Monroe Nichols will be Tulsa‘s first Black mayor. Nicols, who has served as Oklahoma‘s 72nd District representative since 2016, kicked off his mayoral campaign a year ago.
“We’re not going to be a city that marks time,” Nichols said during his victory speech on Tuesday night, as KJRH reported. “We may not always agree on a pathway to greatness, but we will always be united in our commitment to get there, and I will be an honest leader.”
As he addressed supporters, powerful images of Black Wall Street pre-Tulsa Race Massacre appeared behind him. Before running for mayor, Nichols worked alongside former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor as one of her aides. He also served as chief of staff to former OU-Tulsa President Gerry Clancy, as well as an economic development manager at the Oklahoma State Department of Career and Technology Education.
A Texas native, Nichols played football at the University of Tulsa, where he graduated with a degree in political science and economics. In 2008, he ran for the 72nd district of the Oklahoma House of Representatives but lost.
In the mayoral election, Nichols received over 15,000 more votes than his opponent Karen Keith, who serves as Tulsa County Commissioner. Back in August during the primary, Nicols and Keith were forced to do a runoff when they both received 33% of the vote.
On Tuesday night, Keith conceded, encouraging people to “wholeheartedly put our support behind Monroe Nichols as mayor for Tulsa.”
