Beating out three other candidates in the Tulsa City Council District 2 primary election, former minister and small business owner Anthony Archie and mental health therapist Stephanie Reisdorph are headed to the Nov. 5 general election with similar community focuses on homelessness, housing and public safety.
Since 2022, incumbent Councilwoman Jeannie Cue has held the Tulsa District 2 seat, which covers western and southwestern portions of the city. Instead of seeking reelection, Cue made an unsuccessful bid this year for the Tulsa County Commissioner District 2 position.
In the five-person Tulsa District 2 primary, Archie received 41.53 percent of the votes, and Reisdorph finished second with 19.61 percent in the Aug. 27 election.
Archie, 36, was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. He came to Tulsa in 2006 to attend Oral Roberts University where he met his wife, Chelsea, who is a Tulsa public school teacher. Archie worked as a pastor and youth minister for Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church before partnering with his wife in 2017 to found and operate the Oklahoma Toffee Company.
“We were talking about the deficit that we had in Oklahoma, and the cuts to education that was very concerning to us,” Archie said. “We thought, well, what can we do to try to help teachers who were in the classroom? We went back and forth, and long story short, we started a small candy company. (…) And what teachers will do is they will email us their Amazon wish lists, and we will use a part of our profits to fulfill their requests.”
After starting the business, Archie also began teaching geography and social studies in the Tulsa Public Schools district.
Reisdorph, 37, is originally from Washington and moved to Tulsa after completing her undergraduate education at Trinity Lutheran College earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Reisdorph continued her education at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa to obtain a master’s degree in social work. She went on to work as a mental health therapist for adults — focusing on severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression — before transitioning to work with youth in schools. Reisdorph currently works as a mental health therapist at Daniel Webster Middle and High School.
Over the years, Reisdorph has started multiple passion projects and founded neighborhood and community organizations. As an undergrad, Reisdorph established the a outreach ministry and more recently founded Lovolution, Eugene Field Neighborhood Watch and Eagle Outreach.
Noting her professional history, Reisdorph said she was compelled to run for the Tulsa City Council because the position aligns with her passion for community work and volunteering.
“I have more of a heart and passion for macro-level work, so helping neighborhoods, communities and cities,” Reisdorph said. “I obviously care about the community and the city and just wanting to expand what we’ve already been doing in our district. (…) I also had it on my heart. I felt a divine call.”
Archie said he had not considered running for the City Council until he learned the Tulsa District 2 seat would be open.
“I had really no desire to go into public service, but [Cue is] a tremendously hard worker for the west side of Tulsa that historically has been under invested in,” Archie said. “She has done a tremendous job drawing attention and getting funding to critical services and representing the west side at the city level. And so, long story short, when I was told and talked with her that she was not running for another term, I was very interested in running, and talked to some mentors, and she supported us the entire way.”
In-person early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Tulsa County Election Board. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Candidates focus on homelessness, housing
Addressing Tulsa’s homelessness issue has been at the forefront of many local election campaigns, including both remaining mayoral candidates and both Tulsa District 2 candidates.
Archie said the housing crisis is an issue that municipal leaders have to address together.
“Then there are neighborhoods where homelessness is a challenge,” Archie said. “I think what Tulsa has to do first thing is elect a mayor that is passionate and super focused on the issue of homelessness. And I’ve talked to both candidates. I’m willing to work with both of them, but we’ve definitely got to have a candidate that has a clear, straightforward plan on it.”
Reisdorph said homelessness can often be directly linked to mental health and substance abuse issues.
“I have experience working with the homeless, and about 50 to 60 percent of homeless people struggle with mental illness, and even more struggle with substance abuse disorders,” Reisdorph said. “I feel like I have a good understanding about not just getting the homeless people housed but keeping and maintaining their housing so they don’t end up back on the streets again and just turn into a cycle of homelessness.”
Archie said the city cannot decrease its homeless population without adequate housing options.
