Shawnee Election Shows Signs Of Contention

By Andrew Knittle Staff Writer aknittle@oklahoman.comSHAWNEE — The glossy billboards emblazoned with Shawnee City Commission candidate Kelli McCullar's image seem out of place here in the county seat of Pottawatomie County. They're the kind of advertisements normally reserved for auto dealerships, big-budget movies or superstar athletes. Yet, McCullar has at least 15 high- resolution billboards placed strategically across Shawnee, along nearby interstates and highways and even on busy city thoroughfares. McCullar's opponent in the fight to represent the city's Ward 3, incumbent City Commissioner James Harrod, has signs of his own, though his are “yard signs” hammered along the side of the road like one might expect to find in a political race in small town America. For a municipal candidate in a city of roughly 31,000, the billboards with the striking red-white-and-blue color scheme should be financially out of reach, sitting City Commissioner Keith Hall said. Yet, they aren't — and it's no secret why. “It's the tribe,” said Hall, referring to the Shawnee-based Citizen Potawatomi Nation.Read more on NewsOK.com