SHERENE L. WILLIAMS, WARD 7

Occupation: Retired lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army, and combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, Qatar and Kuwait; she was a signal officer, communications electronics officer and director of logistics. Retired sales manager, Sears Roebuck and Company. Previous owner of Sherene’s Boutique.

1. City leaders and staff have been discussing new funding options to address city streets and bridges. What should the priorities be and what information should be used to make those decisions?

The priorities should first be the streets. In 2022 there was an assessment of Lawton, Oklahoma, pavement of streets and the assessment results: concluded 37.7% of streets are rated “Good” to “Excellent. Concluded 62.3% of streets are “Fair” to “Very Poor”. Infrastructure affects the time it takes citizens to get from one location to another, and also the repairs of maintenance of a person’s vehicle. It is vital that the citizens are provided “Good” to “Excellent” streets.

2. Westwin elements has a new local incentive package agreement with the City of Lawton and economic development entities, with some details still being discussed. What should the city’s role in this project be and what kind of oversight should the city be providing?

The City of Lawton’s role in the Westwin Elements local incentive package agreement should be watching how our budget is being balanced and that Westwin Elements is providing their share of commitment of investments. The city should continue to have meetings with Westwin Elements.

3. What are your priorities for your City Council Ward 7? How would you make them happen?

1. Improve infrastructure, work to improve beautification and vote not to raise the water bill.

A committee has recently been appointed to resolve issues with our streets and bridges. I will have meetings with Ward 7 citizens.

To beautify all of Ward 7 areas, some citizens have already volunteered to help clean their area. I will request help from other organizations, “Buffalo Soldiers.” Request Parks and Recreation appoint a beautification committee. The city charter needs to be changed, before the council votes to raise the citizens’ water bill for revenue. A vote on a ballot should be bought to citizens.