Councilmember Stephen Holman sweeps Norman mayoral race, outlining plans for upcoming term

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — Ward 7 Councilmember, Stephen Tyler Holman, was elected as Norman's new Mayor during Tuesday night's election.

News 4 spoke with Holman Wednesday afternoon.

"You're going to have a mayor who listens and leads," said Holman.

Holman says he's honored to have been chosen for the city's top job. His family has lived in Norman for generations.

"It's exciting, after 12 years of serving as Ward 7 Councilmember, to now have the opportunity to represent all of Norman this way," Holman said.

Holman beat sitting Mayor, Larry Heikkila, by a big margin. He believes voters turned to him to fight back on controversial projects, including, a turnpike expansion and entertainment district.

"The proposal just brings so much destruction to Norman. Thousands of trees removed, wildlife displaced, hundreds of homes and families displaced. I mean, just forever altering the character of rural Norman in a real negative way," said Holman.

Randy Carter, the Communications Director for Pike Off OTA, a community-based group against the project, also spoke to News 4 about the election outcome.

"I'm very hopeful that Mayor Holman will continue to work with us on fighting these turnpikes that nobody really wants. He's always been very responsive to listening and taking everything into account," said Carter.

Another hot topic in Norman is the $1.1 billion entertainment district proposed near Rock Creek Road and 24th Avenue.

The project would be partially funded through tax dollars. Holman likes the idea but is opposed to it being paid for with TIF (Tax Increment Funding) money.

"Overwhelming public feedback was opposed to that 100% commitment for 25 years, up to $600 million. When you include the financing costs, the public just overwhelmingly felt like that's something we want to vote on directly and we don't want the council, the nine member city council, to decide that," Holman said.

News 4 reached out to the University of Oklahoma, who campaigned for the project along with Mayor Heikkila. They sent the following statement:

We will await the outcome of the hearing and determine next steps accordingly.

University of Oklahoma

Holman says his other goal is finding a solution for the new library that has been closed for months due to mold.

He also wants to keep Norman affordable despite the growing population.

"It's going to take all of us working together, not just the council, but the community as a whole," said Holman.