TVLSE, Oklv. – Tulsans headed to the polls on Aug. 27 in order to, among other decisions, vote for the city’s next mayor and the next county commissioner for District 2. The mayor’s race was a close one, with the top three spots in the race being less than a thousand votes apart. The major candidates to replace G.T. Bynum as Tulsa mayor included Karen Keith, who has served as Tulsa County Commissioner for District 2 since 2008, Monroe Nichols, who had served in the 72nd District of the Oklahoma State House of Representatives and who would be Tulsa’s first black mayor if elected, and Brent VanNorman, a local business owner endorsed by Kevin Hern.
As none of the candidates received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates would go to a runoff. These two candidates would be Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols. Nichols, in particular, stands out due to his outspoken plans to work closer with Native American tribes, including his plan to hire a director of tribal policy and partnerships to work directly with them and strengthen ties in regards to the economy and public safety, especially in the wake of the McGirt decision and a lawsuit by the Muscogee Nation against the City of Tulsa, which was outlined in pre-election coverage by News On 6.
Mvskoke Media previously was involved in one of this year’s Tulsa mayoral town halls where Keith and Monroe participated. Both shared their stances on current tribal affairs, as well as their approach to working with the tribal nations that Tulsa is located on.
In addition to the mayoral race, there were also two elections for the seat of Tulsa County Commissioner for District 2 to replace Keith, who is vacating the position. One of these elections, the Democratic nominee for the seat, is Sarah Gray. Gray, who has Muscogee, Cherokee, and Kiowa heritage, won her nomination with 59.1 percent of the vote. Focusing her campaign on tackling the issue of homelessness and that of affordable housing for all, she and her team are eager to help out.
“I think it’s really important for the county to take a leadership role whenever it comes to addressing homelessness throughout our communities. Our cities have been doing the best they can, and I’m looking forward to the county stepping into more of a role of bringing folks to the table, and making sure that we’re acting as that connective tissue between all of the municipalities, all of the unincorporated areas, different community organizations, and tribal partners.” Gray said in an interview with KOTV News On 6.
Finally, a Muscogee (Creek) citizen, Aaron Griffith, ran for office on the Tulsa City Council’s 4th District, and lost to Laura Bellis, only obtaining 23.4 percent of the vote.
The next election date is set for Nov. 5.
