
With longtime Councilwoman Nikki Nice moving to the Oklahoma Senate, four candidates are vying to take her former Ward 7 OKC City Council that is temporarily occupied by appointee and previous Councilman Lee Cooper.
Candidates looking to earn the job permanently include Masood Haqq, Andrea Holman, Camal Pennington and John Pettis Jr., who previously served as Ward 7’s representative on the OKC horseshoe. Holman is a community organizer and neighborhood president, while Haqq and Pennington have also been involved in the Ward 7 community through their professional and personal lives.
Ward 7 encompasses much of northeast OKC, running north and east from the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 40. Although it includes the Chisholm Creek area south of Quail Springs Mall, Ward 7’s western boundary mostly aligns with Interstate 235. It stretches east around Spencer and to the western edge of Luther. Like all wards, Ward 7 has a targeted population of about 85,000, but owing to OKC’s sprawling eastern boundary, it is one of the largest by area.
OKC’s primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 11. A candidate eclipse 50 percent of the vote to avoid an April 1 runoff between the top two finishers Feb. 11. City council members are paid $12,000 annually.
The OKC alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is hosting a candidate forum for the Ward 7 candidates from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Metro Tech District Center, 1900 Springlake Drive. Before the forum, voters can get to know the candidates in this cheat sheet based on publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports and social media. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order.
Masood Haqq

Age: 42
Profession/background: Masood Haqq runs Peace of Mind Pediatrics and Clara Community Health Center alongside his wife, Dr. Noor Jihan Abdul-Haqq. He also serves as the secretary of the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce and is chairman of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Oklahoma. Haqq is an Atlanta native who attended the University of Central Oklahoma.
Platform: If elected, Haqq’s biggest priorities would be enhancing economic development in Ward 7 while also working to improve access to health care and housing. On his website, Haqq also references food insecurity as a key concern for Ward 7.
“It breaks my heart to see folks struggling to afford basic housing needs, contributing to a growing homeless population,” Haqq states on his site. “The state ranks near the bottom in both poverty and health care. That doesn’t mean Ward 7 has to. I will use my experience in pediatrics to shape my approach to this issue. But it’s also vital to ensure our elders age with dignity and in capable and friendly hands.”
In his campaign, Haqq has also said the city’s criminal justice reform efforts need to be modernized and that he would push for lighting and road maintenance improvements in Ward 7.
Andrea Holman

Age: 57
Profession/background: Raised in northeast OKC, Andrea Holman is the current president of Park Estates North/Cashions Wildewood Neighborhood Association, according to a Facebook post. Holman graduated from Millwood High School and earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Langston University, according to The Black Chronicle Newspaper. She later worked for organizations in Dallas — including Ralph Lauren and the Dallas Mavericks — before returning to OKC where she has worked as an advocate for children with disabilities.
Platform: According to the Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma, Holman has worked to strengthen neighborhoods on the east side of OKC for 50 years. In an article produced by that organization, Holman said her neighbors often feel ignored by local government. In remarks delivered to the OKC Board of Adjustment, she discussed the challenges of preserving the northeast OKC community.
“Our neighborhood is totally against Airbnbs. We invest in our people, and we are investing in our neighborhood,” Holman said. “Our community is one with children and one with the elderly, and they have built our community. Thats the way we want to keep it. They keep our community safe,” Holman was quoted as saying. “Our homes are not investment properties. They are not commercialized. We are residents. (…) We want to keep the culture. We want to keep the history. And we want to keep living in our neighborhood.”
Online:Â Facebook
Camal Pennington

Age: 37
Profession/background: A native of northeast OKC, Camal Pennington is the Ward 7 representative onthe Oklahoma City Planning Commission, and he previously served as its chairman. He attended Northeast High School before attending Oklahoma City University, and later, the University of Oklahoma College of Law. In 2016, he finished third and narrowly missed the Democratic runoff for an open House District 97 seat. In his professional career, Pennington has worked as an attorney for the Oklahoma City American Federation of Teachers. Now, he is the executive director of It’s My Community Initiative, which leads efforts to empower families in financial hardship and to strengthen neighborhoods. He is also board president for Harding Fine Arts Academy charter school.
Platform: If elected, Pennington says on his website that the city needs to have conversations on how to address public safety concerns of the community, which he calls a critical issue when it comes to building strong neighborhoods.
“Public safety means creating a neighborhood where everyone feels secure,” Pennington states on his site. “This feeling varies for each person, so we need to engage in conversations to understand your concerns and address them effectively. Together, we can make Ward 7 a safer place for all.”
Pennington also states that he believes the community needs to improve its efforts to attract local businesses if northeast OKC is going to prosper in the future.
John Pettis Jr.
Age: 42
Profession/background: John Pettis Jr. is a former OKC City Council member for Ward 7 who resigned in 2018 after being charged with embezzlement and intentionally failing to file state tax returns. He eventually pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor tax evasion charge after the embezzlement count was dropped. As part of a five-year deferred sentence through August 2025, he agreed to pay a $5,000 fine and never run for office again.
In May, however, new Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna “accelerated the dismissal” of Pettis’ case, according to Pettis’ June motion seeking expungement of the criminal case. That motion is being opposed by Behenna and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Pettis currently serves on 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.
Platform: During his prior time in office, Pettis focused on improving economic and workforce development in Ward 7 through TIF districts, according to his website. In a seven-minute campaign video that opens with him walking down the center of a road while singing You Brought Me From a Mighty Long Way, Pettis says he was “wrongly charged” in 2018.
“The charges against me were political and designed for me to lose the Oklahoma County commissioners race,” Pettis says before noting that former District Judge Tim Henderson later resigned in disgrace for having sexual relationships with assistant district attorneys, who alleged harassment. “Maybe you are like me. Maybe you have made some mistakes down through the years. Maybe you was lied on. Maybe they tried to destroy you. Maybe you almost gave up. Whatever the case may be, I’m here to tell you, your story ain’t over with.”
In the video, Pettis emphasizes his work to develop the Will Johnson Community Center, which was the first of its kind in the community. He also planned and helped to develop the Northeast Senior Health and Wellness Center. Other areas of focus included police body cameras, improved streets and infrastructure, along with providing more affordable housing for the ward’s residents.
“The reason why I decided to run for city council again is because our community needs somebody who has the record of accomplishments and getting things done for our community,” Pettis says in the video. “Ward 7 deserves every single thing that all the other parts of our city have.”
(Correction: This article was updated at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, to correct reference to the OKC Planning Commission.)