where available.
Edmond mayor
- Tom Robins, 44
- Mark Nash, 65
- David Hornbeek, 70
- Leonard Scott, 76
Edmond City Council, Ward 3
- Preston Watterson, 44
- Corey Winston, 31
Edmond City Council, Ward 4
- Phillip Fraim, 68 (uncontested)
Edmond Public Schools Board of Education, District 5
- Marcus Jones, 41
- Jim Putnam, 75
