Walters Upsets Washington; O'Neil Defeats Pettigrew In Edmond Mayoral Race

Oklahoma City Councilman-elect Brian Walters pulled off what could easily be classified as the upset of the year on Tuesday, defeating front-runner George Washington, who "went from being within just a few votes of winning the whole banana to losing in a run-off to a virtual unknown," in the words of blogger and political analyst Ron Black.

As Black observes, "Having Rep. Mike Reynolds knocking doors for him didn't hurt Walters one single bit and the negative letter sent by the legendary Al Snipes helped as well. As I told The Oklahoman, that race was to be won on the ground and Walters did just that. Southern Hills Baptist Church truly got out the vote and this is one example of a church making a significant difference in a local election."

Washington, who missed winning the southside council primary outright by just 12 votes, had the strong support of outgoing Councilman Jerry Foshee, while Walters benefited from an alliance orchestrated by political consultants Neva Hill And Company, members of which also designed and executed Walters' "ground game."

In Edmond, Dan O'Neil defeated former State Rep. Wayne Pettigrew easily in a race that apparently hinged on views about development of the bursting-at-the-seams city.

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