Voters in Tulsa’s District 9 turn out in big numbers to vote for their city councilor — and high expectations come with it. They decisively chose Pete Regan on Tuesday out of a three-man race, electing their fourth elected representative in a decade.
The self-proclaimed “happy warrior” steps into the role previously filled by two mayors, state lawmakers and a handful of business leaders.
“It was an honor to get out and listen to everybody and try to share our vision for the city,” Regan said Wednesday. “We’re not feeling super well-rested right now — we’ll get caught up on that — but we are feeling honored for sure.”
G.T. Bynum, a former Tulsa mayor who represented District 9 for eight years on the city council from 2008 to 2016, endorsed Regan for the seat. He said the area — along with District 4 (downtown, Utica Square and the Pearl District) and District 8 (largely south neighborhoods) — have higher civic engagement and voter turnout than most other districts.
That kind of environment molds better candidates for public office, which sometimes leads to turnover, Bynum said.
“It makes for much more competitive races. I think you get good candidates from that,” Bynum said. “Also, historically in Tulsa, when we had a city commission before 1990, most of the city commissioners that served in that form of government — at least in the 50 years before it switched — lived in District 4 and District 9. It is historically an area where you would have strong leaders coming from.”
To that end, Denise Brewer, a Brookside neighborhood resident who represented Oklahoma House District 71 from 2018 to 2022, said there are more expectations that come with being the District 9 councilor.
“Brookside is still redefining itself. We’re still expanding, and neighborhoods are being transformed, new families are always moving in,” Brewer said. “I just think that the expectations are high, and you know, in order to meet those expectations, it’s a lot of work.”
Regan told the Flyer he is going to keep his pulse on the district’s needs and let everything else work itself out.
“There have been some big names that have come through there, and I’d be honored to try to fill their shoes, but that is not my goal,” Regan said. “My goal is to be accountable and responsive to the constituents at District 9, and then just let the chips fall where they are.”
An attorney and vice president of WSB, an architecture, engineering and construction firm, Regan also served as chief of staff and legal counsel for U.S. Rep. Dan Boren. Previously, he worked for the representative’s father, U.S. Sen. David Boren, and followed him to Norman when he became University of Oklahoma president in 1994.
Regan’s experience certainly provided a fundraising advantage over his opponents. His candidate committee contributions and expenditures report filed Aug. 17 shows he raised more than $187,000 in total funds and in-kind contributions.
Carol Bush, Jayme Fowler, Ben Kimbro and Bynum — the four previous District 9 Councilors — all donated to his campaign. Regan also received donations from Tulsa philanthropist George Kaiser, Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert and former University of Tulsa president Brad Carson, among other notable figures. The Tulsa Forward PAC — chaired by Dana Walton, who is Mayor Monroe Nichols’ chief of staff, also contributed.
In comparison, opponents Ben Johnson raised nearly $6,500, while Shawn Tiemann did not file a campaign finance report before the runoff. Candidates are not required to file reports if they have not spent or raised $1,000.
Noting Regan’s seat on the Tulsa Community College Board of Regents as well as his background in politics and infrastructure serving on the Oklahoma Department of Transportation under two governors, Bynum said he was unsure what Regan’s expertise on council might be.
“I’m excited to see what kind of niche Pete fills, because he brings such a diverse resume to the table,” Bynum said. “I think knowledge of infrastructure is a clear and obvious opportunity there, but it’s gonna be exciting to see which area he ends up kind of owning.”
Regan said he is going to keep his “mouth shut” and listen to councilors before he takes ownership of a subject, but he said he has a passion for education and infrastructure.
“I’m going to be all ears. I’ll have strong conviction, but I want to learn from other councilors, and I don’t think I’ve ever met someone I can’t learn from,” Regan said. “But those would be two of my things that I think I would like to be a driver on.”
Making transformation of 61st and Peoria a priority
In an interview Wednesday morning, Bynum called the transformation of the Arkansas River corridor into a tourist attraction among District 9’s “greatest change” since he vacated the seat to run for mayor in 2016.
“Turning the river corridor into something that people drive by on their way to work, changing it into a regional destination — I think that’s had a tremendous impact,” Bynum said. “Not just on the river corridor, but on Brookside.”
Bynum also referenced the expansion of the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, predicting there is going to be a “huge ripple effect” when the facility opens at the southwest corner of 41st Street and Yale Avenue.
However, while folks often highlight the Brookside neighborhood when referencing District 9, Bynum candidly said he did not do enough for the 61st Street and Peoria Avenue area. Much of the district has a much lower crime rate than other parts of the city, Bynum said, but 61st and Peoria is “one of two almost perennial crime hotspots” in Tulsa.
“I did not do enough as a councilor in that area,” he said. “The city has not done enough in that area. The more that can be done in that area to make it a safe neighborhood for the folks that live there, the better it will be.”
Regan said he wants to provide workforce and education options there.
“Relative to the rest of the city, it’s a hotspot for crime. I think part of that is due to the density and (lack of) economic options,” Regan said. “There’s business owners that are not sure if they want to invest capital there, so we need to make sure we keep eyes and ears open for what can fit there so the community has access to services.”
In an interview Tuesday prior to Election Day results, Brewer said city leaders need to prioritize the area if they want to see change.
“You can give all the lip service you want, but until you have the machine that is actually putting in a brand new road with good sewers, a sidewalk and easy access to businesses and neighborhoods that are safe — you’re getting nowhere,” Brewer said. “They have to put action behind their words, as opposed to just talking about it like they have done for decades.”
Simply listening and responding to community input can yield big results, Regan said.
“Is there a program that allows us to ride the bus to get jobs? Can we make sure that a pool in the neighborhood is open so people can burn off energy and be with their families? Sometimes, little things become big things,” Regan said. “I think just being in the saddle and listening, we can all collectively come together.”
Regan’s friendly demeanor and heart will be helpful in patching up relations between councilors, Bynum said, referencing his election watch party at Brookside By Day on Tuesday night.
“That was the largest turnout for a city council watch party I have seen in my lifetime,” Bynum said. “It’s because he is just beloved.”
Regan credited his diplomacy and willingness to work across the aisle to growing up as the second-youngest in a family with 10 brothers and sisters.
“I get along with everybody,” Regan said. “While we may not agree on everything, we can agree to disagree after a council meeting, go have a beer or a cup of coffee, knowing that we’re doing it for the right reasons for the city that we love.”
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