Cordell's mayor to seek McMullen's seat

A special House election later this year is shaping up to be a battle between two members serving on Cordell’s city council.

Cordell Mayor Alex Damon, a Democrat, has announced his intention to run for the House District 55 seat.

The post is held by Rep. Ryan McMullen, D-Burns Flat. McMullen has been named state director of rural development for the U.S. Agriculture Department. McMullen, elected to the House in 2004,  said he will step down from his seat in the next few days. The governor has 30 days after McMullen resigns to set a date for a special election to fill McMullen’s seat.

A Republican, Todd Russ of Cordell, said last week he would file for the seat. Russ, a former banker, serves on the Cordell City Council.

Damon said he wants to further the programs of economic and social progress he has started as mayor of Cordell.

Damon was appointed to the Cordell City Council in 2003. He served as interim mayor after the resignation of Mayor Bob Adams. Damon ran for and was elected mayor of Cordell in 2004. He was re-elected in 2007.

In 2005, Damon received the Governors Arts Award – the George Nigh Mayors Award – for outstanding support of the arts in his community and Oklahoma. In 2008, he was named Mayor of the Year by the Oklahoma Council of Mayors and the Oklahoma Municipal League.

Damon has lived in Cordell since 2002 with his wife of 13 years, Jessica, and their children. He graduated from the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York in 1983. He owns an art gallery, a photography studio and a camera store.

-          Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau