5 things about Norman's city council elections

Eight candidates will be vying for three city council seats as voters go to the polls Tuesday in Norman. Here are five things about the election.

Ward 1 incumbent Greg Heiple faces Kate Bierman and Victor Reyes. Bierman has been active in animal welfare issues in the city, while Reyes, a University of Oklahoma student majoring in political science, is relatively new to the local political scene. Heiple is a financial planner and is seeking his third term on council.

Ward 3 incumbent Robert Castleberry was up for re-election but did not draw an opponent. He will remain on the council for another two-year term.

Ward 5 incumbent James Chappel won a run-off drawing among applicants for the seat vacated in July when Mayor Lynne Miller was elected. Chappel is community affairs manager for the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. He is being challenged by Sereta Wilson, who was the run-off applicant in July for the seat, and by Phillip Hillian, a data systems engineer who says he has always wanted to be involved in local politics and believes this is his chance. Wilson, 46, is owner of Annie’s Ruff House and director of Annie’s Rescue Foundation. She has worked with the city in finding homes for neglected and abandoned dogs and cats.

Ward 7 incumbent Stephen Holman, 32, is seeking his third term on the council. Popular with his constituents, he faces a felony count of acquiring proceeds from drug activity and 12 misdemeanor counts of possessing drug paraphernalia stemming from a police raid at the now defunct Friendly Market, where he served as manager. Holman says he is confident he will beat the charges and also has said the raids at the market were politically motivated.

Holman's challenger, Traci Baker, 18, is the youngest person to ever file for a council seat. She is active in the Libertarian Party and is an openly transgender woman campaigning for “maximizing freedom and quality of life for everyone.”