7 minute read
Edmond Life and Leisure - May 15, 2025
Can we have a kinder & gentler Edmond?
The last council meeting brought plenty of bow ties to honor outgoing Mayor Darrell Davis and much emotional comment from out going council members Councilwoman Christin Mugg and Ward 4 Councilwoman Stacie Peterson. Mugg wanted to assure the council she did not want to rant but from what I could see, it was a fairly good size rant. I am sure she restricted herself and I do not blame her or any of the former council members. Peterson was more positive, but our community needs to take stock of how we treat our elected officials.
Newspaper folks must be tough skinned. A lady wrote in to tell me one time that my grandparents probably did not really love me when she disagreed with something I had written. I printed it with her name. It just rolls off me and I tell folks not to worry because after 45 years in journalism, you cannot insult me. Politicians need to be tough as well, but I put our city elected officials in a different category.
For the most part they are not politicians. Instead, they are good people that are sacrificing in their personal lives to serve Edmond. It is a hard and truly thankless job which most who run for city offices are award of but the tide has turned into being mean and making personal attacks on these folks. There is not a problem disagreeing with them, but they do not deserve threats and groundless accusations about their ethics. It just sets me on fire when I hear someone say, “They are just lining their pockets.” People who say that or post it to one of those awful neighborhood sites might as well put an “I am ignorant” sign above their head.
Our paper has been serving Edmond for twenty-five years come June 1st, 2025, and we watch for such things. We have not seen any council member who “lined their pocket” from serving on the council. We watch for that kind of thing folks and if we were to find it, we would out the person in a heartbeat. Edmond Life & Leisure will never shirk its journalistic responsibility.
I understand that all the hate has been generated by national trends and got worse with COVID rules but please help me to remind folks that there is no need for that kind of hate here in Edmond. Disagree all day long but there is no need for ugly personal attacks or attacks on a person’s family. When it gets to the point where a council member feels the need to be escorted to their car by the police department because they fear for their safety or even death, that is not our Edmond.
Not to be an old timer but there was a time this did not happen. Plenty of vigorous disagreements took place but the same folks would sit together at fundraisers and ask how each other’s kids were doing. We can return to that with your help. We promise to out the haters and encourage constructive involvement in your city government. For goodness sakes folks, stay off or at least stop quoting from those social media neighborhood websites. It sure is easy to bash and be ugly from a keyboard but not so easy when you are face to face. If you look up “fake news” in the dictionary you will see a link to one of those sites.
Here is the information on the new folks coming in:
Mark Nash, who defeated former Council member Tom Robins in the April 1 municipal general election, and two new council members – Preston Watterson in Ward 3 and Phillip Fraim in Ward 4 – assumed their duties with the completion of the ceremony held in Council Chambers on May 5th, 2025. Watterson and Fraim were uncontested in this election cycle. Nobody wanted to run for the office except these two so that should tell us something about how people do not want the job. A giant thank you to these two guys for stepping up.
The Edmond City Council is a five member body, including the Mayor, representing the four Wards that make up the City of Edmond. Ward representative council terms are four years, and the mayor serves a two-year term.
Mayor Nash’s term runs through April 2027. The terms of Council members Watterson and Fraim run through April 2029.
Currently, Maggie Murdock Nichols represents Ward 1. Murdock Nichols was chosen to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Robins, who stepped down in November 2024 to run for Mayor. Murdock Nichols will hold the position until the next election for City Council Ward 1 in May 2027. Barry Moore, elected in May 2023, represents Ward 2 and will hold the position until the next election for City Council Ward 2 in May 2027.
Heard on Hurd this coming Saturday
Citizens Bank of Edmond’s Heard on Hurd is set to celebrate Military Appreciation Night this Saturday, May 17th, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Over 70 food trucks, pop-up retail shops, and local non-profits will line the vibrant streets of Edmond, while downtown businesses extend their hours to join the festivities.
“We are thrilled to honor our military veterans and active-duty service members at this month’s Heard on Hurd,” said Jill Castilla, President and CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond. “This event showcases our commitment to community and celebrates the heroes among us. It is uplifting to see our local businesses and residents come together to highlight the importance of supporting those who have served our country.”
Heard on Hurd aims to revitalize downtown Edmond while showcasing local talent and small businesses. Last year, the festival featured 75 unique food trucks, 24 performing artists, and 56 local retail vendors throughout the season. As an award-winning event, it has generated an impressive $75.5 million in economic impact, illustrating its crucial role in fostering local business growth and community connections.
The evening's entertainment kicks off with local artist Maddox Ross at 6:00 p.m., followed by Brandon Birdwell at 7:20 p.m. and YZMN at 8:40 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to immerse themselves in a night filled with
great food, music, and community spirit. To find out more about the event, follow Heard on Hurd on Facebook, Instagram and the website at mycitizens.bank/heard-on-hurd.
This is one of those events that brings people together. You see old friends and neighbors and enjoy a great evening. A tip of our fedora to Citizens Bank of Edmond and their staff for putting on this major event. Our community is blessed to have our downtown and locally owned and operated bank put this on. In full disclosure, I serve on the board of directors for Citizens Bank of Edmond, and they are a heavy advertiser for the paper, but I think anyone would tell you what a great event this is for our Edmond. It should be pleasant weather this coming weekend to enjoy it.
Two more events that we used to have that brought this community back together. One is the Mayors Prayer breakfast and the other is A Taste of Edmond. We will be collaborating with Mayor Nash and others to try and bring the prayer breakfast back. It used to draw over six hundred people for an early morning gathering that always offered a great speaker and lots of fellowship.
A Taste of Edmond was a fundraising event for LibertyFest and what we are lacking to get that started again would be someone to help put it on and organize it. If interested, please contact me here at the newspaper office.
