Ward 6, I'm all in.
Let's get to work.

Oklahoma City has a booming economy, and that's something to be proud of. But too often, growth has meant chasing the next big name with tax incentives and subsidies while the people and businesses already here wait for resources that never seem to arrive.

We cannot keep handing significant economic concessions to corporations that would benefit from our growth regardless, and then turn around and say we can't afford to fix mold in our firehouses, fund the Mobile Integrated Health team, or provide low-barrier housing for our unhoused neighbors. That is a choice. And it's the wrong one.

Mikala believes we should bet on ourselves. On the local restaurants, the family-owned shops, the small businesses that give Ward 6 its character and soul — the ones that can't relocate when the incentive runs out, because they are the community. Ward 6 doesn't need to bribe its way to vitality. It needs a council member willing to invest in the community that already makes this place worth investing in, and to trust that a city this special will draw its own future.

Only 1 in 10 OKC residents are satisfied with the condition of city streets, and Ward 6 feels that every single day. Cracked pavement, missing sidewalks, streetlights that don't work, and drainage systems that fail when it matters most aren't just inconveniences. They are safety hazards, economic drags, and daily reminders that the basics have been deprioritized for too long.

Repaved streets. Sidewalks you can push a stroller down. Lighting that works after dark. Drainage that holds in a storm. These aren't big asks — they're the foundation everything else is built on. Ward 6 pays for these services. Ward 6 should receive them. Mikala will push to redirect bond funding toward repairing what we have before expanding further out, and hold the city accountable to the infrastructure promises that have been made and deferred for years.

Rent and home prices are climbing faster than paychecks, and federal housing assistance isn't keeping up. For too many Ward 6 families, the neighborhood they've called home for years is becoming one they can no longer afford — not because they chose to leave, but because the economics of growth pushed them out.

Mikala will push for more housing at more price points, support zoning reforms that add supply without fueling sprawl, and fight for the anti-displacement protections that keep long-time residents from being priced out of their own communities. She'll advocate for affordable childcare options in the urban core so working families aren't forced to choose between a paycheck and their kids' wellbeing. A Ward 6 where working families can plant roots — not just pass through — is a Ward 6 that grows stronger, more stable, and more resilient over time.

Public safety isn't just about response times, though those matter enormously. It's about building a system that gets ahead of crises before they become emergencies, and one that sends the right resource to the right situation every time. Safe, well-lit parks and green spaces. Faster emergency response. Real mental health and crisis alternatives that dispatch trained professionals to mental health calls — so officers can focus on crime, and our neighbors in crisis get the help they actually need.

Mikala has spent years inside OKC's public safety system, fighting for the men and women who run toward emergencies and show up on our worst days. She knows where the system works and where it falls short, and she has the disaster management training to do something about it. Protecting our neighbors means showing up for each other the way Oklahomans always have. That's the Oklahoma Standard. It's who we are, and it's worth fighting to keep.

Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in America by geography, and that sprawl has consequences. It stretches fire and EMS coverage thin, drives up infrastructure maintenance costs, and pulls investment away from the established neighborhoods that built this city. The result is a pattern where new development gets attention and older neighborhoods wait, sometimes for decades.

Mikala will fight to replenish urban core infrastructure that has been waiting too long, direct bond funding toward the wards and corridors that have been deferred year after year, and champion infill development and vacant property revitalization as smarter, more equitable alternatives to outward expansion. She'll push for local hire requirements that ensure Ward 6 residents benefit first from the economic activity generated in their own neighborhood, and hold new development accountable to the community through enforceable benefit agreements, not just promises. Growth is good. Growth that leaves established communities behind is not.

More than three in four OKC residents use a city park every year. Over half say getting around the city is a top priority. And yet park maintenance is underfunded, transit satisfaction sits at just 30%, and library resources have struggled to keep pace with a growing urban population. These aren't amenities — they are the infrastructure of daily life.

Buses frequent enough to plan a work shift around. Bike routes and sidewalks that actually connect. Parks that are maintained, lit, and welcoming after dark, with programming for children and families, not just open green space. Libraries resourced as the community anchors they are. Mikala will fight to fund these systems like the public investments they are, and push for transit improvements that serve Ward 6 commuters and not just downtown foot traffic.

Certified disaster management expertise at the council level. Equal emergency readiness across every Ward 6 neighborhood, not just the ones that get attention after the storm. Upgraded stormwater and drainage infrastructure. Fire station coverage that keeps pace with growth.