Monroe Nichols Highlights His 4 Campaign Priorities For Tulsa Mayoral Race

Voters will head to the polls next Tuesday to decide who will become the next mayor of Tulsa.

Monroe Nichols talked with Dave Davis about his plans should he be elected.

Dave: What are your plans for the first 100 days if you get elected?

Nichols: Yeah, I think today, being the first day of school, it's good to talk about what we're going to do to really work to improve student outcomes, open the Office of Children, Youth and Families. And I'm really excited about that. So, we can really be thinking all the time, how are we supporting kids in this community? How are we partnering with Tulsa Public Schools and other school districts to make sure we're putting kids on a pathway to success? So, I'm very excited about that.

Dave: What are some of the big issues that you're going to focus on in the platform that you're running on?

Nichols: Yeah, we started the campaign talking about four big issues, ending homelessness by 2030, and we've released plans to do so. I mentioned improving student outcomes, expanding our economy, and making this the safest big city in the country. Those have been the four priorities since the start of the campaign. I think those are priorities that are important for the future of Tulsa. So, that's what we're going to be working on every day in the mayor's office, and I'm really excited about the progress that I know we can make here in Tulsa.

Dave: What is your plan for those who are unhoused and homeless and try to help, you know, rectify the situation?

Nichols: Yeah, I mean, I think it's a couple of things, right? One, we need to make sure that we're doing a good job of making sure that folks can get the services that they need and that we're really coordinated and able to do that. We've got to make sure we increase our affordable housing stock. So, while we're making sure that we're meeting the mental health, substance abuse or whatever those needs might be of folks who are on the streets, making sure that we also have a place where they can put a roof over their heads. It impacts kids in schools all the way to just about everybody else. 900 kids at Tulsa Public Schools today are homeless. Another 1200 kids and families face eviction. So, we recognize this is not just about adults. This is also about kids. It's also about student outcomes, and so that's the reason why homelessness is such a high priority for me.

Dave: Are there things that the current mayor, Mayor GT Bynum, has done that you would continue to do?

Nichols: Yeah, you know, I've always appreciated the mayor's commitment to the Tulsa quality indicators, so we have some good, you know, understanding of how well we're doing with communities across the city. Using that information to drive decision-making at city hall, I think, will be critically important. Critically important. And so, you know, Mayor Bynum's commitment to at least understanding where we are as a community, I think, has been really important. I plan to carry that forward and make sure we're actually doing what we can to change those numbers in areas that we need to.

Dave: On the flip side, what are some things that he's done that you would do differently if elected?

Nichols: Yeah, I mean, I think the big thing is the relationship with some of our tribal governments. You know, I want to make sure that as we are thinking about the public safety challenges post McGirt, that we're not, you know, really navigating that in the court of law, but we're doing it around a table of partnership. And so I've already made the commitment to hire a Director of tribal policy and partnerships so that, you know, we're thinking about how we're meeting all the needs in Tulsa, everything from the public safety needs but also thinking, how do we build a really strong economic development plan in conjunction with tribes? And I think that's an area that will be a little differently myself and Mayor Bynum, is really how we work with tribes every day in Tulsa.

Dave: As a state representative, how has that prepared you? Do you think for if you are elected mayor?

Nichols: Yeah, you know, when you're mayor, you have a whole bunch of issues you're dealing with every day. The same thing we are state representatives, if you think about the sheer number of issues that roll through the Capitol every year, you know, the mayor's office is a lot like that. You're dealing with a number of things every day, figuring out how you prioritize them and how you marshal all the great things about this community to move us forward. I think the State House is a great way to prepare you to do that.

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