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January 17, 2013

Mayor, council races shape up

By Joy Hampton The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Filing for Norman City Council and Norman Mayor positions closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday with every position contested.

The city election will be April 2. A runoff, if needed, will be May 14. City of Norman races are nonpartisan.

The last person to file was a candidate for Ward 3, Benjamin Joel Carter, 28, 800 Bass Court. Carter will challenge incumbent Robert M. Castleberry, 48, 4701 Windrush Circle.

While neither Carter or Castleberry have run for the office previously, they both sought the appointment for the Ward 3 seat when former Council member Hal Ezzel resigned after he moved out of his ward.

Castleberry has lived in Norman for more than 30 years. He is owner of Castleberry & Associates, a CPA firm specializing in taxation and financial planning.

Carter grew up in Norman. He has lived in the city for 19 years and in Ward 3 for two years. He believes water quality is the most important issue facing Norman today.

Three candidates have filed for mayor. Candidates are Thomas E. Sherman, 67, 2811 Majesty Court, David Kempf, 51, 317 Towry Drive, and incumbent Cindy Rosenthal, 62, 903 Carey Drive.

Sherman retired from McClain Bank, a family owned bank, in 2010. He completed his year as chair of the Norman Chamber, then decided to go back to work. He is currently the controller for Fowler Holding Company.

Kempf is a small business owner and entrepreneur. He has been a Norman resident since 1991. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, is married and has two children.

Rosenthal was elected mayor in 2007. She is the director of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma. She and husband, Jim, have two adult children, Caitlin and Aaron.

Filing for Ward 1 are Greg Heiple, 48, 1021 Laird’s Wood Circle, and Roger Gallagher, 72, 1522 E. Boyd St.

Gallagher is the incumbent. A Vietnam veteran, he has been a Norman resident since 1976 and has lived in Ward 1 the entire time. He has served as the Ward 1 council member since July 2011.

Heiple is a life-long Norman resident, small business owner and father of two sons.

He said he is passionate about his hometown and understands the importance of Norman’s authentic mix of culture, diversity and history while maintaining a vibrant business community.

In Ward 5, Lynne Miller, 67, 801 48th Ave. SE, and Dave Spaulding, 38, 6700 NE 103rd Ave., have filed.

Miller is a retired Norman Public School principal and a small business owner. She has been a resident of the ward for more than 25 years and is a lifetime Norman resident.

Spaulding is the incumbent and a lifetime resident of Ward 5. He and his brothers were raised on a family homestead, and he still lives nearby. A graduate of Life Christian School, Spaulding is an entrepreneur and small business owner.

Filing for Ward 7 are Linda Lockett, 74, 910 Elm Ave., and Stephen Tyler Holman, 28, 1030 S. College Ave.

Lockett is the incumbent, a former small business owner and life-long resident of Norman and Ward 7. She attended McKinley Elementary School and Norman High School and is a graduate of the OU Business School with a degree in management.

Holman works for a family owned business in downtown Norman. He is the fourth generation of his family to call Norman home. He currently serves on the 2060 Strategic Water Supply Committee and is the liaison for the city element in organizing the Norman Music Festival.

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