Two candidates run for Edmond mayor

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Two candidates, incumbent Mayor Darrell A. Davis and Brian Shellem will face off for the Edmond Mayor seat in the upcoming April general election.

Two other challengers, Ed Moore and Rich Hess, dropped out of the race shortly after announcing their candidacy in December. Under Edmond’s election rules, a February primary election is no longer necessary since there are already two finalists in the race for Edmond Mayor.

Davis is running to secure a second term as the mayor of Edmond. He was elected mayor in 2021, becoming Edmond’s first Black mayor. Before his historic win as mayor, he also became the first Black person to serve on the Edmond City Council in 2011.

According to his campaign website, some of his priorities include preserving Edmond’s natural resources, improving the city’s water system, street infrastructure, and public safety. Davis works as an adjunct professor in aviation at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. He also serves on the advisory board of UCO’s President Council of Advisors and Master of

Public Administration.

Davis did not respond to an interview request in time for publication.

Shellem, a businessman and longtime Edmond resident, is challenging Davis for the mayor’s seat. Shellem was among the six parents who filed a lawsuit and ultimately won against Edmond Public Schools, challenging the district’s quarantine protocols in September 2021.

Shellem said his top priorities, if elected, would be the city’s traffic conditions and ensuring the needs of the community are being heard and considered when making decisions. He said he would like to hold regular town halls to ensure the needs of Edmond residents are accurately represented. Shellem has been knocking doors to hear directly from Edmond residents about their concerns.

“I believe we’re a government of, by, and for the people, and that’s the number one goal [as mayor], to restore the faith in our city government,” Shellem said.

The nonpartisan election will be held on April 4 to determine who will serve as Edmond’s mayor for the next two years. The Edmond City Council is composed of five members, including the mayor and four council members representing the wards of Edmond.

“For years I have bridged communities, businesses, organizations, ideologies, and all to create progress. I want to bring that to the County Clerk’s office,” Scobey’s campaign website said.

Republican Maressa Treat is opposed by Deputy County Clerk Jonathan Clour, and local entrepreneur Gloria Banister. Bannister most recently lost her bid for House District 87 to Democrat Ellyn Hefner. Oklahomans hoping to vote in the Special Primary Election can request a voter application form at Oklahoma.gov. Absentee ballots are no longer available.