Just curious if it's legal for Cindy Rosenthal to use email addresses from the Pioneer library system for her own campaign. When we signed up at Pioneer we used a specific email address that has only been used there. Last time she ran for mayor, we got email from her, sent to our Pioneer email address, telling us to vote for her. Now that she's running again, yesterday we got another email, again to our Pioneer library-only address, telling us about an upcoming campaign rally.

The only way she could have gotten this email address is by getting the email list from the Pioneer library system. Is that legal? Seems unethical. (Not that I expect politicians to be ethical...)

Perhaps another explanation exists? The addy I use for several matters, including Pioneer, has not received any em from the mayor, nor from any Norman candidate. Just saying.

Like kevinpate, I haven't received such an email either.

Sounds like someone had previously signed up for a mailing list and doesn't remember...or just trying to stir the pot on what will probably be an easy re-election.

Sounds like someone had previously signed up for a mailing list and doesn't remember...or just trying to stir the pot on what will probably be an easy re-election.

No pot-stirring intended; just curious.

Sounds like someone had previously signed up for a mailing list and doesn't remember...or just trying to stir the pot on what will probably be an easy re-election.

This was an issue in the last election. She sent unsolicited emails to thousands of people. I didn't get one, but my brother did. He emailed her and asked where she got his email address and she refused to answer. She's doing the same thing. I know several people who are angry about it. She could just tell us where she's getting the email addresses and let people opt-out before they involuntarily opt-in, and be done with it.

Speaking of the election, and as it so happens to be Sunshine Week, it looks like she and the Norman City Manager violated the Open Meetings Act.

City memo may have violated open meetings law » Headlines » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x168868680/City-memo-may-have-violated-open-meetings-law)


“This speaks to a culture at Norman City Hall that’s not favoring the public’s right to know,” (Joey Senat) said.

Well if there are going to be posts against Mayor Rosenthal, I guess we should highlight the news the other two candidates are making as well.

Race for Norman mayor heats up » Local news » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/local/x254599546/Race-for-Norman-mayor-heats-up)

Theater owner sets record straight » Local news » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/local/x2109940993/Theater-owner-sets-record-straight)


A recent campaign mailer sent out by Tom Sherman for Mayor challenges Rosenthal’s leadership in three areas, saying she “wanted to sell water to Goldsby in 2009,” that the roads in east Norman are “crumbling and dangerous” and that she “rejected the Warren Theatre, which then went to Moore,” resulting in the loss of tax dollars for Norman.

Bill Warren's response...


“The thing about the current mayor rejecting Warren Theatre is a bald-faced lie,” Warren said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “I read your article. I don’t know either candidate, but this is a lie.”Warren said he wants to put the rumors to rest once and for all.
“We never approached the city government in Norman for one simple reason, and that’s because there is already an existing movie theater there,” he said. “I’m not trying to inject myself into local politics, but it was a lie.”

Ooops. I guess Tom Sherman is getting desperate and is just making things up now.

As far as rural east Norman getting the shaft on roads...


“When we complete the FYE 2014 Street Maintenance Bond and CIP rural road projects next year, the city will have only 6.2 miles of remaining unpaved rural section line roads. The FYE 2015 Street Maintenance Bond Projects will further reduce that inventory of unpaved public streets by another 2.5 miles,” O’Leary wrote. “So, by July 2015, only 3.7 miles of unpaved rural section line roads will remain in Norman, consisting of 10 locations with short segments of roadway.

Ooops again.

Selling water to Goldsby?


Goldsby water contract: The Norman City Council voted on a proposed water contract with Goldsby on Aug. 11, 2009. Rosenthal was part of the unanimous vote against the Goldsby contract. The 8-0 vote did not include Council member Rachel Butler, who was absent that night.

Desperate desperate sad man Sherman is turning out to be. He has definitely lost all credibility with me and should probably go crawl back into his hole and stick to his day job at Fowler. Nice to know Fowler apparently hires liars.

Now for Kempf...

He's blasting Norman Chamber for bribing companies to move here. Aren't most economic development programs inclusive of tax incentives and such?

He's blasting the local Sierra Club with their stance on pollution issues with Lake Thunderbird. He states...


Asked by the Red Earth Group (Oklahoma Sierra Club) in the 2013 Candidate Survey “Do you support multiple approaches to solve Lake Thunderbird's water pollution issues?” Kempf responds, “The question assumes Thunderbird is suffering from a major pollution problem. There is no substantive evidence that is the case. Even if there were, there is even less substantive evidence explaining the cause or source of the pollution.”

