Edward A. Shadid

Dr. Edward A. Shadid is a member of the Oklahoma City council, representing ward 2.

In April 2011, Shadid received 62% of the vote in a hard fought run-off against Charlie Swinton,  a reversal of fortunes after coming in second (and receiving 35% of the vote in a six-person race) in the general election. Shadid was endorsed in his 2011 election by the Oklahoma City fire-fighter’s union (AFSCME), Cimarron Group of the Sierra Club, Democratic State Senator Andrew Rice and former Oklahoma state representative Wanda Jo Stapleton.

He previously ran for the Oklahoma State House in District #85 on the Independent ticket in 2010, receiving 10.53% of the vote. (See Oklahoma state elections, 2010 He received the endorsement of the Green Party of Oklahoma and the Pirate Party of Oklahoma in this race.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader came to Oklahoma City to speak at a campaign event for Dr. Shadid during his 2010 campaign.

Dr.. Shadid works as a spinal surgeon in Oklahoma City. He is known as advocate of new urbanism  , , public health , environmental concerns and improved mass transit

Political Issues
During Dr. Shadid's time on the city council, he has been advocate for a variety of issues including public health, sustainable development,  mass transit and government transparency. During his campaigns he has also refused campaign donations from anybody other than private individuals and has been an outspoken proponent for campaign finance reform.

Death of his Cousin NY Times Reporter Anthony Shadid
Dr. Shadid came to national attention following the death of his cousin, Pulitzer Prize winning NY Times reporter Anthony Shadid, who died while attempting to enter Syria. Dr. Shadid has been harshly critical of the New York Times, and the journalism profession in general, for its treatment of foreign correspondents. His speech at a banquet in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of establishing a memorial internship with the organization in the name of his brother, was widely reported in the national media, including POLITICO , the NY Times Examiner , the NY Observer , and the TRUTHOUT blog. He says that his brother was so concerned about the problems relating to his trip to Syria that he told his wife, "If I die, the NY Times murdered me." Dr. Shadid questioned the medical cause of death, reported by the NY Times to be an asthma attack, noting that the symptoms were more consistent with a possible heart attack. Dr. Shadid has called for "prudent, industry-wide protections for our correspondents" and for ensuring that correspondents receive screening and if necessary treatment for PSTD.