Muskogee Voters Elect City’s First Black Mayor

Voters in Muskogee made history again when it elected the city's first Black Mayor.

Marlon Coleman will be sworn in on Monday.

"With much responsibility comes high expectations," Coleman said. "So the expectation is that we can deliver hope to deliver things in Muskogee they have been waiting for."​

Coleman said he is one of many trendsetting mayors for the city. Councilwoman Kathy Hewitt served as the first female Mayor from 1992 to 1996.

"I think the both of us, in different generations, arrived in a time where a revolution needs to have direction," Coleman said.

"I'd like to think, like Marlon, that they voted the person and not the color of our skin or the fact that we were male or female but for the quality of the person," Hewitt added. ​

Hewitt and Coleman became friends serving on Muskogee’s city council. Coleman said he looked to Hewitt for guidance.​

"The thing I like most about Marlon is that he speaks from his heart," Hewitt said. "He doesn't tell you that he's going to make your dreams come true. He tells you, 'We're going to work together to make that dream come true.’”

Coleman said his focus this year is to increase business and commerce as well as fix infrastructure. ​Not only does he want to make Muskogee a destination for families and entrepreneurs but also an example of unity.

"Empathy is what's going to grow communities,” Coleman said. “Empathy is going to be the pacesetter or the tone center. It will say to people, ‘If I'm willing to try to understand your culture, then together, we can grow one culture that's best for our community.” ​

Coleman will be sworn in as Mayor at 4 p.m. Monday at the Muskogee Civic Center.