In a crowded field of city council candidates, runoffs were avoided in all three Oklahoma City wards as two incumbents won reelection.
Councilman Ed Shadid had a strong showing with 59 percent of the vote in Ward 2, home to the city’s northern urban neighborhoods. Ward 2 also had the highest turnout in the city with over 4,300 votes cast.
"I think it's a validation that the voters in ward 2 appreciate the questions, they appreciate the independent voice," said Shadid, who had been labeled by opponents as a harsh critic towards the city.
In Ward 6, which includes downtown and the south side, Meg Salyer was reelected with 54 percent. It was a surprisingly close margin to some, but with three candidates in that race, Salyer received enough votes to avoid a runoff.
“I think, given that we won without a runoff, [voters] like the direction we are headed in,” Salyer said. “But clearly as we analyse the votes there are different opinions. Bob [Waldrop] is going to be one of my first calls this week and I’d like to reach out and sit down and talk to him and hear about some of the things he heard on the street.”
Waldrop cracked 40 percent after running on an anti-establishment and working-class platform. Dario Alvarado, who would have been the council’s first Hispanic member, received 7 percent, despite the large Latino population in that ward.
In Ward 8, Mark Stonecipher won the open seat with 60 percent. Stonecipher, who was the first to announce a campaign following Councilman Pat Ryan’s announced retirement last year, beat Steve Curry (35 percent) and John Ederer (5 percent).
