Voters in Tulsa County elected members of three school boards and two city councils Tuesday night, while also weighing in on several bond packages. Tulsa Public Schools had two school board seats on the ballot, with a former Tulsa city councilor ousting an incumbent board member. Meanwhile, voters in Sapulpa and Bixby were focused on their own city councils.
In Tulsa Public Schools District 4, former city councilor Connie Dodson defeated incumbent board member E’lena Ashley in unusual school board election which saw several of Ashley’s school board colleagues endorse her opponent. Dodson carried 841 votes (64 percent) to Ashley’s 479 votes.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust District 4 families have placed in me,” Dodson said after her win. “This victory belongs to everyone who believes our school board should focus on strengthening public education, not tearing it down. Starting today, we get to work putting students first, supporting our teachers, and bringing accountability back to TPS.”
Ashley had been one of the more controversial members of the TPS board, having both sued the district and requested an audit which eventually revealed “significant” financial discrepancies and mismanagement under the district’s former superintendent.
Meanwhile, incumbent board member Susan Lamkin defeated retired teacher Michael Phillips in the District 7 election, garnering 2,421 votes (69 percent) to Phillips’ 1,077 votes. Phillips had campaigned on bringing a voice willing to vote “No” to the school board, while Lamkin focused on improving student outcomes.
In addition to the two board elections, Tulsa voters also approved four bond packages Tuesday night.
The first proposition, valued at nearly $201 million, is for “student opportunities.” It was approved with 14,372 votes in favor (82 percent).
The second proposition, valued at $276 million, will “provide modernized HVAC, roofing and more to cut energy costs and improve building conditions.” It was approved with 14,282 votes in favor (81.61 percent).
The third proposition is focused on technology and is valued at nearly $105 million. It was approved with 14,150 votes in favor (80.97 percent).
The fourth proposition, which is intended to fund transportation needs and is valued just north of $27 million, includes the purchase of buses, driver’s education vehicles and programming, fleet vehicles and camera and WiFi equipment for buses. It was approved with 14,133 votes in favor (81 percent).
Sapulpa: Hamilton out for Harrison; Nicholas, Mortazavi hold seats
Three seats on the Sapulpa City Council were also on the April ballot. While Sapulpa is the county seat for Creek County, parts of the city extend into Tulsa County.
The Ward 5 Seat 1 race generated the most buzz after an eight page pamphlet was placed in the mailboxes of some Sapulpans associating incumbent David Mortazavi, a Christian Iranian-American, with “Sharia Law”. The anti-Muslim pamphlets were allegedly created by Christie Glesener, the wife of Mortazavi’s opponent Kent Glesener, in 2008, and a short note about Mortazavi was stapled to old pamphlet.
Glesener initially told KJRH his wife had written the pamphlet in 2008, but distributing them was not a part of his campaign. He later said on Facebook his wife did not write the pamphlet and denounced the anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Mortazavi defeated Glesener with 350 votes (58 percent) to 256 votes.
In the Ward 1 Seat 1 race, pastor Mike Harris challenged incumbent City Councilor Elizabeth Nicholas. Nicholas retained her seat with 172 votes (59 percent) to Harris’s 121 votes.
In the Ward 3 Seat 1 race, incumbent Alexander Hamilton faced jewelry store owner Charlie Leroy Harrison. Harrison proved Hamilton’s Burr, and defeated the incumbent with 130 votes (55 percent) to Hamilton’s 107 votes.
Bixby City Council: Girard wins in landslide
The only Bixby City Council race on the ballot was for Ward 4, which saw Brad Girard win a landslide victory over Jake Rowland for the seat. Girard carried 227 votes (89 percent) to Rowland’s 29 votes (11 percent).
Liberty Public Schools: Brown beats Dany
An open race on the Liberty Public Schools to succeed Kim Perner saw Timothy Brown win the seat over Linda Dany. Brown garnered 72 votes (69 percent) to Dany’s 32 votes (31 percent).
Tulsa Tech: Baker wins over McAfee
In the one Tulsa Tech Center board election, incumbent Jim Baker defeated challenger Matthew McAfee with 1,694 votes (56 percent) to McAffee’s 1,309 votes.
Broken Arrow bonds: 7 passed, one rejected
Voters in Broken Arrow voted on eight separate general obligation bond packages, approving seven of them.
According to the city’s bond info-packet, Proposition 1 is for $205 million for “transportation” and set to be used for road, sidewalk and trail improvements in the suburb. It was approved with 6,648 votes in favor (74 percent).
Proposition 2 is $56 million for “public safety,” and includes fire station improvements, emergency vehicles, training facility upgrades, as well as some funding for updated communication systems and animal services. It was approved with 6,405 votes in favor (72 percent).
Proposition 3 provides $74 million in “quality of life” spending on parks, community centers and other public spaces. It was approved with 5,903 votes in favor (66 percent).
Proposition 4 budgets $65 million for “public facilities” and will support community centers, provide cultural and historic site funding, provide monies for city buildings, and fund infrastructure to support city facilities. It was approved with 5,912 votes in favor (66 percent).
Proposition 5 sets aside $6 million for “stormwater” improvements seeking to improve storm water runoff drainage in the city. It was approved with 6,669 votes in favor (75 percent).
Proposition 6 similarly is for “drainage” and provides $5 million to improve creek basins’ drainage. It was approved with 6,609 votes in favor (74 percent).
Proposition 7 sets aside $4 million for a “library partnership,” which would see a new library constructed in south Broken Arrow. It was approved with 6,156 votes in favor (69 percent).
Proposition 8 would have provided $53 million for “sports facilities” and improved BA’s four public sports complexes. It also included a half-cent sales tax increase from July 2026 through June 2031. It was defeated with only 3,689 votes (42 percent) in favor of the proposal.
