Tulsa World: Voting on four City Hall posts a rematch

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Voting on four City Hall posts a rematch
Mayor, auditor and four council posts are on Tuesday's ballot.

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 11/9/2009 2:19 AM
Last Modified: 11/9/2009 3:52 AM

Visit the Tulsa World’s city elections Web page for continuing coverage.

Tulsa voters will see the year of the rematch on Tuesday's general election ballot.

Only two of the six races that voters will decide — City Council District 9 and the city auditor's seat — are not rematches.

It also is the first year for voters to elect municipal officials in November, following a charter change that moved the elections from the spring. The city's elected officials will be sworn into office Dec. 7.

The two frontrunners in the mayor's race — Democrat Tom Adelson, a state senator, and Republican Dewey Bartlett Jr., president of Keener Oil & Gas — faced each other in a heated and expensive battle in 2004 for Tulsa's Senate District 33 seat.

Adelson came out the victor then, pulling 51 percent of the vote. This time, a Tulsa World poll conducted by SoonerPoll.com indicates the tables may turn.

The most recent Oklahoma Poll showed Bartlett with a 40 percent to 32 percent advantage over Adelson.

Voter registration in Senate District 33 leans Democratic, while the numbers citywide tips toward Republicans.

There are 95,254, Republicans, 91,921 Democrats and 25,165 independents for a total of 212,340 registered voters within the city limits, records show.

During

this election cycle, Adelson, 44, and Bartlett, 62, also a former councilor, have steadily attacked or responded to attacks through a barrage of TV commercials and mailers, leaving many people, including the news media, to characterize the race as one of the most negative in years.

Independent mayoral candidate Mark Perkins, a political newcomer, has said he thinks the negative campaigning is one factor that has garnered him support from both Democrats and Republicans. The Oklahoma Poll results do show he has pulled evenly from both parties.

Perkins, a 31-year-old attorney, remains a registered Republican, even though he filed to run for mayor as an independent.

Independent Lawrence Kirkpatrick, a perennial candidate, also will be on the ballot for mayor.

The mayor's seat is a four-year term with a $105,000 annual salary. Adelson is the only candidate who has said he will not accept the salary.

City Council races

In City Council districts 3, 4, and 6, the incumbents all face former councilors whom they have ousted.

Council seats are two-year terms and are considered part-time posts with an annual $18,000 salary.

District 3: Since 1996, the District 3 seat has been the battleground for a longtime rivalry between current Councilor David Patrick, an independent, and Roscoe Turner, a Democrat.

Through the years, the seat has bounced back and forth between the two men, with both serving nearly equal time as a councilor.

Patrick had been a registered Democrat, leaving the pair to battle in the party primary. Then in 2007, Patrick changed his registration to independent, securing a spot in the 2008 general election that he won.

The district has 10,921 registered Democratic voters, 4,871 Republicans and 2,473 independents.

Patrick is 58 and owns Patrick Auto Service. Turner is 77 and a former city employee.

Also on the ballot is political newcomer Republican Karl Hulcher, 47, who is employed at the University of Tulsa.

Hulcher has had numerous run-ins with the law. A Tulsa World review found that in 2002, he pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and no contest to driving under the influence in Cherokee County. In Tulsa County, he faced assault and battery charges in 2005 and 2006 that were later dropped.

District 4: Councilor Eric Gomez, a Republican, faces Democrat Maria Barnes for the midtown seat.

Gomez defeated Barnes in the 2008 election by capturing 53 percent of the vote in the Democratic-heavy district.

The district, which includes downtown, has 11,534 registered Democratic voters, 9,307 Republicans and 3,239 independents.

Gomez, 40, is a real estate consultant seeking his second term. Barnes, 49, is a neighborhood activist.

District 6: Councilor Dennis Troyer, a Democrat, faces Republican Jim Mautino. Both men are retired American Airlines employees.

Troyer, 69, ousted Mautino, 77, in the 2006 election in the wake of a public recall vote in 2005 that Mautino survived. The recall effort was started by a group that accused Mautino of being anti-development.

Troyer is seeking his third term.

The east Tulsa district is evenly split between the political parties with 9,299 registered Democrats and 9,484 registered Republicans. There also are 2,941 independents.

District 9 : Councilor G.T. Bynum, a Republican, is facing challenger Roger Lowry, a Democrat, this year.

Lowry, 53, has unsuccessfully sought the District 9 seat four times and the District 1 seat twice, both as a Democrat and Republican.

Bynum, 32, who has started a governmental affairs consulting business, is seeking his second term.

City auditor : Longtime City Auditor Phil Wood, a Democrat, is up against political newcomer Preston Doerflinger, a Republican.

The results of the Tulsa World poll show this citywide race is very close.

A certified internal auditor, Wood, 84, has been the city auditor since 1988.

Doerflinger, 37, is a health-care consultant and investor.

The auditor's term is for two years at an annual salary of $73,500 or 70 percent of the mayor's $105,000 salary.

Charter amendments : Also on the ballot are three city charter amendments, including one that would require professional qualifications for the auditor's post.

The amendment would require a candidate to be either a certified public accountant or a certified internal auditor prior to filing for the office. If approved, the requirement would go into effect for the next election

The other proposed charter amendments would lengthen and stagger council terms, and require the settlement of any claim or lawsuit of $1 million or more to be approved by both the mayor and the City Council.

In-person absentee voting

City voters can vote in-person absentee Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tulsa County election Board, 555 N. Denver ave. Standard voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at polling precincts.

