Pace of COVID deaths quickens in Oklahoma City

From Friday night's OKC emergency management office situation report: “Exposures are followed by infections, which are followed by hospitalizations, which are followed by deaths. We have had several weeks of significant hospitalizations, and now we are beginning to see the number of new deaths reported each day go up.”

Of note: “Obviously,” said Mayor David Holt, “the ice storm and its aftermath are dominating our thoughts this week, and no doubt the election will dominate next week. But in the midst of these currents let's please remember our precautions. We remain in a pandemic and we would like to see our hospitalization numbers come down.”

Debris pickup weeks away

City officials say emergency contracts to remove storm debris should be finalized by mid-November. That could pave the way for contractors to begin removing debris before Thanksgiving. Debbie Miller, the city of Oklahoma City's assistant Public Works director, said damage to trees from last week's ice storm “is catastrophic. Limbs are down across our entire 620-mile footprint.” After the Thanksgiving 2015 ice storm, the city hired two contractors to remove debris at $67 to $71 per ton. Cleanup costs from that storm approached $5 million.

Of note: Homeowners must pile limbs at the curb for pickup, in sections

10 feet long or shorter. Avoid stacking debris near poles and mailboxes.

They said it

“We'll learn from this and try to figure out how to get it picked up faster next time.”

— Former Mayor Mick Cornett on Jan. 5, 2016, in response to revelations that city staff had badly underestimated the amount of debris following the Thanksgiving 2015 ice storm. Six weeks into the cleanup, council members were getting complaints about the slow response and contractors were only halfway through their first pass to pick up debris.

How did you vote? Holt on the city, leadership, and the next four years

The Oklahoman asked Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican who holds a nonpartisan elective office, how he voted for president. Here's what he said:

“This purple city includes passionate supporters of both major candidates, and I doubt anyone needs my help making their decision. If you've followed my comments through the years, you know where I stand personally because you know what I prioritize in a leader.

“I vote for candidates who at least strive to project decency, empathy, honesty, competence, compassion, humility, integrity, obligation, inclusion and thoughtfulness. Those are the virtues I hope will guide us all in the next four years as we rebuild and reunify our nation.”

Calendar: Voter countdown

Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Oklahoma City voters are casting ballots on nine charter amendments.

In-person early voting ended at 2 p.m. Saturday. Mail-in ballots may be handdelivered to the county election board until 5 p.m. Monday. Otherwise they must arrive at the county election board by mail, no later than 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters who requested a mailin ballot, but chose not to use it, can vote in person at their regular polling place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Here's a look at early voting as of 5 p.m. Saturday:

• Canadian County: 15,045 ballots; for every five Democrats who voted, eight Republicans had cast an early ballot.

• Cleveland County: 45,344 ballots; 19,444 Democrats had voted, 19,353 Republicans and 6,307 Independents.

• Oklahoma County: 98,285 ballots; for every nine Republicans who voted, 12 Democrats cast an early ballot.

• Statewide: 429,073 ballots; for every 10 Republicans who voted early, nine Democrats voted.

Present/absent

The mayor and all eight city council members attended last week's virtual meeting.

• The council must decide by Nov. 30 whether to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a panhandling ordinance. A lower court ruled the ordinance was unconstitutional.

• The council renamed SW 4 Street adjacent to the new MAPS 3 convention center Mick Cornett Drive, recognizing the city's longest-serving mayor.

Calendar

The city council meets at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10. Find the agenda and instructions for dialing in under the Government tab at okc.gov.