TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa City Council District 4 will soon have new representation. Laura Bellis, facing five challengers Tuesday night, captured 51% of the vote.
Kara Joy McKee, current District 4 city councilor, did not run for re-election.
In her victory speech Tuesday night, Bellis thanked the thousands of people who voted her into office.
“We can do so much together, and I’m so excited and so honored to do this along with all of you,” Bellis said.
She said she was expecting the campaign to last a few more months. With five competitors, she thought she’d be heading into a runoff in November..
“I was floored to win outright,” Bellis said. “We did work really hard so doing well didn’t surprise me, but I didn’t know we’d do that well that quickly.”
While her first plan is simply to take a breather after campaigning for months, she says she’ll soon be ready to jump into action. Two issues that come to her mind right away are homelessness and housing.
“We need more housing,” said Bellis. “How feasible is it to afford to build that housing and how do you do that in a way that’s responsible and responsive to neighbors and neighborhoods and not disruptive to communities but really adds to communities.”
Public service isn’t new to Bellis. She moved to Tulsa 12 years ago with Teach for America. After spending five years teaching at Hale Junior High, she moved into the nonprofit world heading the Take Care Initiative which provides access and education surrounding contraceptives.
“I’m excited to get to carry on those lessons learned and that same kind of perspective about making sure people can access resources and opportunities and that everyone has equal access to those resources on a city level,” she said.
When she takes office in December, Bellis says she’s ready to represent her district which encompasses neighborhoods surrounding downtown Tulsa and some of Tulsa’s landmarks like Utica Square and Gathering Place.
She says she’s prepared to work with fellow city councilors to address Tulsa’s needs and create better policies for the people who live here.
“I think it’s important to have discourse and disagreement,” said Bellis. “That’s something that a healthy democracy has. Saying, ‘We see this differently. How can we create solutions and policy pathways together?’ I’m actually excited for those moments where we get to really engage that way.”
Six city council seats were determined Tuesday night. Vanessa Hall-Harper will continue to represent Tulsa City Council District 1.
Jeannie Cue will serve Tulsa City Council District 2 for her 7th term. Incumbent Crista Patrick was re-elected to Tulsa City Council District 3.
Phil Lakin will continue to represent Tulsa City Council District 8. Incumbent Jayme Fowler was re-elected to serve Tulsa City Council District 9.
There are three races headed for a runoff in November.
In Tulsa City Council District 5, incumbent Mykey Arthrell and Grant Miller go up against each other again in November. In Tulsa City Council District 6, incumbent Connie Dodson and Christian Bengel will face off in November’s election. In Tulsa City Council District 7, incumbent Lori Decter Wright and Ken Reddick will face off in November’s election.
Bellis and any other new councilors will be sworn into office in December.
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