Mansur won't actively seek re-election to City Council
BY KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writer
Friday, August 17, 2012
8/17/12 at 4:44 PM
District 7 City Councilor Thomas Mansur announced Friday that he will not actively seek re-election in the fall because he is moving out of town but said he plans to keep his name on the ballot.
“If I take my name off the ballot, I, in effect, determine who is going to be the next councilor,” Mansur said. “And that is not for me.
“I believe the councilor ought to be elected.”
Mansur said that if he were elected he would not serve. The seat would be declared vacant, and the city would have to call a special election.
Shelly Boggs, assistant secretary of the Tulsa County Election Board, estimated it would cost about $22,000 to hold a stand-alone special election.
Mansur, 66, will begin work Aug. 27 as a utilities engineer for the city of Ardmore. He will maintain his residence in Tulsa until he can move to Ardmore.
He said he plans to attend the council’s weekly Thursday meetings until his term expires in December.
The City Attorney’s office on Friday confirmed that it is legal for Mansur to continue participating in the City Council meetings as long as his legal residence remains in his council district.
“I had a couple of good business opportunities, but they have since evaporated,” Mansur said. “So I have got to go some place to find a job.”
Mansur’s departure from the council leaves one candidate for the District 7 seat, Arianna Rachelle Moore, a Republican.
Mansur, who is also a Republican, was elected in 2011 to succeed former Councilor John Eagleton, who did not seek re-election.
A civil engineer, Mansur has been out of work for about eight months. He was dismissed from his job at SAIC Constructors after he was elected to the City Council because of a perceived conflict of interest by the firm. SAIC does contract work with the city.
He said he filed for re-election in the spring with the expectation that he would remain in Tulsa.
Mansur said he was sad to be leaving the council, which he described as having “pretty good chemistry.”
“I had pretty much resolved to run for a second, two-year term, serve three years and fade off into history.”
In a letter to constituents and his fellow councilors, Mansur wrote: “I recognize that this is an unfortunate eventuality and a regrettable circumstance, but I have not choice at this point. My one-year term concludes a brief and unremarkable political career.”
City Council Chairman G.T. Bynum said it was a shame Mansur had been put in the situation of having to choose between serving the city and losing his job.
“I completely understand and respect the decision he is making and look forward to serving with him the remainder of his term,” Bynum said.
Associated Images:
District 7 City Councilor Thomas Mansur is shown at a council meeting in December. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World file
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