Oklahoma held its most recent local election day on April 4, 2023, for several influential positions across the city. This includes seats on the Edmond City Council, one Edmond Public Schools (EPS) Board Member and the Mayor of the City of Edmond. 

Candidates for Mayor faced off in what ended up as an extremely tight race with incumbent Mayor Darrell Davis running for a second term against Brian Shellem. The race was a nail-biter and ended with a second term for Davis with 51.99% of the vote.

Davis was previously elected as the Mayor of Edmond in May of 2021 in a landslide election, making him the first African American mayor of the city. Before his run for mayor, Davis was a council member for Edmond for nearly 10 years. Davis’ main goal is to continue to develop Edmond into a more modern town, which includes improving public transportation and walking trails and preserving Edmond’s natural resources. 

The race for Ward One Council Member for Edmond was between Tom Robins and Ashley Bradley, with Robins winning the election with 52.7% of the vote. Robins is looking to make Edmond the “best place to raise a family and grow a business” by working with the Edmond Public Schools Board to improve and support education in Edmond.

The Ward Two Edmond Council seat went to Barry Moore after a tight race against Judy Rau with 50.7% of the vote. Moore’s priority is to improve Edmond’s quality of life by improving roads and traffic, improving and protecting neighborhoods around the city and attracting businesses and job opportunities.

In addition, incumbent Jamie Underwood was re-elected to her fifth term on the EPS Board with 1,965 votes out of 3,380 total votes, a small turnout compared to other elections. She ran against opponent Dr. Jerry Childs, who received 1,415 votes. Underwood plans to continue collaborating with community partners; build relationships with students, parents and faculty; and support city growth.

All of these newly victorious council members will be sworn into their offices in May 2023. Only time will tell what is to come and what new things might be implemented in Edmond.

Contact Macey Thaxton at [email protected]