District 7 city council candidates break down positions on policing, tax increases and more

Residents of Tulsa City Council District 7 gathered inside Hardesty Regional Library Monday to hear incumbent Lori Decter Wright and challengers Dave Perry and Kenny Wogoman weigh in on issues surrounding public safety, homelessness and traffic flow. 

The district represents most of southeast Tulsa, from 41st Street at the northernmost boundary south to 101st Street and from Sheridan Road at the westernmost boundary east to 145th East Avenue.

Tulsa Press Club president Jason Collington moderated the forum as part of a free event series ahead of the Aug. 25 election. Questions were posed by Tulsa Flyer reporter Joe Tomlinson, Tulsa World reporter Kevin Canfield and those in attendance.

Absentee landlords and blighted properties 

• Decter Wright acknowledged District 7 has some of the most multifamily units in the city. Absentee landlords, she said, remain a problem. She pointed to the evacuation of the Vista Shadow Mountain apartments in 2021. To address this issue, she helped form a multifamily inspections team within code enforcement and would like to expand it. 
• Vista Shadow Mountain is one of the biggest issues for District 7, Perry said, and the city hasn’t gone far enough with holding absentee landlords accountable. He argued the apartment complex, as well as other blighted properties, should be put up for auction. 
• Wogoman agreed with Perry, stating abandoned and blighted properties should be put up for auction. 

Plans to improve District 7 

• Perry said the 71st Street business corridor in District 7 is a “sales tax engine” for the majority of Tulsa and business developments could expand further north than the Woodland Hills. However, those developments should not be data centers, he said.
• Wogoman agrees that District 7 is unique in its high concentration of retail and businesses. He would like to see more small businesses set up shop in District 7 but supports business development overall for the city. 
• Decter Wright said she supports improvements by establishing tax incremental financing districts for Eaton Square and 71st to 91st streets along South Mingo Road. She also helped steward a new residential development at 41st Street and 129th East Avenue that will bring about 300 new homes. 

Office of Independent Monitor

• Wogoman said he “absolutely” supports oversight for public services and the city council, including a charter for an office of independent monitor separate from the police department. He added Tulsa needs more police officers with better training.
• Decter Wright said the city has “wrestled” with the idea. She proposes that the city establish a governing body that would provide oversight for animal services, code enforcement and Tulsa police and fire departments. 
• Perry agreed with Decter Wright that oversight is needed and wants to ensure things are done “the right way.” He voiced support for a governing body that would review ethics complaints related to city councilors. 

Homelessness 

All candidates applauded Mayor Monroe Nichols’ efforts to decommission encampments across the city, including District 7. Decter Wright said the city needs to continue investments in health services and lower the rates of domestic violence. Perry said unemployment is a big driver of homelessness and more funding needs to be allocated toward housing programs. Wogoman expressed concerns with the Tulsa Housing Authority moving unhoused people into apartment complexes without regular oversight and case management. 

Law enforcement use of surveillance cameras

• Perry has worked in IT and disagrees with law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras, stating that it infringes on people’s Fourth Amendment rights. He believes there is too much risk, pointing to the Washington Post’s recent reporting on police officers’ alleged misuse of Flock cameras to stalk their former partners. 
• Wogoman said surveillance is a “slippery slope” and invites warrantless search and seizures. He said the city needs to focus on getting more police officers into communities and solving crimes through actual detective work.  
• Decter Wright clarified there is no evidence that TPD has misused Flock cameras and said that neighborhoods also use Flock cameras — not just the city. She said Flock cameras deter crime and have been used to bust sex trafficking operations in Tulsa. 

Sales and hotel tax increases

• Decter Wright is against sales tax increases and opposed Nichols’ push to put the initiative on a 2026 ballot. If the city wants to raise it, officials need to engage with residents more, she said. The councilor supports the hotel tax increase on the November ballot. 
• Perry said he would vote against any proposed increases. Several organizations put unhoused people up in hotels and would have to bear higher costs. Tourists may opt to stay elsewhere, he said. If the mayor achieves ending functional homelessness by 2030, he would be open to revisiting the hotel tax issue.
• While he agrees with his opponents, Wogoman said residents should ultimately decide on a sales tax increase. The hotel tax increase would get Tulsa in line with Oklahoma City, Wogoman said, and he’s not opposed since it would mostly affect tourists. 

Ideas to improve traffic flow in District 7

Perry said AI tools could be used to better understand traffic patterns and come up with solutions, such as the diverging diamond intersection in District 7. Wogoman believes the city should continue widening the streets and utilize different traffic patterns. The city should increase public transit options, Decter Wright said, and develop retail developments in east and west Tulsa so people don’t have to come to District 7 to shop.

Faith Harl is a Tulsa Documenter and contributing writer for the Tulsa Flyer. Visit tulsaflyer.org/documenters for information about the program.

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