The Transcript then states...


Lake Thunderbird has been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency as an impaired water source.

Sigh. Another worthless partisan stuck in his own la la land. Another warning sign, he has major concerns about Agenda 21. So this guy sounds like another Sally Kern-ish kook trying to work his way in. He also claims he is a guardian of property rights and liberty. IOW, he'll do really well with the rednecks in Ward 5 (well the rural parts of it anyway) and get lambasted by the rest of the city. He is a self employed entrepreneur with his own software company based out of his home (http://port40.com/ ) so with that I can respect him. His political views and the comments he is putting out makes him a non-starter in a moderate/liberal city like Norman. We already have Dave Spaulding to fill that need. LOL

Well if there are going to be posts against Mayor Rosenthal, I guess we should highlight the news the other two candidates are making as well.

Race for Norman mayor heats up » Local news » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/local/x254599546/Race-for-Norman-mayor-heats-up)

Theater owner sets record straight » Local news » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/local/x2109940993/Theater-owner-sets-record-straight)



Bill Warren's response...



Ooops. I guess Tom Sherman is getting desperate and is just making things up now.

As far as rural east Norman getting the shaft on roads...



Ooops again.

Selling water to Goldsby?



Desperate desperate sad man Sherman is turning out to be. He has definitely lost all credibility with me and should probably go crawl back into his hole and stick to his day job at Fowler. Nice to know Fowler apparently hires liars.

Now for Kempf...

He's blasting Norman Chamber for bribing companies to move here. Aren't most economic development programs inclusive of tax incentives and such?

He's blasting the local Sierra Club with their stance on pollution issues with Lake Thunderbird. He states...



The Transcript then states...



Sigh. Another worthless partisan stuck in his own la la land. Another warning sign, he has major concerns about Agenda 21. So this guy sounds like another Sally Kern-ish kook trying to work his way in. He also claims he is a guardian of property rights and liberty. IOW, he'll do really well with the rednecks in Ward 5 (well the rural parts of it anyway) and get lambasted by the rest of the city. He is a self employed entrepreneur with his own software company based out of his home (Port 40 :: Automation Management Systems (http://port40.com/) ) so with that I can respect him. His political views and the comments he is putting out makes him a non-starter in a moderate/liberal city like Norman. We already have Dave Spaulding to fill that need. LOL

Yep. Highlight it all. I hear Kempf is a certified nut.

Deleted to stay on topic of mayoral candidates

I am a tad suprised that to date I have only received one piece of campaign fluff, and it wasn't from the current mayor. It was a piece from candidate Sherman.
And what a piece it was. I had a bit to say on it, but venture already did such a complete run down on it there's just no need to repeat him.

Suffice to say candidate Sherman could save some postage if he just edited his mailing list now and did and not bother sending me anything else.

Just a guess but my guess is the current mayor will still be called that after this election has run its course.

Kevin, I agree. At this point I can't see Rosenthal losing due to the other two candidates behaviors and actions.

Sales tax growth is an indicator of the heath of the economy but when other nearby local city governments and the state have a better growth rate with roughly similar economies as Norman it’s a clear indication of poor management!

I received the following was received in a mailed flyer and paid for by the Norman Chamber of commerce.

This is the Sales tax growth compared to the prior year.
The state of Oklahoma +7.2%
Edmond +17.13
Moore +6.47%
OKC + 6.9 %
Norman +3.16%

Under the current Mayor the city of Norman has developed a reputation of being the most difficult city in Oklahoma and one of the most difficult in the middle part of the nation to conduct ordinary business in….. IMHO the poor sales tax figures appear to back up this claim.
It may not happen but for the sake of prosperity Norman needs change at several management levels, most of all at the elected city levels.

I believe Norman’s economic development with Don Wood’s is in capable hands but that this has not been a top priority of his elected leadership and that as a result he probably has not been given all the tools he needs to bring jobs that demand advanced university degrees and their high wages to Norman.

Sales tax growth is an indicator of the heath of the economy but when other nearby local city governments and the state have a better growth rate with roughly similar economies as Norman it’s a clear indication of poor management!

I received the following was received in a mailed flyer and paid for by the Norman Chamber of commerce.

This is the Sales tax growth compared to the prior year.
The state of Oklahoma +7.2%
Edmond +17.13
Moore +6.47%
OKC + 6.9 %
Norman +3.16%

Under the current Mayor the city of Norman has developed a reputation of being the most difficult city in Oklahoma and one of the most difficult in the middle part of the nation to conduct ordinary business in….. IMHO the poor sales tax figures appear to back up this claim.
It may not happen but for the sake of prosperity Norman needs change at several management levels, most of all at the elected city levels.