P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Daven, Tulsa (11/9/2009 8:11:03 AM) Dont base your vote on what people say on here or news stories. Just do your research and vote for who you think will best represent and get Tulsa over these economic hurdles.
	Report Comment Daven, Tulsa (11/9/2009 11:01:09 AM) I hope a job title is not the only reason you're voting for a specific candidate..... Mark Perkins is a good candidate and although I dont think he will even come close to winning, he should further his political career and prepare to run again.
	Report Comment Rupert Shootman, Tulsa (11/9/2009 10:07:48 AM) Hmmm...for mayor...do I want the lawyer, the lawyer or the businessman? I'll go for the non-lawyer, Dewey Bartlett.
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (11/9/2009 11:07:52 AM) After much research, reading and watching debates. I'm voting for Mark Perkins. (My second choice, I guess would be Bartlett) I don't have a dog in the fight for city councilors, since there is no contest in my district, but I hope Patrick, Gomez, Mautino and Bynum wins. For city auditor I will vote for Doerflinger, it is past time for some new blood. I'll for yes for the city auditor's qualifications. Yes for settlement of any claim or lawsuit of $1 million or more to be approved by both the mayor and the City Council. No for staggering and lengthening council terms. Whew! Always nice to finally make a decision. EVERYONE GET OUT AND VOTE ON TUESDAY! If you don't vote tomorrow, don't get on the message boards and belly ache and complain for the next 2 to 4 years about the mayor and councilors.
	Report Comment Roots, Tulsa (11/9/2009 1:46:53 PM) Mar, I hear that Eric Gomez was arrested for public intoxication and assaulting a police officer. The Tulsa World only reported the intoxication. How could you support such a person? As far as I'm concerned, anyone who would assault a peace officer - even in a drunken state - is not worthy of the public's trust.
	Report Comment myownguy, Tulsa (11/9/2009 3:06:03 PM) Hope there is a "none of the above" box to check.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/9/2009 8:20:57 PM) AGREE wth Another Concerned Tulsan, and Democrats for Gomez, I watched the back and forth debate posting about Eric Gomez and Maria Barnes now for the past month. The Maria Barnes supporters have stretched the truth at every single opportunity. Many of Barnes supporters have been vicious with their crude comments against those who support Gomez. I found many of the vile, rude comments disgusting, and never once saw Barnes come in and put a stop to them. It was also pointed out that the majority of the Maria Barnes supporters have anonymous, hidden profiles so no one cna see their former posts, or determine if they are simply campaign workers. Most of the Barnes supporter tried to minimize the fact that Maria barnes wanted Tulsa ot stay as a sanctuary city. The voting public knows better. the proof of this was that Maria Barnes, as a well known incumbent, was thrown out of office by the voters. That's rare in Tulsa City Council elections. Barnes was rejected by the voters two years ago. What's changed since then?... Has she ever acknowledged that the sanctuaryy city vote was a mistake?...no, quite the opposite. She still defends that vote and I'm quite certain she would side with illegals again. Tulsa doesn't need the type of left-wing liberal person Maria Barnes is. Tulsa is not a liberal city. It's a city of moderate conservative values. When Maria Barnes first ran for the City Council in district 4, I voted for her. After discovering her personal values, I voted against her and voted for the then-unknown Eric Gomez. Coucilor Gomez has made some mistakes, but he doesn't have misplaced values. He stands up for American citizens, and American law & order. He respects Americans as a patriot. Maria Barnes, I haven't forgotten, and I will never vote for you,...ever again. You can run term, after term, after term, and I as well as most of my neighbors in district 4,... will never vote for you again. I wish you luck in another career path. You let American citizens down. You defended those who disrespect the laws of this land.
	Report Comment OPEN YOUR EYES TULSA, Tulsa (11/9/2009 11:23:32 AM) Troyer is in my district. He is Kathy Taylor's lap dog. I hope he goes down tomorrow.
	Report Comment Denver918, (11/9/2009 5:40:10 PM) Adelson is the only candidate that has the political experience plus the ability to actually make the necessary changes needed for Tulsa to move forward. I hope the people of Tulsa realize this.
	Report Comment Another Concerned Tulsan , Tulsa (11/9/2009 6:15:24 PM) Roots- I ask you the same question..."How could you support such a person?" You are assuming that the information you spoke of is accurate, but all charges were dropped. Would a police officer really drop assult charges if it were true? All this "dirty laundry" was brought up during the first election between Gomez and Barnes, Gomez was the one that brought it up and addressed it. But, it seems to be Barnes (and her groupies) that just want to run a nasty campaign. I just got a postcard in the mail from the Maria Barnes campaign and the front shows a photo of Eric Gomez that has been OBVIOUSLY photoshopped. And photoshopped poorly! The website it directs you to is so slanderous and nasty that the owners have hidden behind a Proxy Server. The Proxy Server has responded to inquries that the site is in violation of their usage by having the purposes of "activities which are designed, intended to or otherwise: (ii) defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, or harass third parties"; which is against their policy. Typical of the Maria Barnes campaign. So my question to you is, "How could you vote for someone that runs (or allows others to do this in her "name") such a nasty, negative campaign??? This maybe how she represents herself, but it is now how I want to be represented! I will vote for the "clean" campaign...Eric Gomez!
	Report Comment Observer3, (11/9/2009 4:20:23 AM) Although this last (present) City Council has pretty much rubber stamped everything Kathy Taylor has put before them, I'm hoping passage of the proposed charter amendment requiring approval by both the Mayor and the City Council will prevent another Mayor (such as Taylor) from giving away taxpayers' money without Council approval, as she did with the $7 million she GAVE to BOK/George Kaiser, when it wasn't mandated. I'm also hoping the newly-elected City Council will scrutinize Mayoral expenditures that come before them much more closely and question the necessity of those expenditures.
	Report Comment divermp, (11/9/2009 9:30:48 AM) Tulsa needs a leader who is honest. Do your research...it is clear as to who is the best leader for our city. MARK PERKINS for MAYOR!

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