Edmond mayoral candidates debate ahead of April runoff

The two runoff candidates to be Edmond’s next mayor met again in another debate.

News 9 co-moderated the debate in partnership with NonDoc Media.

Former councilman Tom Robins and financial professional Mark Nash finished at the top of a four-person race in February.

Nash led the general election with 34.89% of the vote, holding a slight lead over Robins' 34.25%. The difference between the candidates' results was a mere 45 ballots, an indication of the competitiveness of April's runoff election.

The candidates sparred on several issues during their first debate appearance, while also overlapping in many ways.

Wednesday’s event was similar. Candidates answered questions related to housing, revenue and taxes, public safety, and other issues.

“I was opposed to the GO bond issues,” candidate Mark Nash said near the beginning of his closing statement. “Bad idea. Too much money, too fast. I was against it. If you’ve got the skills, if you’ve got the experience, if you’ve got the ability to help solve the problems after that tax goes down to defeat, you better step up.”

While Nash drew heavily on his financial background, Robins instead related many of his policy positions back to his experience on City Council.

“So, I’m going to get passionate about the crime issue here,” Robins said near the beginning of his closing statement. “And, it’s kind of indicative of what and how I do things. I got alerted that there was an illegal massage parlor in my district, so I went and got it shut down. But I wanted to figure out why. So, I held a town hall. I was the only member of City Council to hold town halls, I'll continue to do so as your mayor.”

The runoff election is scheduled for April 1, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting will be held on Friday and Saturday.

Previous coverage:

Robins' campaign highlights his experience as a former city councilman, while Nash focuses on fiscal responsibility in city government.

Nash led the Feb. 11 general election with 34.89% of the vote, holding a slight lead over Robins' 34.25%. The difference between the candidates' results was a mere 45 ballots, an indication of the competitiveness of April's runoff election.

Attendance to the debate is free, but RSVP is required.

The runoff election is scheduled for April 1, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting will be held on Friday and Saturday.

A full list of April 1 elections can be found HERE.