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Oklahoma State Representative Monroe Nichols is running for Mayor of Tulsa in 2024.
Nichols, who has served in the Oklahoma State House since 2017, announced his run in a press release Thursday morning.
In an interview with The Black Wall Street Times, Nichols said he is running to cast a bold vision for Tulsa’s future where everyone has access to growth and opportunity.
“We have to start to make sure there is equitable growth across this community,” Nichols said. “It’s not just the right thing to do – it’s the only pathway for us to be competitive.”
Nichols attended school at the University of Tulsa and studied Political Science and Economics. He then went on to obtain his masters at the University of Oklahoma.
In 2014, Nichols helped to launch Impact Tulsa, a non-profit that has become integral in the efforts to address educational inequity across the city.
Nichols told The BWSTimes he wants to bring Tulsans together to solve issues the city has faced for decades. For him, that includes addressing the issues at the root of educational inequity.
“If you believe your job is to expand the economy, you have to care about early childhood literacy and chronic absenteeism too,” he said.
Nichols pointed to disparities in affordable housing access, economic opportunity and public education as central to many of the disparities we see in public education.
“This is not a failure of educators, this is a failure of urban communities to make sure schools and students can thrive.”
Monroe Nichols signals he will run a campaign focused on economic and social progress for all Tulsans
At just 39, Nichols is aiming to become one of the youngest mayors in Tulsa history. If elected, he would also be the first Black mayor the city has ever had.
During the 2020 mayoral campaign, Nichols endorsed and voted for community leader and history-making candidate Greg Robinson over incumbent GT Bynum.
Representative Nichols has departed with Bynum over a number of issues, including community-led calls for common-sense reforms after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Nichols called on Bynum and other mayors to ‘quickly act to reform’ policing practices in cities across the country.
Speaking with The BWSTimes, Nichols does also give Bynum credit for his data-driven approach to economic issues. Nichols, holding a degree in economics, said being data-driven is necessary to know whether or not we are building an economy “that works for everyone”.
“As much as we can see things are going well [on the surface],” Nichols said, “it’s not going well for a lot of people in our community.”
Nichols said a central question Tulsa needs to ask is whether the progress we are seeing today includes all Tulsans.
“Can we be a viable city in the long haul if that many people are left behind?” Nichols asked.
Nichols promises to be a partner to Tulsans working to build a stronger, safer city for everyone
Nichols is not alone in wanting Tulsa’s top job. Previous reports have indicated others, including city councilor Jayme Fowler and County Commissioner Karen Keith, are interested in running.
Candidates can’t officially file paperwork to run until June of 2024. The election for mayor will be held in August of 2024.
For Nichols however, jumping into the race a year in advance is an important step.
“I want to get people engaged as we build out a campaign and build out a movement,” he said.
As a candidate and as mayor, Nichols is intent on bringing Tulsans together to find lasting solutions to long-standing issues.
“People most impacted by the challenges we face have to be at the table when we’re making solutions,” he said.
“Folks in the community, in classrooms, who are building businesses or raising families need a partner in the Mayor’s office.”
“I will be that partner,” Nichols said.
To learn more about Monroe Nichols’ campaign for mayor, visit www.monroeformayor.com.