Restore T.R.U.S.T.

Edmond Life and Leisure

(Editor’s Note: The city’s general election will be April 7. The only race on the ballot will be for Mayor with Patrice Douglas and the incumbent Mayor Dan O’Neil. Last week we profiled Mayor O’Neil’s challenger.)
By Rose Drebes

One reason Edmond Mayor Dan O’Neil says he’s seeking a second term to the city’s top seat is because there’s more work to do.
O’Neil has been a resident of Edmond for the past 31 years. He is a retired Air Force civilian personnel manager and former captain in the U.S. Army, as well as a Vietnam veteran.

Despite the economy, ice storms and tornadoes, Edmond is still moving forward, he said.

“What’s not to be proud of our community,” O’Neil said. “We continue to grow and be one of the safest cities in the nation.”

During his first term, the mayor said the city has realized a number of improvements. For instance, a fourth city park has been added for residents’ enjoyment and the city’s soccer complex has been expanded.

Upgrades have been completed to Edmond’s storm warming system. Some of its equipment was over 50 years old, O’Neil said.
“We’re keeping our town a safe place for our families, our businesses,” O’Neil said.

Roads have also been a priority of O’Neil’s administration. The city has identified its 10 worst intersections and is working to improve traffic flow through those interchanges, he said.

He said the construction of a bridge at Memorial Road and Broadway will also help eliminate traffic congestion at 15th and Broadway also. Approximately 75,000 vehicles travel through the Memorial area each day.

“We have a plan for roads west of I-35,” he continued.

That plan is to four-lane all of the section line roads in that area by 2015.

“It just takes awhile to get road work done,” O’Neil noted.

Improvements to the city services have also been on the front burner. For instance, a new curbside service has been instituted for the removal of household hazardous materials such as outdated prescriptions and chemicals.

Edmond is the first community in Oklahoma to offer such a convenience to its residents, O’Neil said.

If reelected, he said he hopes the city can find a way to build a Public Safety Center “in a way the community can agree on.” He also looks forward to the construction of a second city library.

“The goal this year is to find a location.”

Evaluating and implementing the city’s long-term plan has always been a priority, he said.

Being the mayor is O’Neil’s only job.

“I have the time, the commitment and the experience to do the job,” he said. “There’s more to do. It takes time.”