Pages 11, B1-B4 & B9-11
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 52 No. 38 • Two Sections • 24 pages January 25, 2019
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 45 years
State of the City Mayor says we have an obligation to continue progress By Rose Lane Editor
“Ending childhood hunger is a passion of mine,” Cummings said. “Many proud parents might feel offended or think they would be judged” for accepting charity, said Chris Thomas, the school’s principal. “But this is a great way to help your neighbors and give back to the community.” The wooden pine pantry at Andrew Johnson Elementary is approximately 4-feet-tall
In his State of the City speech before a soldout Greater OKC Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Mayor David Holt vowed to fulfill the obligation of doing for future generations what those before have done for the residents of Oklahoma City. Holt is the 36th mayor of Oklahoma City and the youngest such leader since 1923. He is also the youngest mayor in the United States of a city of more than 500,000 residents. Holt said while he was a freshman at Putnam City North High School in 1993, a generation of leaders “stepped up” and saw the passage of the first MAPs initiative. “On that day, we decided to invest in ourselves,” Holt said. Those leaders sought to build a city people would want to call home. The next generation is “slowly taking the torch.” “We recognize we have an obligation to leave the city better for our kids,” Holt said. In order to fulfill that obligation, he said there are four areas city leaders must address: Core services, quality of life, a renewed vision for public education and introducing the diversity of the city into the decision-making process. “You use a city service nearly every moment of the day,” Holt said. City surveys indicate that Oklahoma City’s residents are the most satisfied customers in the nation with 82 percent of respondents saying it is a good or excellent place to live. “Streets are a perennial problem,” Holt said, however.
See PANTRY, Page 8
See HOLT, Page 11
- Photo by Mike W. Ray
Cathy Cummings, vice mayor of The Village, at left; The Village City Councilman Dave Bennett, right; and Aley Cristelli of Oklahoma City, second from right, were joined by several grade-school children at a ribbon-cutting event celebrating the installation of a “pine pantry” at the front entrance to Andrew Johnson Elementary School.
Pine pantry helps to feed the hungry By Mike W. Ray Staff Writer A “pine pantry” – a small source of free food and household supplies for needy families – has been installed at the front entrance to Andrew Johnson Elementary School in The Village. “Take when you need, give when you can,” said Aley Cristelli, whose efforts on behalf of the less fortunate have led to installation of six pine pantries: four in
Oklahoma City and one each in Edmond and The Village. The first one was placed in the Plaza District in 2017, she said. Cathy Cummings, vice mayor of The Village, said the pantries contain not only food items, but also toothpaste and toothbrushes, tissues and toilet paper, diapers and children’s wipes, as well as other household items plus school supplies. The pantries are resupplied entirely with donations.
More people voting
Village sets council election filing period
By Mike W. Ray Staff Writer
By Mike W. Ray Staff Writer
Voter registration throughout the state increased by 111,000 over the past year, including 507 new voters in The Village, election officials reported. The Oklahoma State Election Board said
The annual city council election in The Village is May 6 and a three-day filing period is scheduled next month. Seats in Wards 1, 2 and 3 will be open this year. Candidates must file at the Oklahoma County Election
See VOTERS, Page 8
Hot Sardines coming to the Phil The Sixth Annual Oklahoma City Jazz Festival invites its supporters to attend the OKC Philharmonic Pops Series featuring classical jazz band, the Hot Sardines. The band will be performing with the OKC Philharmonic at 8 p.m. on Feb. 1-2 at the Civic Center Music Hall. The Hot Sardines
were featured at both the Newport and Montreal Jazz Festivals. The innovative NYC based band regularly performs to packed crowds. They have been recognized as leaders of New York’s jazz revival. For Hot Sardine tickets call 842-5387 or go online to okcphil.org/ hotsardines. “We are honored to
partner with the OKC Philharmonic for this special night of jazz in our city,” said Mike McAuliffe, OKC Jazz Fest chairman. “I encourage all music fans to support the Philharmonic and all the arts organizations in our community which continue to enhance our quality of life.” See PHIL, Page 2
Board, 4201 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Feb. 20-22. A $50 filing fee will be charged. Candidates must live in the ward they seek to represent, but all council members are elected at-large by registered, qualified voters of the entire community. The election is set for April 2 and the winners will take office
on May 6. The Village City Council members serve twoyear terms and receive $25 per month in compensation. Ward 1 Councilman David Bennett said he plans to seek re-election. “I enjoy the activity of serving the community and I’m honored See VILLAGE, Page 2
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