Meet the Candidates: Ward 3

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The Edmond Way editorial board interviewed the candidates for the upcoming city elections to help readers make informed voting decisions.

Christin Mugg, Sheryl Janis and Cody Boyd are running for Ward 3 councilmember.

Mugg, an attorney, said she is committed to making informed, unbiased decisions and wants to be easily accessible to her constituents.

She said Ward 3 is unique in that it isn’t growing the same way as the other wards, but there are still some areas she said residents want to see addressed, such as sidewalks and traffic.

“I’d like to see the Bickham-Rudkin Park improved,” Mugg said. “I think there’s some beautification efforts… I’d like to see some of that improved upon. Some of the other parks and recreational areas in some of the other wards I think are a little bit more attractive.”

Mugg said there are also traffic issues. She gave an example of motorists speeding on 7th St. and other neighborhood streets to avoid 2nd St.

“I don’t know that the traffic’s any worse in Ward 3, frankly, than in the rest of Edmond,” Mugg said. “But, obviously, continue to work (on that). I’d like to see the intelligent traffic system, improve upon that.”

Mugg said she does not believe mask mandates are government overreach, and she is prepared to do what is in the best interest of the health and safety of the citizens, even if it is not popular.

Janis was born in Edmond in 1967. She said she wants to focus on growth and development and wants to see new parks on the east side of Edmond.

“We have 33 parks in Edmond,” Janis said. “I don’t think we have any parks on the east side of Edmond that I know of. Maybe if you consider Arcadia parks, but not like we have on the west side… When we start talking about all the growth on the east side of Edmond, I really, really hope that we can incorporate parks in those neighborhoods. It’s just a great way to have community in areas.”

Janis said she wants to keep the fire and police departments funded.

“I think we have a fantastic, safe place to live, which is what people look for when they’re looking for a place to move,” Janis said. “They want a safe environment for their family, and they want great schools. Traditionally, Edmond has had both of those things. I’ve had people talk to me about, ‘Oh, Edmond doesn’t really need this or that.’ And I’m like, our police department, they need those things, and we need to be prepared if something happens.”

Janis said traffic is always an issue, and she wants traffic in east Edmond planned out ahead of time to avoid future problems.

Boyd grew up in Chandler and moved to Edmond in 2013. One of the areas he wants to focus on is economic growth.

“I think Edmond should compete with Norman and should compete with Oklahoma City and Broken Arrow for, of course amenities, retail and dining, things that our citizens want, but we should compete for jobs,” Boyd said. “Whether that’s large corporate type jobs or other things, I think that we need to look at ways to bring business and industry here so people can live in Edmond, and they can play in Edmond, but they can also work in Edmond, and we can have jobs right here.”

Boyd said Ward 3 needs to rethink traffic to focus on reliability. He said he wants people to have a reliable estimate of how long it will take to get across town rather than clearing traffic so people can drive fast.

“That’s what highways are for,” Boyd said. “City streets serve multiple purposes, because it’s transportation, but it’s also access to business and commerce and to neighborhoods. In the area I live in, we have a lot more (of a) problem with neighborhood streets that people drive really fast down, because they’ve been conditioned that driving means going 45, 50 miles an hour in a neighborhood street. We’ve really got to bring that down and change some mindsets about that.”

The primary election is Feb. 9, with the general election to follow April 6. Residents can only vote for the ward in which they reside in the primary, but all Edmond residents can vote for all council seats in the general election.

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