Mark Nash and Tom Robins advance to general election

Charlie Shackelford

Contributing Writer

Mark Nash and Tom Robins advance in the running for Edmond mayor.

Mark Nash, a financial professional, and Tom Robins, former Ward 1 Councilman, got the highest number of votes during the primary round of elections this past Tuesday. This advanced them on to the general election in April. They moved forward with only 45 votes separating them, with Nash receiving 2,447 and Robins receiving 2,402. 

Nash joined the race in November after noticing issues within the community. After the proposed GO Bond’s defeat, which would have helped Edmond move forward with many projects, Nash decided to announce his candidacy for mayor. He is a longtime resident and community leader, living here and raising his family here for over 35 years. Once he joined the Edmond Neighborhood Association, first as a board member and now only as an advisor, he became inspired to fix the various issues that came to his attention. Since then he has spent numerous years on other committees, including the Edmond Public School Foundation and the Edmond Economic Development Authority.

One of the main issues that Nash is looking to fix is the city’s fiscal transparency. He wants to prioritize the city’s budget in order to move forward in addressing specific issues.

“I’ve got the experience, so why not help solve it… you have to know the process. You have to understand the way government finance works,” Nash stated. 

He has worked for state agencies as the Director of Finance to help find ways to save money and monitor how it’s being spent, and that’s where he learned more about government finance and furthered his understanding of it. 

One of Nash’s main priorities is focusing on how the city can fix traffic. His plan for this is to transition more roads, like Danforth and Covell, into four-lane roads to take traffic off of 2nd and 15th streets. He acknowledges that this will be challenging, but sees it as a necessary first step to solving the city’s on-going traffic problems. 

Nash says this election is also going to affect students. Traffic and property values can affect the university students who commute and live off campus. Nash wants to continue the city’s support and strong relationship with the university. He wants to help UCO in their fight for funding against bigger colleges such as Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma. Nash plans to see what the city can do to further help the funding that UCO receives. 

He hopes to fix the city’s image and this is where he wants to start.

“This election is about how we can keep this city moving forward,” Nash said. 

Robins joined the race earlier, announcing his candidacy in August after stepping down from his position in the City Council. He was elected to City Council in 2023, and since then, he has worked on many projects. Robins is endorsed by the Edmond Police Department due to his help protecting the community. He wants to use this election as an opportunity to serve his neighbors and be a voice for young families. 

He sees UCO as a strong quality of Edmond, often taking his families to campus games and theater events. Robins helped to get the UCO recycling center started and wants to continue to support the UCO community. 

Another priority for Robins is providing Edmond with more mental health services. He plans to protect community members with mental health issues by ensuring that steps are taken, so the police don’t need to get involved. He wants to bring more awareness to North Care and Oasis Clubhouse, two mental health services in Edmond that offer support to people struggling with mental health crises. 

His plan for solving the traffic issue is to start with a transportation plan. Robins says the city needs to figure out what the future of mobility is, starting with electric bikes. He wants to install more bike racks downtown to promote different forms of transportation in the city. Robins also wants to focus on bringing more accessible options to parks and buildings for citizens with disabilities.

“I’m running to be able to serve and be involved and to choose the community I have. I want to make Edmond a great place to just grow,” Robins said.

The primary election will take place on April 1. Whoever wins this election will serve the city for the next four years.