Edmond city councilwoman signs Open Government Pledge

Edmond City Councilwoman Elizabeth Waner has pledged to "comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

By signing FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge, Waner also promised "to support at every opportunity the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power."

Waner is the first Edmond municipal candidate to sign the pledge since FOI Oklahoma began offering the opportunity in spring 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.

Waner is seeking another four-year term as the Ward 2 council member. She faces Anne DeClouette in the general election on April 5.

Ward 2 encompasses east Edmond and is the city's largest ward geographically.

Instructions and a list of signers for the 2011 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s website.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications

FOI Oklahoma official chosen for empty Edmond City Council seat

FOI Oklahoma Executive Director Kay Bickham was chosen Tuesday to serve the vacated Ward 1 seat on the Edmond City Council.

The primary election for Edmond mayor and Wards 1 and 2 is slated for March 1. The general election is set for April 5.

Bickham indicted to The Edmond Sun that she is not interested in running for election to the seat in March but believed she had the necessary experience to fill in until voters chose a replacement.

Bickham served as Ward 1 councilwoman from 1991 to 1995.

"So I'm going to the same chair. And I’ve served on most of the committees and have been keeping touch through the years on various other city committees," she told the newspaper.

Bickham will be sworn in on Dec. 13. She was one of 10 applicants for the Ward 1 seat vacated in October when Wayne Page resigned from the council to move to Vancouver, Wash.

Candidates for the Edmond municipal offices this spring will be asked to sign FOI Oklahoma's Open Government Pledge.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Media & Strategic Communications