By Andy Rieger
A dozen candidates for council and mayor took a turn in the high-backed Norman City Council seats Monday night at a televised forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
The candidates, including four incumbent council members, addressed the proposed redevelopment of Porter Avenue, water and utility issues, University North Park, city spending and other public policy questions. Ward 2 Councilman Tom Kovach addressed the group but drew no opponent this term.
Most of the challengers said they were opposed to any efforts to change the city charter to allow council members -- and not voters -- to set utility rates. Incumbents pledged to let voters decide if they want it or not.
Two candidates immediately distanced themselves from specific donors. "I pledge not to take campaign donations from builders and developers," Ward 4 candidate Jack Dawson said. "People are wary of builders and developers and their control of the council."
Dawson said he is running because of the effort to redevelop Porter Avenue.
"Don't Lindsey Street my Porter. This is the whole reason I got in this campaign."
His fellow Ward 4 challenger Austin Dyches said he would decline any contributions from "outside sources."
Dyches said he supported Porter work but the timing is not right. He said the city council has neglected the fact that we are in a recession.
"I don't think spending large amounts of cash on that would do any good," he said.
Both are seeking to unseat incumbent Ward 4 Council Member Carol Dillingham. She called community service a three-legged stool, involving individual engagement, neighborhoods and experienced members of council.
"Community involvement is something I'm known for," she said.
In Ward 6, challenger Matt Zellner said he would be an energetic representative who can connect with voters. He said he wants to be an advocate for citizens in solving problems. He said he has proven he can manage his time.
Incumbent Jim Griffith said he found serving on the council rewarding. "Involvement in city government is just a higher step," he said.
In Ward 8, Councilman Dan Quinn said he was seeking his third term in order to pay back his debt to Norman. "I care deeply about Norman. Norman has been good to me and my family," he said.
Quinn said the biggest problem in Ward 8 is traffic along Robinson Street west of I-35. "That has to be dealt with," he said, adding designated revenues from University North Park will help make those changes.
Candidate Steve Lucas said he has witnessed a lot of frivolous spending by the council. "I want to represent the people to the city, not the city to the people," he said. "We are spending too much money paying for someone else's vision. We need to take care of what we've got. This is a crisis time right now, and we need to change the way things are done."
Lucas said the most significant problems in Ward 8 are development, University North Park and Westwood Pool maintenance.
Leonard Youngblood, also a Ward 8 candidate, said he wants to get to know the ward and will establish an interactive Web site where voters can get information. He said the biggest problem was unpredictability in a high commerce area.
In the mayor's race, incumbent Cindy Rosenthal and Ward 3 Councilman Hal Ezzell discussed such topics as fresh water and storm water, regional transportation, library priorities, downtown Norman, work on Ten Mile Creek and the future of Porter Avenue.
Rosenthal, a Ward 4 council member before running for mayor three years ago, said she was proud of her record of service. "I'm committed to pulling together for all of Norman," she said.
Both candidates were asked about the lack of high-end retail that was promised with the University North Park TIF development at I-35 and Robinson.
"There has been no release of the University North Park developers or the OU Foundation on any obligations," Rosenthal said.
Ezzell said the developer is up against a $5.9 million penalty for not getting started on the planned Lifestyle Center, which would house more upscale businesses. He said the city faces upward of $750 million in planned improvements dreamed up by consultants while neglecting deferred maintenance.
"We continue to throw too much money to consultants. We hire them to do grandiose plans that don't have the support of the community," Ezzell said.
Andy Rieger 366-3543 editor@norman
