Filing period opens Monday for Lawton City Council, mayor, District 1 county commissioner

The filing period opens Monday for Lawton residents who want to serve as Ward 1 and Ward 2 City Council representatives, or as Lawton mayor.

In addition, residents in Comanche County’s eastern county commissioner district will have a chance to file for that seat, in a special election set by Gov. Kevin Stitt after District 1 Commissioner John O’Brien resigned from office earlier this month.

Declarations of candidacy may be filed at the Comanche County Election Board, located in the Comanche County Courthouse at Southwest 5th Street and Southwest C Avenue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Candidates will face each other in a primary election set for Aug. 27, with a general election set Nov. 5. Council seats are non-partisan, while county commissioner candidates will file as members of political parties.

To serve as Lawton mayor, candidates must be registered voters at an address within Lawton for at least six months prior to filing for election. City Council candidates must be registered voters at an address within the ward they seek to represent for at least six months prior to filing. The District 1 commissioner (eastern Comanche County) is open to registered voters who have maintained a current principal residence within the eastern district for at least six months prior to filing. Commissioner candidates also must be registered voters of the political party they seek to represent at least six months prior to the first day of candidate filing.

There is no filing fee for City Council and mayoral candidates. There is a $300 filing fee for county commissioner candidates, with a cashier’s check payable to the Secretary, Comanche County Election Board.

In Lawton, Mayor Stan Booker has said he will seek re-election to the seat he has held for two terms. Ward 1 City Councilwoman Mary Ann Hankins and Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris have said they will not seek re-election.

In the county commissioner race, District 1 Commissioner Trent Logan has said he would file for the seat on a full-time basis after Stitt appointed him to the seat on a temporary basis until it could be filed by a special election. Logan was sworn into office June 3. The winner of the election will complete O’Brien’s unexpired term.