City Council District 4

[sgrizzle]

In one of the biggest races, Republicans Rocky Frisco, Liz Hunt and Blake Ewing will square off for the Republican nod in a District which is now more Republican than before. The winner faces the winner of Ken Brune vs incumbent Maria Barnes.

Thoughts?

[Conan71]

In one of the biggest races, Republicans Rocky Frisco, Liz Hunt and Blake Ewing will square off for the Republican nod in a District which is now more Republican than before. The winner faces the winner of Ken Brune vs incumbent Maria Barnes.

Thoughts?

Honestly, I think Blake would make a great councilor.  He's a great cheerleader for all that is good in Tulsa, but I'm worried about him spreading himself too thin.  He would certainly be more visible than Maria has been and express more innovation.  I'm really not quite sure why Maria ran for D-4 again unless she was simply pissed that Gomez beat her the last time they met in the general as she's been entirely ineffective and one thing I've heard from many D-4 constituents is: "Do we have a councilor in our district?"  That's sad.  The only visible moment I do recall for her was when she tried to manipulate the RFQ for the fire station off Cherry St.

[AquaMan]

I hope the Repubs in this district go with Ewing. Some entrepreneurial youth for a change. Ewing's signs remind me of Nazi propaganda posters though. Lots of them taken down around here having been placed in visible, accessible public row's. The other two just irritate me. But then most things do lately.

Maria may not be real visible but that doesn't mean she isn't doing the job. Gomez was the opposite. Visible and not representing most of us. I have spoken with her a few times in the last year and she is always pleasant and frank, even though I'm not a campaign contributor.

I spoke to her about the RFQ for the fire station and got some insights into how difficult it is to do anything in this town without thoroughly pissing off someone or some group on the simplest matters. I'm not sure I would criticize her for that episode unless you just have some juicy insider stuff. She got hosed by the TW on that one.

Who is Brune? He his name and appearance are familiar but I don't know why. His flyers don't say much. Not enough to sway me anyway.

[Conan71]

I hope the Repubs in this district go with Ewing. Some entrepreneurial youth for a change. Ewing's signs remind me of Nazi propaganda posters though. Lots of them taken down around here having been placed in visible, accessible public row's. The other two just irritate me. But then most things do lately.

Maria may not be real visible but that doesn't mean she isn't doing the job. Gomez was the opposite. Visible and not representing most of us. I have spoken with her a few times in the last year and she is always pleasant and frank, even though I'm not a campaign contributor.

I spoke to her about the RFQ for the fire station and got some insights into how difficult it is to do anything in this town without thoroughly pissing off someone or some group on the simplest matters. I'm not sure I would criticize her for that episode unless you just have some juicy insider stuff. She got hosed by the TW on that one.

Who is Brune? He his name and appearance are familiar but I don't know why. His flyers don't say much. Not enough to sway me anyway.

She completely over-stepped her boundaries when she meddled with that RFQ.  There's no gray area there.  I think you'd be surprised how much Gomez was getting done for the district even after he left office as constituents were having a hard time getting emails and calls returned by Maria.  I really do believe she was pretty inspired and more of an activist her first term as a councilor.  She simply blended in and took the check this time around, IMO.

[AquaMan]

I'm a believer in replacing a politician when they've clearly failed. Its just not that clear to me that Maria has failed. I read about a couple of those proposals and they were questionable.

It would be a hard decision between her and Ewing though. He employs my son and he's a hands on entrepreneur. Wish he had filed democrat, but then at this level it doesn't matter that much. In district 4 just be competent, moderate and committed to neighborhoods and downtown. And return calls no matter what party affiliation.

[Red Arrow]

Wish he had filed democrat,

Your true colors come through.

[nathanm]

Your true colors come through.

I don't get to vote for him in the primary, either. Silly closed primaries.

[pmcalk]

Honestly, I think Blake would make a great councilor.  He's a great cheerleader for all that is good in Tulsa, but I'm worried about him spreading himself too thin.  He would certainly be more visible than Maria has been and express more innovation.  I'm really not quite sure why Maria ran for D-4 again unless she was simply pissed that Gomez beat her the last time they met in the general as she's been entirely ineffective and one thing I've heard from many D-4 constituents is: "Do we have a councilor in our district?"  That's sad.  The only visible moment I do recall for her was when she tried to manipulate the RFQ for the fire station off Cherry St.

Conan, I don't know who you are or what you have against Maria, but the people you talk to clearly don't have any idea what's going on at City Hall.  How could you know about that silly incident with the fire station, and not know what else Maria has done in your district?  Here is just a short list of things she has done:

1.  Spearhead the passage of form based codes for the Pearl District.  Despite his occasional expressions of support, Gomez never did what it would take to pass FBC.  Maria promised to push for adoption in the Pearl District, and has done that.  She has worked closely with the Pearl District to overcome obstacles & ensure its success.

