Chickasha residents will elect two city council members Tuesday in a nonpartisan election.
Incumbent Charlie Burruss, who works in oil and gas mineral management, is seeking another term in Ward 2. He is opposed by Rockey Cliff Talley, a retired doctor who manages his family’s business of rent houses and pest control service.
Three candidates are vying in Ward 4 to succeed Navy veteran John Smith, who opted not to seek reelection.
The contenders are Sierra Leatherwood, who owns Tans Unlimited in downtown Chickasha; Heather Schenk, a 16-year resident of Chickasha; and Kelly Boyd, who previously served two terms on the City Council and founded Service Tech Cooling Towers in Chickasha.
Every candidate for the city council must be a registered voter and a resident of the ward for which he/ she seeks to be elected, but all candidates run at-large. The mayor and the eight council members are elected “by all [of] the qualified voters of the city,” the City Charter decrees.
Councilors serve twoyear terms and receive no compensation for their service.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Kea Ginn filed unopposed in February for a third term on the council, and Ward 3 Councilwoman Erica Alexander filed unopposed for a second term. The election is set for April 7 and the candidate who receives the most votes wins; there will be no runoff election.
Besides the city council races, Chickasha voters also will be asked to approve an amendment to the City Charter which would make the city’s competitive bidding threshold compliant with state statutes. Polls will be open April 7 for 12 hours: from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mike W. Ray is a fifth-generation, award winning journalist who has more than 55 years’ experience covering municipal, county, state, and federal government in Oklahoma and Texas. He can be reached at mike.ray@swoknews.com