I believe Norman’s economic development with Don Wood’s is in capable hands but that this has not been a top priority of his elected leadership and that as a result he probably has not been given all the tools he needs to bring jobs that demand advanced university degrees and their high wages to Norman.

Keep in mind whether you want Norman to look and act like Edmond. I don't. That's why I moved to Norman. I'm totally cool with a couple fewer QDobas, Office Depots, etc. Those types of outside business are what will drive the sales tax growth. I'm happy without it, to be honest.

Keep in mind whether you want Norman to look and act like Edmond. I don't. That's why I moved to Norman. I'm totally cool with a couple fewer QDobas, Office Depots, etc. Those types of outside business are what will drive the sales tax growth. I'm happy without it, to be honest.

Agree. It seems we have the crowd are mainly West and NW Norman that are wanting the city to change to be more like an Edmond. Whereas the core of Norman and East Norman want it remain the same. Then you have those in far east norman (the lake area) that are just your typical backwoods rednecks that they just need to stay out there and be quiet. LOL Seriously though, if people don't like Norman they need to leave instead of trying to change it to fit what they want.

Some interesting tid bits on those running against Rosenthal... Spending stacks up in mayoral race » Headlines » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/headlines/x1916522003/Spending-stacks-up-in-mayoral-race)


Norman builder and developer Sassan Moghadam is listed as the primary officer of the Better Norman group, and the report lists a $50,500 contribution by Moghadam. Other contributors lists 329 Partners II-LP whose chief officer is H. Rainey Powell as donating $1,000 and Norman Surgical Arts for a $250 donation.

Better Norman Advocates, Inc is the group sending out the mailers slamming Rosenthal. It goes on to show that Tom Sherman has only spent $54K on this election compared to Rosenthal of $108K. However, you almost have to include the nearly $48K spent by this BNA group as being on Sherman's side. Of course he denies being assisted or linked to them - shocker.

This BNA group is doing polls stating...


“The question that inflamed me was a statement that ‘Rosenthal is an extreme liberal who voted for and thinks like President Obama!’ This statement was followed by ‘would you change your mind about her?’” one reader emailed. “At the end of the short survey there was no attribution as to who was responsible for the survey, BUT in my book that is not ‘keeping the campaign clean.’”

Funny. I thought city races were suppose to be non-partisan. I guess they missed the memo.

Either way this will be done tomorrow. I think Rosenthal wins easily. Sherman has just spent too much time making things up and out right lying to be trusted.

Her opponent is a wackadoodle. I've been seeing his campaign swag on Facebook and it's delightfully bad.

I am glad this one ends tomorrow. We went from no mailings to one to a freaking flood over just the last three days or so. To their respective credit, none of them decided to go all robophone for this election. I appreciate that, a lot.

Her opponent is a wackadoodle. I've been seeing his campaign swag on Facebook and it's delightfully bad.

I guess we can't forget Kempf is running as well...the "Guardian of Liberty" as his yard signs proclaim. Yeesh.

Ward 5 is going to be interesting as well. Spaulding has pretty much just been the thorn in the side of most of the city. He's the only sitting council person who pretty much bleeds Tea Party, so we'll see if the rural areas of Ward 5 will beat out the urban areas again and keep him in.

Ward 3 is already decided since the opponent backed out because they moved. No idea how Wards 1 and 7 will break.

I guess we can't forget Kempf is running as well...the "Guardian of Liberty" as his yard signs proclaim. Yeesh.

Ward 5 is going to be interesting as well. Spaulding has pretty much just been the thorn in the side of most of the city. He's the only sitting council person who pretty much bleeds Tea Party, so we'll see if the rural areas of Ward 5 will beat out the urban areas again and keep him in.

Ward 3 is already decided since the opponent backed out because they moved. No idea how Wards 1 and 7 will break.

That's the guy! Sorry, I guess I didn't realize there were more opponents. That Kempf guy is hysterical, though. His Norman nickname is Mein Kampf.

23:32 to go. I think I'll nap for a lot of it. Light day on Tue.