“Housing and homelessness are connected,” Archie said. “I’ve met with developers that have said, ‘Anthony, you know, it’s very difficult to navigate the permitting process and the inspections process.’ [I support having] our city begin to develop pre-approved permitting plans for certain zoning areas, making it easier for developers to build duplexes and quads, so that as folks who are homeless receive mental health and addiction services, they’re able to find supportive housing and stable housing.”
Before transitioning into social work, Reisdorph worked for the Tulsa Housing Authority for almost eight years. She said housing aimed at addressing homelessness must provide more support than just a roof and four walls.
“I think we need specific types of housing for the homeless to keep them housed,” Reisdorph said. “Housing that has a support structure offering therapy on site and things like that, which Mental Health Association in Tulsa does currently have. I think we need more mental health components added to housing. I don’t think we have to necessarily create more of that housing, but just add more supportive services into existing housing or rehousing.”
Crime, public safety pose other concerns
Another similarity between the candidates’ campaigns for the Tulsa City Council District 2 seat is their support for more recreational activities and community common places in an effort to lower crime rates and increase public safety.
“On 61st and Peoria, I was on a crime committee there, and years ago when we had the crime committee and the program grant funds for that, I felt like crime was lowering, and the area wasn’t as bad as it is now,” Reisdorph said. “I think that we need to find sustainable ways to keep that area up to par, and I think that we need to increase the recreational activities for youth in that area. I think there’s a lot of single mothers in that area, raising kids and teenagers, and sometimes it causes some of the problem. I think that that’s leading to some juvenile delinquency and crimes over there, so I think we need some more activities for them as well.”
Archie also said there are areas in his district that would benefit from more parks and recreation opportunities.
“On the west side, the northwest side, there’s a single-family community — or single residential community — called Woodview Heights with hundreds of kids that live there,” Archie said. “Those hundreds of kids don’t have a recreational place to play or (find) recreation on the weekends, or after school or during the summer. We need to create spaces where kids and young adults can make positive choices so that they don’t fall into criminality.”
Archie also sees a need for more police in Tulsa District 2, but he said an increase in policing is not the sole solution to addressing the community’s crime rates.
“Public safety, of course, is really important,” Archie said. “We have 140 police (officers) that need to be recruited. Police are critical. They are a piece of the public safety puzzle, but they’re not the entire picture.”
Improving constituent involvement
Archie credits receiving almost 42 percent of District 2 votes Aug. 27 to his time knocking on doors during the campaign. He said the experience of talking to constituents will ultimately allow him to make decisions for the betterment of his community.
“My desire is to help to make your quality of life better,” Archie said. “I have to step back and allow you to express how you feel. I want you to feel heard. I want you to feel seen. And then obviously, if there’s a problem, the person who’s closest to the problem probably has the solution at hand. So, I need to be willing to listen long enough to hear that, and then using the power of the office to connect those folks or those communities that are going to bring them a solution.”
Reisdorph also said she feels the Tulsa City Council needs to improve how it communicates with and involves the public.
“[Tulsa City Council’s] Wednesday meetings, nobody shows up — barely,” Reisdorph said. “I think that maybe advertising more and in different ways would generate some more interest, and some more people that want to be involved in the district (…) I think that changing the way that information is provided and making it a little more accessible, I think would be helpful for everybody.”
Reisdorph said she often calls herself a “stateswoman” and feels the meaning of the word encompasses her beliefs and approach to serve the people in District 2.
“I feel like I’m not a politician and won’t be a politician,” Reisdorph said. “I feel like I consider myself a stateswoman. (…) Someone that does everything for the common good of the people he or she represents.”
Archie said he feels the best is yet to come for Tulsa and wants community members to remember to work together.
“One thing I always tell our folks when I’m talking to them at town halls, I say, ‘Before we call ourselves Democrats or Republicans, we have to first call ourselves neighbors,'” Archie said. “These municipal elections are not about political ideology. They’re about quality of life in neighborhoods.”
