District 1 City Councilwoman Vanessa Hall-Harper is running for re-election, a decade after voters first put her in office. Four people are running against her: Corinice Wilson, Reggie Williams Jr., Thomas Moore and Mareo Johnson.
We talked to people who live and work in the district to get their thoughts heading into the Aug. 25 election and to hear what they believe north Tulsa needs now.
Early voting runs from Aug. 20-22. Get more details on what’s on your ballot and how to cast your vote at our voter guide.
D’Marria Monday, criminal justice reform advocate, Northgate
D’Marria Monday is a member of the city’s Beyond Apology Commission and founded the organization Block Builderz after she was released from prison in 2013.
She has lived in her current home in the Northgate neighborhood for over 12 years, where she serves as president of the neighborhood association.
Monday said the community has been underserved. In the absence of investment, she said, neighbors have turned to “developing our own solutions.” After moving in, Monday bought a vacant, overgrown lot across the street and planted a garden.
Although she believes north Tulsa has a “spirit of resilience” and knows “change is incremental,” she said that doesn’t absolve elected officials from their responsibilities. Monday supports Hall-Harper but still wants her to do more if she is re-elected.
“Me and her, we may not always agree and we get into it sometimes,” Monday said in a recent interview. “I was just telling her yesterday, you got to earn my vote. You don’t just get it. But that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
What north Tulsa needs now: Monday wants more code enforcement in neighborhoods further north of the city.
“As soon as you come into the neighborhood, you see overgrown yards that look like fields,” she said. “There’s one house over there that I reported last year and there hasn’t been anything done to it since then. So my question was how long do we have to expect to wait for change to happen? …And will we be given priority because we’ve been neglected for so long?”
She also wants someone who’s going to be “focused on improving the health outcomes in our community” and making sure neighbors can age in place.
On this year’s council race: Although she’s encouraged by the amount of people talking about the election, she hopes people stay as civically engaged well after Election Day.
“I’ve started asking people ‘where have you been at to be part of the change?’ Because there’s the problem and there’s the solution,” Monday said. “It’s on us to work with the city councilor.”
She advises people looking for ways to get involved beyond voting: “Come to the city council meetings, understand what the processes are. If there are any neighborhood meetings in your area, then go to it and if not, then start one. But don’t rely on one person to be the change because it takes all of us.”
Linda Jenkins, community advocate, Phoenix District
Linda Jenkins serves as a volunteer on Tulsa’s Sales Tax Overview Committee, which reviews how tax revenues are spent on city projects.
Her parents bought a house in north Tulsa in 1972, which she owns today. But when Jenkins moved back in the ‘90s, the neighborhood had “declined significantly.”
She is vegan and occasionally shops at Oasis Fresh Market on North Peoria Avenue. But she tends to find the products she wants at the Grocery Box on 36th Street North. “It’s small but it’s convenient and it’s a lot more nutritious options for me on my way home,” Jenkins said.
What north Tulsa needs now: She said the area needs more mixed-income housing and grocery store options as well as investments in walkability, security and safety. Ultimately, she said, “if you don’t have (safety), why would people choose to purchase a house here?”
Jenkins said city officials need to aggressively address stray dogs, lack of adequate sidewalks and dilapidated houses in north Tulsa.
“I could be living in Owasso, I could be living in Broken Arrow, I could be living in Jenks. I could live anywhere I wanted to live. I made a conscious choice to live here,” she said. “But I think that when we’re talking about planning and what the future needs to look like, we need to make sure it’s well lit and that it’s safe for our kids.”
On this year’s council race: Jenkins believes Hall-Harper “brought more than Joe Williams or Jack Henderson ever brought to the district” and appreciates that she has pushed community-based health-focused initiatives like a moratorium on new dollar stores in the district.
But she believes there is enough competition among the candidates in this year’s race for District 1 that the election will end up in a runoff.
Kode Ransom, business owner, Greenwood District
Kode Ransom is a local historian and business owner. He operates Greenwood Griots, a storytelling collective on Black Wall Street. He also leads several tours for newcomers and tourists detailing the history of the area.
Ransom considers Hall-Harper to be a personal friend and has been voting for her for the past eight years. She continues to have his support due to her accomplishments and personability. Before her, Ransom said, not much was happening in the area.
What north Tulsa needs now: Ransom believes District 1 needs to follow the south Tulsa blueprint. Regardless of who wins the council seat, he said the area needs more access to clean produce and third spaces.
“Whoever comes in, they have to continue the economic development. One grocery store is cool, but we need options … We need some sort of family entertainment down here. Everything can’t be centered around liquor,” Ransom said.
On this year’s council race: Ransom remains a firm supporter for Hall-Harper, but if she loses he said he will support whoever takes office. But he will also challenge the winner to follow through on their goals.
“I can honestly say that if Vanessa don’t win, she gonna still be doing what she been doing. But I do like Corinice though, I like Reggie,” Ransom said.
However, he did express some concerns about a disconnect from what councilors’ responsibilities actually are. He likes many of the promises he’s heard from candidates, but he doubts they are feasible within their roles.
Mary Riggins, youth advocate
Riggins runs the nonprofit Taking It To The Streets, dedicated to promoting nonviolence. She calls herself “a mouthpiece for the youth” and for the past 13 years she has operated the nonprofit out of the North Mabee Boys & Girls Club.
Although Riggins considers her community to be part of north Tulsa, she doesn’t live in the district. But her work with youth and the homeless often touches the area.
What north Tulsa needs now: Her primary focus is more youth-focused initiatives and recreational spaces.
“They want to be a part of something. These kids need a roller rink, somewhere to go skating, go bowling, a rec center — somewhere for them to just let loose of all of the stuff that they have to deal with,” she said.
On this year’s council race: Riggins believes Hall-Harper has done a good job but she’d like to see her show up more to support smaller nonprofits.
Ultimately, she hopes people who live in the district show up at the polls on Election Day.
“That’s the main thing. This is the race that people are most talking about right now,” she said.
To learn more about what’s on the Aug. 25 ballot, see the Flyer’s voter guide.