2.  PlaniTulsa--Maria worked on this from the beginning.  Much of the persuading & politicking went on behind the scenes, but I promise you that Maria was instrumental in assuring its passage.  If it weren't for her commitment to & support of the Plan, I doubt it would have ever passed through council.  She continues to play a key role, serving on the committee for the zoning code update, for example.

3. The Lift Program--Mayor Bartlett tried to cut this program, leaving hundreds of disabled & elderly people without any form of transportation.  Maria fought & persuaded other city councilor members about its critical need in the city.  As a result, many grandparents & parents in this city can remain living independently.

4.  Cherry Street Market--admittedly, this was first considered by Gomez, but it was Maria that worked to close down 15th street so that the market could expand.  Some people questioned whether you could ever convince Tulsans to close down a major thoroughfare, but Maria's leadership enabled it.

5.  Amend the zoning code to better protect historic neighborhoods.  People in Yorktown & Swan lake feel under attack by a certain developer who doesn't believe that HP zoning should apply to him.  After tearing down several houses, the homeowners were simply asking for some reassurance that those former historic houses wouldn't be turned into parking lots.  Despite going up against some very big-hitters, Maria fought to provide that assurance.  And now we at least have some limited protection (she fought for further assurance, but lost).

Those are just a few things--I could also mention her work to preserve the number of police & firefighters, her work with Bynum to prohibited the city from discrimination based on sexual orientation, and her current work to have the parking reconfigured on Cherry Street.  She constantly attends neighborhood meetings, helping them with issues big & small, not to mention downtown property owners, as well as other business owners.

Of course, you can disagree with her decisions, but to say she hasn't done anything is just ignoring her record. 

I find it very ironic that you hear so often that the Council is over stepping their bounds, that they are power hungry & unwilling to bow to the "strong mayor" form of government.  But then you hear people also saying that so-in-so councilor never does anything.  Seriously, what would you want Maria to do that is consistent with the strong-mayor form of government?  You say she isn't visible--do you really want a councilor who is constantly seeking the spotlight, like certain councilors (or potential councilors)? 

Most people know that I am a big fan of Maria's.  But I hope you will at least seriously consider what I have said.  To be honest, I don't always agree with her decisions.  But I support her because I believe that her decisions are based solely on what she feels is consistent with what her constituents want, and what is best for her district.  I believe that she truly listens to average citizens. 

And lets be honest--those neighbors of yours that don't know who their city councilor is probably have no idea who their state rep, senator, labor commissioner, School Board Rep, etc... is either. 

[rdj]

From what I've read on this board Conan doesn't live in district four any longer.

[Bat Bat]

I don't live in the district, but I would like to see Maria Barnes versus Blake Ewing in the general.

[AquaMan]

I simply want Ewing to win the Republican primary to show they can recognize some future leadership that isn't overtly partisan and dogmatic. Don't know a thing about his politics, his personality, his stand on local issues....anything. He was able to understand the downtown opportunities and is capitalizing on them. That is not enough to earn a seat on the council though. And I agree that he may be spreading himself too thin to be effective as a councilor. This is not his time for this position but it will give him a start.

Maria Barnes on the other hand has served the district, has lived in the district a long time, knows the district and hasn't shown herself to be prone to the vitriolic behaviors some other councilors have. She is capable of representing the issues of both downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. Hard to fathom why I wouldn't vote for her.

[RecycleMichael]

I don't live in the district any more. I like all five of the candidates.

I was impressed that Blake Ewing threw a fundraiser last night to help his election opponent buy a car. That was a classy move.

[SXSW]

I'm a Democrat but will be voting for Blake in the general election.  I like his creativity and vision for downtown and surrounding urban neighborhoods which is what District 4 is all about and I why I like living in the district.

My main interest, just because of where I live, is Cherry Street and Swan Lake.  I think Maria has been fine for our neighborhood but want to see what Blake can do, especially the revitalization of the Pearl and those neighborhoods which are really close to gentrifying with the right mix of infrastructure improvements and private investment.  I do not like the parking plan for Cherry Street which Maria advocated and instead would rather see it remain parallel parking on both sides with a new streetscape.  I would be interested to hear Blake's opinion on Cherry Street's future.

[JeffM]

PWI alert...... Blake rocked the house tonight at the Owen Park Neighborhood Association meeting.... celebrate good times, c'mon.... makes me wanna play galaga or centipede....

This '83 hs grad sings..... Hale to the Rangers, I said Hale....... 

[Conan71]

From what I've read on this board Conan doesn't live in district four any longer.

Only since the lines were officially gerrymandered re-drawn.  Does that make my opinion of her any less relevant?

To address PMCalk's post:  Fortunately I've not needed Councilor Barnes' help on issues in my neighborhood.  I'm not the only one around the city who thinks she comes off as being detached, disinterested, and generally un-prepared for council meetings.  I definitely found her to be far more engaging during her first term.  Just curious where that Maria went.