After the departures of former OKC Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice and former Oklahoma County District 1 Commissioner Carrie Blumert, open seats in the metro have drawn some familiar faces ahead of the Feb. 11 primary election.
Blumert stepped down to become executive director of Mental Health Association Oklahoma earlier this year. Nice (D-OKC) is now representing Senate District 48 after winning election to the Legislature earlier this year.
Blumert’s old seat has drawn three contenders, including a Midwest City councilwoman who has protested conditions at the Oklahoma County Jail, as well as two candidates with state legislative experience. District 1 covers central and northeast OKC, as well as Luther, Spencer and parts of Midwest City and Del City.
Meanwhile, there are four contenders for Nice’s seat, including one candidate who previously held the seat and two candidates who are making their first foray into elected politics.
In other OKC City Council races, Ward 1 incumbent Bradley Carter, 45, and Ward 4 incumbent Todd Stone, 61, are running unopposed for another four-year term. Ward 3 Councilwoman Barbara Peck drew a challenge from Katrina Bedell Avers for the southwest OKC seat.
In Oklahoma City Public Schools, board Chairwoman Paula Lewis drew Niah Spriggs and Jan Barrick as challengers. Two other incumbents were reelected without opposition.
A full list of Oklahoma County school board and municipal candidates can be viewed here.
Oklahoma County commissioner District 1
Three Democratic candidates and one independent have filed for the vacant District 1 seat on the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners. The Democrats seeking their party’s election Feb. 11 are:
- Sara Bana, 39
- Jason Lowe, 50
- Anastasia Pittman, 54
Bana currently serves as the councilwoman for Midwest City Ward 5. According to her website, she is also the executive director of Civic Services Community Advocacy, a grassroots agency she founded in 2011 that works to support Oklahomans who have been overlooked by city, state, and federal government institutions. She is also a member of the People’s Council for Justice Reform, an outspoken critic of the Oklahoma County Jail.
Lowe has represented District 97 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives where, according to his website, he has advocated for responsible policing, rehabilitation over incarceration, and increased funding for public schools and higher education institutions like Langston University. Lowe also established a law firm in 2009, primarily working in criminal defense.
Pittman is a former state legislator who served in the House and the Senate. She is currently the owner of a marketing firm in OKC and an elected member of the Seminole Nation General Council representing the Dosar Barkus Band. Pittman was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of Oklahoma in 2018. Pittman last ran for county commissioner in 2022, losing to Blumert in a close race decided by fewer than 200 votes.
Because the District 1 county race is a special election, whoever among the three Democrats receives the most support in the Feb. 11 primary will advance to the April 1 general election to face independent Jed Green, a longtime political consultant who founded the group Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Action.
No Republican or Libertarian candidate filed for District 1.
One OKC City Council incumbent challenged
In Ward 3, incumbent Councilwoman Barbara Peck, 49, is facing a challenge from Katrina Bedell Avers. Ward 3 covers most of southwest OKC, including the airport.
Peck was first elected in 2021 and has worked for Love’s Travel Stops in development. She was appointed to the Will Rogers International Airport Trust in 2021, and she is also listed as a trustee of the Riverfront Redevelopment Authority.
Avers is a scientist and entrepreneur, according to her website. She says she seeks “solutions that protect public safety, foster economic growth, and invest in infrastructure and community resources.”
Four candidates have filed to replace Nikki Nice for OKC City Council Ward 7, which covers much of the city’s northeast portion:
- Masood Haqq, 42
- Andrea Holman, 57
- Camal Pennington, 37
- John Pettis, Jr., 42
Haqq is a writer and entrepreneur. According to his website, he and his wife co-own Peace of Mind Pediatrics. In other business ventures, Haqq founded a T-shirt company. Haqq attended the University of Central Oklahoma majoring in business law. He currently serves as the chairman of Masjid Mu’Min mosque.
Holman has worked for the State Regents for Higher Education recruiting minority teachers and advocated directly to the Legislature on issues like equity in education, according to the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma. She has also worked as a fashion coordinator at Ralph Lauren and for the Dallas Mavericks.
Pennington is the executive director of It’s My Community Initiative, a nonprofit that administers a variety of government grants in the human services sector. He previously worked at the University of Oklahoma College of Law as the executive director of annual giving and, later, the director of admissions. Pennington currently serves on the OKC Planning Commission representing Ward 7.
Pettis is a former city councilman for Ward 7. On his website, he says he currently serves on two OKC TIF committees: the Northeast Renaissance TIF Review Committee and the OKC Innovation District TIF STEM Education and Workforce Development Committee. He is also an associate minister at Faith, Hope, and Love Missionary Baptist Church. In 2018, Pettis resigned as the city council member for Ward 7 amid three felony embezzlement charges and one felony tax charge after he failed to file an Oklahoma tax return from 2009 to 2017. Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater later dropped the embezzlement charges, and Pettis pleaded guilty in 2019 to a misdemeanor count of failing to file a tax return as part of an arrangement with prosecutors. Pettis recently completed his deferred sentence and is seeking expungement of the case.
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Spriggs, Barrick challenge Lewis to lead OKCPS board
Two incumbents on the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education were reelected Wednesday by default: Carole Thompson (Office 1) and Lori Bowman (Office 2).
However, Chairwoman Paula Lewis drew two challengers as she seeks a third term leading the board: Niah Spriggs and Jan Barrick.
Lewis, 54, is the incumbent and has served on the school board for eight years where, according to her website, she has advocated for the Embrace OKC initiative, Bond 2022, and the district’s equity and non-discrimination policies. Lewis is also co-owner of Quest Pediatric Therapy.
Barrick, 73, is the founder and CEO of Alpha Plus Educational Systems, an Oklahoma-based “school-improvement firm.” According to a 2016 Journal Record profile, Barrick is originally from Lawton and has taught at Edmond and Norman Public Schools, as well as the University of Central Oklahoma. Barrick’s campaign does not appear to have an online presence.
With experience in the private sector, Spriggs has worked in public education at Millwood Public Schools and in Houston, according to her website. Spriggs, 50, has earned teaching certificates in special education and secondary math education, as well as business and computer learning. Spriggs has also worked in finance for Wells Fargo and Citi Bank as an auditor.
