Late Edmond mayor advances to general
Next Norman mayor says she wants to set `a new tone'
A deceased man is headed to a runoff election for Edmond mayor after voters on Tuesday gave late Mayor Charles Lamb enough votes for a top-two finish with former Mayor Dan O'Neil. O'Neil garnered 3,492 votes, or 55.91 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting, while Lamb took 2,038 votes, or 32.63 percent.
Richard Prawdzienski received 716 votes, or 11.46 percent, according to unofficial results. O'Neil and Lamb will be on the ballot in the April 2 general election. Lamb, who died at age 72 in December shortly after filing for another term, was being promoted by some Edmond residents who opposed the other candidates on the ballot. The hope for those people is that he will be re-elected posthumously, giving the city council the authority to pick his successor. O'Neil, 72, said he assumed he would be running against Lamb in the general election and Tuesday's results gave him a better indication of how strong the support was for the late mayor. He said he was “very happy” with the results, calling it a fair turnout for a campaign that only recently started in earnest. Lamb's death led to him pause his campaigning efforts out of respect, he said, adding that the community is still grieving a mayor who held “the best interest of the community at heart.” O'Neil said he will reach out to the community in the coming weeks to explain how he would govern if elected, saying there would not be much difference between him and Lamb. “We're hopeful to keep everybody focused on keeping our community great,” he said. The Edmond race was one of dozens across the state, as voters in 64 counties went to the polls for municipal and school elections. In Norman, Ward 6 Councilwoman Breea Clark was elected to serve as the city's next mayor, narrowly avoiding a runoff to replace retiring Mayor Lynne Miller. Clark garnered 6,717 votes, or 51.43 percent of the vote in 50 precincts, according to unofficial results. Clark is the director of the J.C. Penney Leadership Center at the University of Oklahoma business college. Clark said she was pleased with the campaign she ran and, though her term doesn't start until July, would start working Wednesday to set a “new tone for our community.” She said her goal is to incorporate all of Norman in what city government does, not just focus on a select group of people or wards. Ward 4 Councilman Bill Hickman received 5,880 votes, or 45.02 percent, and Evan A. Dunn received 464 votes, or 3.55 percent.