Bill Christiansen may not win this year's mayoral election, but his voters likely will decide who does.
An allocation of Christiansen voters based on Oklahoma Poll questions suggests current Mayor Dewey Bartlett and former Mayor Kathy Taylor begin their campaigns for the November election virtually even.
Taylor finished first in Tuesday's primary with 42 percent, followed by Bartlett at 34 percent and Christiansen at 23. That result eliminated Christiansen and left the field to Bartlett and Taylor.
The Oklahoma Poll, in a survey conducted June 1-5, asked the 81 self-identified prospective Christiansen voters who their second choice for mayor would be.
Almost half named Bartlett, with Taylor getting 16 percent. Twenty-eight percent didn't know.
The small sample size has a relatively large margin of error and the general election is still five months away, but a reallocation of Christiansen's votes based on those results would put Bartlett at 46 percent and Taylor at 45.
"The undecided Bill Christiansen voters will make the next mayor," said Bill Shapard, president of SoonerPoll.com, which conducted the Oklahoma Poll.
By "undecided Bill Christiansen voters," Shapard meant those who indicated no preference between Taylor and Bartlett in the pre-election survey. Based on Wednesday interviews with some of those Christiansen supporters, it does seem like the two survivors could have a tough selling job ahead of them.
"There's no mayoral ability in either one," Roger Alkire said.
"All they know how to do is spend money on things people don't need."
Alkire said that, as mayors, Taylor and Bartlett have spent too much money on things the city didn't need and not enough to maintain things like parks and public facilities that the people do need.
"I haven't missed an election in 40 years, but I don't have any reason to go down there and vote (in November)," Alkire said. "Bartlett and Taylor, neither one are qualified."
Rhonda Gray was just as blunt.
She said she suspected Taylor's motives in pushing for the downtown ONEOK Field baseball stadium and said Bartlett - whom she referred to only as "the other one" - "acts like he hasn't got a brain in his head."
Even some of those who indicated a preference before the election didn't sound so sure on Wednesday.
Cathy Carnett, who had listed Kathy Taylor as her No. 2 choice, said, "Then, I didn't think I'd have to vote for her. I thought Bill Christiansen would win." In fact, said Carnett, she's not at all sure she'll vote for Taylor.
"I'm really concerned about money right now," Carnett said. "Taylor moved the city offices and forgot to sell old (city hall) first. Nobody would do that with a house, move to a new house before selling the old one."
Carnett said she is afraid neither Taylor nor Bartlett is "in reality about money."
Bonnie Wilson indicated a preference for Bartlett in the poll, but asked Wednesday which way she will go in November, Wilson said, "Probably go eeny miney mo, wherever the pencil stops. I didn't want Kathy Taylor. She's a quitter. That's how we got Bartlett. And I'm not too crazy about him, either.
"I always vote because it's my privilege," she said.
"So many people want to vote and can't. So I'll probably vote. But I'm really going to have to think and pray on this one."
About the poll
The poll of 400 likely voters was conducted June 1-5 by SoonerPoll.com, using a random digit-dialing technique that included cellphone and landline telephone numbers. Results were weighted by gender, age and party. The poll is sponsored by the Tulsa World. In the poll, 81 respondents who said they planned to vote for Bill Christiansen were asked their second preference for mayor. The margin of error for that question is plus or minus 10.89 percentage points. This poll conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. A complete description of the methodology can be found at
tulsaworld.com/soonerpoll.
Randy Krehbiel 918-581-8365
randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Christiansen supporters likely to hold sway in vote
