Six candidates for Oklahoma County office will face voters and each other at a free public forum Monday, Oct. 19, at the University of Central Oklahoma.

The event, organized by NonDoc Media and Griffin Media, begins at 5:30 p.m. in UCO's Liberal Arts Building Lecture Hall. News 9's Deanne Stein and NonDoc editor in chief Tres Savage will moderate. The forum is open to the public with an RSVP and will be streamed on News 9's website and Facebook page, the NonDoc Facebook page and the Oklahoma's Own Politics YouTube channel.

All six candidates plan to attend. They are:

  • Assessor: Incumbent Larry Stein (Republican) vs. John Gibbons (Democrat)
  • Treasurer: Christie Miller (Republican) vs. Jessica Thompson (Democrat)
  • District 3 Commissioner: Jessica Clayton (Republican) vs. Jennifer Mayo (Democrat)

Every Oklahoma County voter will see at least three county-level decisions on the Nov. 3 ballot: the assessor race, a successor to retiring Treasurer Forrest "Butch" Freeman, who has held the post 33 years, and a proposed 25-year, 0.4% sales tax to build and operate a new county jail. Voters in Edmond, Arcadia, Luther and far northwest Oklahoma City will also pick a new District 3 commissioner.

The jail tax is expected to dominate the forum. County commissioners voted 2-1 on Aug. 12 to place the measure on the ballot, according to KOSU. District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan proposed the tax; Interim District 3 Commissioner Paul Foster seconded it. District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe voted against it. If approved, the tax would begin April 1, 2027, and run through March 31, 2052, generating an estimated $70 million a year.

Voters approved a $260 million bond in 2022 to build a new jail. The project's estimated cost has since grown to $860 million.

Both District 3 candidates have weighed in on the sales tax. Clayton told NonDoc in an Aug. 11 interview that she wanted "to make sure we're asking for enough funding and we're not in the same situation that we are now." Mayo called the proposal a "bait and switch" in an Aug. 12 article by Free Press OKC, reacting to the commissioners' vote.

Beyond the sales tax, the forum will cover current jail operations, aging county infrastructure, antiquated accounting systems and a "home rule" proposal that would let the Legislature authorize Oklahoma County voters to design an alternate form of local government.

Near the end of the event, current county officials who are not on the general election ballot but who attend will get a brief chance to share their views on the sales tax and other county issues.

"If there were ever a time to have a frank, public and productive discussion about Oklahoma County government, it would be now," Savage wrote in NonDoc's announcement of the forum.

Residents can RSVP for the forum through NonDoc or News 9. Election Day is Nov. 3.