A nonpartisan primary election for Lawton City Council members for Wards 3, 4 and 5 is scheduled on Sept. 9. A general election, if necessary, will be held Nov. 18.
Council members whose positions are up for election this year are Linda Chapman, Ward 3; George Gill, Ward 4; and Allan Hampton, Ward 5.
The three-day filing period for the three posts will be July 28-30, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, in the Election Board office at the Comanche County Courthouse. No filing fee is charged.
Anyone seeking a council seat must be a registered voter at an address in the ward he/ she seeks to represent, for at least six months prior to filing a declaration of candidacy.
Lawton city councilors serve three-year terms and, effective July 1, will be paid $10,000 a year for their service.
The compensation was raised last December – after remaining static since 2005 – in part “to encourage more citizens to run for elected positions,” city officials said. In addition, the adjustment “accounts for the rising cost of living and inflation in recent years.”
“I probably spend 20 to 30 hours a week on council work,” former Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris said. “We also pay for our gas and have to buy the phones we use” while conducting city business.