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Kyle Steele

Personal and Professional Background:

35 years old
Norman Resident for 20+ years
Ward 6 Resident for 10+ years
Career in Information Technology Sector (10+ years)
Self Employed I.T. Contractor - Server Administrator

Community Involvement:

Volunteers with non-profits and organizations that focus on assisting low income families, homeless/unhoused, and the LGBT community.

Core Political Values:

Transparency above all else
Advocate for your constituents interests, not your own
I don't speak for We the People, We the People speak for me

Email:

KyleForNorman@gmail.com

My Story

Personal and Professional

I have a story similar to many people that call Norman home. I graduated from Norman High School Class of 2009, decided to go to the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a Bachelors in Human Relations. After graduating I decided to down roots here in Norman. In total I have lived in Norman for over 20 years now, and I have lived in Ward 6 for over 10 years now since I purchased my home in a community just north of Sutton Wilderness.

I started work in the Information Technology section as a computer repair technician at a retailer here in Norman before eventually moving into corporate I.T. Now I am an Information Technology Contractor who usually works as a Server Administrator solving technical issues that people or businesses face day to day. Sometimes this is as simple as helping a person one on one track down an email they were supposed to receive, other times it working with teams to resolve problems that may cripple your entire work day. In either case, its about speaking with individuals about problems they are having, researching the solutions, and then working to get those solutions implemented.

Community Involvement

When I volunteer, I prefer to do so with local groups and non-profits in a front line capacity. Charity boards are important, but I prefer to directly be helping those in need. It is also much easier to get involved and make a difference by looking at what events local charities and non-profits are hosting and seeing if those groups need a helping hand. Sometimes its just for a few hours, other times its an all day event, but regardless at the end of the event you know you made a difference for those individuals you were directly helping. I have volunteered with many different groups across Norman, but most of them deal with low income families, the homeless/unhoused, as well as the LGBT Community.

Frequently Asked Questions

What motivated you to run for City Council?

I saw some things going on with City Council that I didn't like, mostly revolving around the Arena and Entertainment District TIF, as well as transparency. While City Council has done some things to address transparency and concerns, I believe more work needs to be done, especially for Ward 6.

What will your goals be if elected?

One of my main goals is to help push for meaningful TIF reform so what happened during the process for the Arena and Entertainment District TIF never happens again. What has been going on the past few years has shined a negative light on the process and shows that more transparency is needed. We the People deserve the right to vote on projects costing hundreds of millions of dollars that can effect Norman for generations, and we shouldn't have to jump through hoops to express that right to vote. Another goal I have is increased transparency when it comes to voting records. In my opinion it is hard to determine the voting record of your local representative on critical issues and the documenting of it should be modified and updated for easier searching by the general public.

How well can you work with other members of the City Council, especially those who may disagree with you politically?

Try to find common ground with other members of the City Council and build out from there. Discussions don't happen in an instant, sometimes they take place slowly over days, weeks, or even months, and this gives time for us to research the issues and work with other Council Members to find the best way forward for our constituents, no matter what our personal views are.

How do you plan to tackle high profile issues effecting Norman both today and in the future?

While Norman is unique, our problems are not. We are not the first city of our size to deal with any issue that comes before us. I would start by first researching what other cities did when faced with the same problem. Look at what they did, how they did it, and what the results are. After gathering this data, we then hold community conversation with Ward 6 residents over the issue and see what they think is the best path forward based on all available data. Then with the knowledge of what our Ward wants, we can then advocate for that on the City Council.