Today on TLO, we're featuring Q&A's with the two electable candidates in the 2014 Oklahoma City Mayoral Election: Mayor Mick and Councilman Ed. We sent the same 19 questions about local issues and culture to each one. The questions are all over the map – some are serious, some are absurd, and one I forgot to ask, hence the 19 questions. It's also the closest thing this city will probably have to an actual debate.
Earlier this morning, I told you about how I was drunk the first time I met Mayor Cornett. Well, the first time I met Councilman Ed Shadid I wasn't sober either. I was loaded up on Sudafed, Vicks and caffeine.
In early December, Ed and I met up at Red Cup on a Friday afternoon for coffee. What a hipster thing to do. Before the meeting, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know a lot about Ed. Based on his campaign materials and soft voice, I pegged him as a quiet, reserved and ultra-serious politician. And I was wrong. In many ways, Ed was totally different from what I expected. He's candid, laid back, and pretty damn cool. He has some sort of charisma that's hard to explain. For nearly two hours, we had an engaging conversation about Oklahoma City and the issues this town is facing. By the end of our talk, I was ready to march out the door and start hiring policeman and paving sidewalks in neighborhoods with him.
Here's his Q&A:
1. What will be your number one priority if elected mayor of Oklahoma City?