I just cast my vote for Cindy. She and Tom Sherman are both friends of mine. They both support and are involved in the rail transit initiatives that I dedicate much of my time towards. However, I couldn't vote for Tom after receiving all of the negative political mailers from his campaign containing untrue accusations about Cindy's record, and ESPECIALLY after receiving all of the disgusting "swift boat" type attack mailers sent out by representatives of the development community. That group will stoop to the lowest levels and stop at nothing in order to try to elect a Mayor and Council they have leverage and control over for implementing ordinances and policies that serve their profit-focused agenda.

Also running for Mayor is Norman Tea Partier David Kempf. He's way out there in space with Sooner Tea Party leader Al Gerhart, who also happens to be on stage today in the Oklahoman:

Email to Oklahoma senator turned over to OSBI for investigation (http://newsok.com/email-to-oklahoma-senator-turned-over-to-osbi-for-investigation/article/3778817)

You can get more of an idea of Kemp's thinking by reading the following:

Residents Must Fight for Land and Liberty (http://normantranscript.com/columns/x57648755/Residents-must-fight-for-land-liberty)

There's two more just like them running for Norman City Council seats.

In Ward 1, incumbent Roger Gallagher is seeking re-election. You can get more of an idea of his thinking by reading the following:

Red Dirt Report (http://www.reddirtreport.com/Story.aspx/18383)

Gallagher is being challenged by a responsible, sensible-minded small businessman, Greg Heiple (https://www.facebook.com/GregHeiple4Ward1).

In Ward 5, Tea Party-type incumbent Dave Spaulding is seeking re-election. You can learn more about his thinking by reading the following:

Norman city councilman responds to anti-gay allegations (http://newsok.com/norman-city-councilman-responds-to-anti-gay-allegations/article/3649282)

Spaulding is being challenged by a responsible, sensible-minded retired Norman Public Schools principal and small business owner, Lynn Miller (http://lynnemillerfornorman.com/)

The Norman Transcript has endorsed Mayor Rosenthal, Greg Heiple and Lynn Miller:

Rosenthal Best Choice for Norman's Future (http://normantranscript.com/opinion/x1916522427/Rosenthal-best-choice-for-Norman-s-future)

Our Choices For Council (http://normantranscript.com/opinion/x1916522417/Our-choices-for-council)

I encourage everyone who cares about the future of Norman to get out and vote...and to get your friends and neighbors to the polls.

All voted. Now to see how things work themselves out today. Poll workers mentioned its been pretty steady today which is good considering the weather.

Election Results as they come in... County Election Results, Municipal/Annual School Runoff Election, April 2, 2013 (http://www.ok.gov/elections/support/ok_results_cnty_14.html)

As of right now

Rosenthal is leading 55.7% over presumed Republican Sherman and Tea Party/Libertarian Kempf.

Ward 1 - Heiple looks to be the next councilman at 59%
Ward 3 - Castleberry was uncontested since the challenger moved.
Ward 5 - Miller is in the lead with 60% over Tea Party incumbant Spaulding.
Ward 7 - Holman is leading with 59% early

Hotel Tax is leading with 76%.

Not unhappy, not at all.

Latest update...

35 of 49 reporting - Rosenthal 55%, Sherman 36%, Kempf 9%

Ward 1 - Heiple elected with 3 of 3 reporting.
Ward 3 - Castleberry elected.
Ward 5 - Miller leading 57.8% to Spauling 42.2% with 14 of 16 reporting.
Ward 7 - Holman leading 60.9% with 5 of 7 reporting.

Hotel Tax with 35 of 49 leading with 77.5% so that's pretty much passed.

Miller elected for Ward 5
Holman elected for Ward 7

Final precincts are in. Rosenthal re-elected with 54.2%. Hotel tax passed with 77.3%.

Congrats to the victors. Ever forward (hopefully).

Well the "guardian of freedom" came up a little short. Too bad for him -- and freedom.

Rosenthal re-elected, three incumbent council members out » New and Developing » The Norman Transcript (http://normantranscript.com/new/x1862029274/Rosenthal-re-elected-three-incumbent-council-members-out)

3 incumbent council members removed tonight. That should say something what people think of them.

Well, Norman's experiment with tea-partiers and homophobic bigots on the council has ended. A decided swing to the left and middle.

Well, Norman's experiment with tea-partiers and homophobic bigots on the council has ended. A decided swing to the left and middle.

It is interesting how the candidates that won tonight didn't run a smear campaign at all. Can't say that about some of the losers. The city made a pretty good stand tonight on where it wants the city to go and the type of climate and community it wants to be. Divisive and partisan people don't belong.

^ this. I am pleased with all the results. Congrats, mayor and congrats to all who want to move Norman forward into the 21st
century.