I, Helen Grant, of sound mind, body, and spirit announce that I am running for the Ward 4 seat on Norman City Council. I want Ward 4 constituents to know that I release this official statement only after filing in-person at the Cleveland County Election Board. I pledge that I am not moving away from Norman, nor will I be seeking any higher offices while serving out my current term, or a second term, if re-elected. I have been asked about this, and I want to assure constituents that my work is here in Ward 4, the heart and soul of Norman, Oklahoma.

My reasons for seeking re-election center on unfinished work and long-range goals. I know all too well that if you are not at the table your initiatives are likely to be reinterpreted, at best, and at worst completely disregarded. As the only non-white passing, non-binary person on Council, I know that my voice and perspective are not the majority experience of Norman. However, I understand the needs of our diverse and vibrant community. I have done exactly as I said I would by continuing to create opportunities for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Norman is a multicultural city with a past rooted in displacement and racism. We are not done fighting the policies of that past, nor are we done fighting the fear-based tactics used to stereotype and “other” the most vulnerable among us. 

The majority of the work I want to see completed stems from objectives Norman City Council outlined during our August 2023 retreat. These goals are not informed by a party platform as this work is non-partisan. I have heard feedback from Republicans to Democrats alike. People want mental health care for their loved ones in crisis. I have also heard similar responses from a variety of Downtown Norman Business owners who want a compassionate response that gets to the root cause of someone’s suffering, homeless or not. But at this time, only people who have insider knowledge know how to get the unarmed crisis teams and avoid criminalization. It is not an equitable system.

I have had the privilege of learning these stories because of my stance on making unarmed crisis response an equitable reality for all. I have also experienced first hand the gaps in our systems when it comes to getting a mentally-ill veteran family member mental healthcare in the Cleveland County Detention Center. My family and others have not been untouched by the current mental health crisis affecting the United States, but especially here in Oklahoma, where 1 in 5 Oklahomans will need mental health and addiction treatment service.*

Other long-term goals I have would see the creation of equitable, people-driven TIF Districts in Ward 4 and throughout Norman. It is my goal to see our Retreat Priority realized as a TIF District Master Plan that includes Participatory Budgeting from the people who live and work in proposed TIF Project Areas. This form of Participatory Budgeting would center the needs of residents and small businesses, not the desires of developers and other outside interests in deciding what projects get funding. Examples of how this would play out would be the creation within TIFs of a Small Business Improvement Fund, a Neighborhood Improvement Fund, and an Affordable Housing Fund. Participatory Budgeting from those who live and work in the Project Area can also directly determine priorities for infrastructure upgrades like parks, open space, and streetscapes that genuinely improve the area at large with reinvestment in street lighting and sidewalks.

I care about sustainable, clean drinking water and want to drive the creation of an election cycle calendar for Water Rate increases. I do not want to burden our current and future ratepayers with massive jumps in their bills, ergo we cannot wait years between passing water rate increases. And we need to understand what challenges, from new EPA regulations to failing infrastructure, will cost us and how to budget for it in the future. I also want to work towards an equitable Stormwater Utility fee. Work is being done with our AIM Norman Comprehensive Plan, a plan that will determine the next 25 years of Norman’s land use, infrastructure and development patterns, that, when completed, should help us begin the work of creating a much needed Stormwater Utility to help with the flooding in our urban, core neighborhoods and to maintain our clean drinking water objectives.

I have long term strategies for smart development that includes: Accessory Dwelling Units in all areas allowable in Norman, revisiting our Short Term Rental Ordinance to further protect the integrity of our neighborhoods and affordable housing options, Aging in Place Initiatives, Pattern Zoning, and Inclusionary Zoning. Rising housing costs affect every low-income person across the political spectrum. I hosted and led Norman’s first Affordable Housing Town Hall last year, and I’m continually reaping the benefits of that work when I am contacted by developers who wish to create more Affordable Housing options in Norman, particularly in Ward 4. I care about strong communities, and smart development in my view is not just about creating the place and means to profit off growth, rather it is about creating an environment for community members to be actively invested in the long term health of their neighborhoods, and by extension, also stay invested in the future of Norman. 

My work and my votes on Norman City Council have kept true to the goals I outlined when I first ran for office, and voters should know I plan to stay on course with the objectives I have listed. A vote for Helen Grant is a vote for a just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive future.

*source: oklahoma.gov/odmhsas/treatment.html