TULSA — State Representative Monroe Nichols represents a district in the heart of Tulsa, and has decided he’d like to take on the job of the city’s chief executive, though he doesn’t kid himself that it’s a cushy gig.
“Mayor is the toughest job in all of elected politics across the country,” he told KRMG Monday. “Every day, everything from public safety, to is the trash picked up, are the streets working, do we have affordable housing - all those things are the job of the mayor, so it makes it a really difficult job.”
[Hear the KRMG In-Depth Report on Rep. Monroe Nichols’ race for Tulsa mayor HERE]
But it’s the job he wants, and he believes he’s best qualified to fill it.
He graduated from TU with a degree in political science and economics, and put it to work in his first job, working in the office of former Mayor Kathy Taylor.
He spent time working with Career Tech, the Tulsa Regional Chamber, and OU Tulsa, and founded a non-profit called Impact Tulsa.
Those various occupations, he says, gave him experience and insight into many of the challenges that Tulsa’s next mayor will face, including health outcomes, education, and job creation.
“If you think about the challenges facing the city right now, I just feel like it’s a point now where the things I’ve done in this community are all very much in line to what the needs of the city are right now,” he told KRMG, “and so I’m excited to offer up that experience and take Tulsa into the future.”
He said it’s important to actually go to the residents of a community and hear them out when dealing with an issue.
As an example, during his stint with OU Tulsa he was working to help reduce the disparity in life expectancy between north Tulsa and midtown, which at the time was roughly 14 years.
They determined that one issue was a lack of exercise, as people living in that area were rarely getting out to walk or jog.
Sitting around a table with others, he said, “we’ll guess ‘oh, crime is too high, or there’s no sidewalks, or whatever the case might be,” he said. “But when we talked to folks in the community, that was not their number one issue. Maybe those were some issues, that was not their number one issue.”
Turns out, the top issue preventing people from getting outside for some fresh air and exercise was stray dogs.
“And so animal control becomes a really important part of our community health,” he said, “which you don’t know unless you talk to the people who live it every day.”
Two other candidates have officially opened mayoral campaigns in Tulsa thus far, County Commissioner Karen Keith and City Councilor Jayme Fowler.
Attorney Ron Durbin has also announced he will run for mayor.
The election is scheduled for August 27, 2024, with a run-off on November 5, 2024 if necessary.
KRMG will continue our In-Depth coverage with those candidates moving forward.
Our next profile will focus on Commissioner Keith.