Midtown Coalition City Council 2000 Questionnaire
District 3 candidates

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The responses are presented below as provided by the candidates. Spelling, punctuation, and grammar have not been altered, but the text has been reformatted for the World Wide Web. A blank response indicates that the candidate has yet to reply to the questionnaire.
 
Name Party Address Phone E-mail
Arlin L. Hopper Republican 840 N. 91st East Pl. 836-1053
David Patrick Democrat 5712 E. Tecumseh St.
Michael R. Slankard Republican 7868 E. King St. 836-7918, 636-1236 mslank@swbell.net
Roscoe H. Turner Democrat 3415 E. Haskell St.
John L. Westbrook Republican 1226 N. Sandusky Ave.

1. If elected, will you support an ordinance establishing a procedure for creating neighborhood plans and incorporating them into the zoning code?

Hopper: Yes.  They are very necessary for input in the zoning code.

Patrick:

Slankard: Neighborhoods have been, and will always be, the backbone of any community. People choose to live in different areas of our town for varying reasons. If the city, through its zoning practices, allows the neighborhood's character to change without input from the residents then the neighborhood will ultimately change, usually for the worse. Such is the case in District 3. I am very supportive of any neighborhood which desires to create a plan that restricts certain types of zoning changes.

Turner:

Westbrook:

2. Will you support funding for city or INCOG planning staff to assist in the development of neighborhood plans?

Hopper: Yes.  Any assistance with coordinated, joint effort will enhance our city.

Patrick:

Slankard: Oklahoma City and other cities have shown us that neighborhood planning is an important and beneficial part of any city’s zoning practices. It should be in any neighborhood’s best interest to create a plan that best serves it. . Sharing of information and processes between the neighborhoods in Tulsa and other cities should be encouraged and promoted. I support the reallocation of existing city funding to INCOG in order to make staff available for neighborhood planning assistance.

Turner:

Westbrook:

3. Will you support the down-zoning of traditional neighborhood commercial areas, such as Cherry Street, from commercial high-intensity (CH) to a new "neighborhood commercial" category consistent with existing development?

Hopper:  No, Cherry Street, Brookside, etc. are necessary for needed growth.

Patrick:

Slankard:  I favor restrictions placed onto commercial developments that do not retain the character of the neighborhood they have chosen to locate in.

Turner:

Westbrook:

4. Will you support the restoration of residential zoning to residential areas that were rezoned for commercial, office, and industrial uses?

Hopper:  No, it will not revert in a proper manner.

Patrick:

Slankard: Tulsa must reinvigorate and energize our older neighborhoods. Stable neighborhoods create the economic development that all citizens of the city benefit from. In order to create these stable neighborhoods we must control commercial, office and industrial developments. I will support a return to residential zoning if neighborhood plans indicate this preference.

Turner:

Westbrook:

5. Will you support a temporary hold on zoning changes which increase commercial encroachment into residential areas, in order to encourage speedy adoption of these reforms and to protect neighborhoods until the reforms are in place?

Hopper:  Yes, controlled and organized growth will protect our neighborhoods.

Patrick:

Slankard:  I will support a moratorium on all zoning changes from residential to commercial for a period of one year while neighborhood plans are created and adopted.

Turner:

Westbrook:

6. What other reforms, if any, would you make in zoning, land use planning, urban renewal, or related policy areas?

Hopper:  None.

Patrick:

Slankard:  We must remove the abundance of rental residential properties from our neighborhoods and replace them with homeowners. Homeowners create our stable neighborhoods by providing an environment that is a positive one for families. This change that matters should be one of the city’s highest priorities.

Turner:

Westbrook:
 

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