Debate Recap: Tulsa's Mayoral Candidates Spar But Agree Homelessness Is City's Biggest Problem

The Tulsa Mayoral candidates Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols met for a debate hosted by News On 6 Monday night.

Both candidates are stepping down from their previous positions to run for mayor.

Monroe Nichols, a Democratic representative for Oklahoma House District 72, is vying for the mayor's seat. His district stretches from West Tulsa, covering areas like Charles Page Boulevard and 49th West Avenue, up to 86th Street North near Highway 75.

Elected in 2016, Nichols made history as the first African American to represent the district. Currently, he serves on 10 House committees and is the chair of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus.

Karen Keith, also a Democrat, is the Tulsa County Commissioner for District 2. Her jurisdiction includes Sand Springs, Tulsa, Jenks, and Glenpool. Keith has held this position since 2008, after serving in various roles, including working for former Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune and working as a news anchor for over 25 years.

Keith has been recognized by the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Executive Board of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Both candidates bring significant political and community experience to the race, making this debate a key event in the Tulsa mayoral election.

Here were the rules for the debate:

1. Questions asked to both candidates and individually
2. Candidates will be given about a minute to answer each question
3. Rebuttals are at the discretion of the moderators
4. Candidates will be given two minutes for closing statements

What is the biggest problem or issue facing Tulsa, and how will you address it?

Keith: So I believe the biggest issue for us is homelessness. This is something we have to tackle, beginning at City Hall, getting making it easier for us to get more affordable housing out of the ground, and it's just too difficult to get the permits. We should have pre-permitted plans for Habitat for Humanity. It's the same plan. You shouldn't have to take it back and forth whenever you're building the same house over and over. I will work with HUD, and in the first year of office, we would like to get 200 homes set up for homeless people who are on the streets. I'm also currently working with our business leaders downtown to set up a low-barrier shelter. It is really needed, and they are willing to help me get that thing going. I'm continuing to work with that, and I hope to announce those plans here anytime soon. I'm excited about working on this issue. I firmly believe I can move the needle because I know how to work with the individuals who are working in that space.

Nichols: I'd have to agree. It's why I started the campaign, really launching a strategy to end homelessness as we know it by 2030. That strategy makes it so that homelessness is rare, brief and nonrecurring, and getting us a functional zero in six years. That starts with taking ownership of the issue in an accountable way, making sure we get somebody appointed at the city who will lead our homelessness strategy across the city. That starts with us working to coordinate the care of those folks who are experiencing homelessness, getting out there with the outreach workers and understanding the underlying issues facing those individuals. What we know about homelessness is that it's getting 8% worse. It hits us everywhere, from economic development to education, with 900 Tulsa Public School kids who are homeless today, the homelessness strategy is on Monroe for mayor.com. we are ready to go with 6,000 affordable units in the first four years. We will end this problem in this administration, and I look forward to leading.

The mayor's office in Tulsa is a nonpartisan position; however, both of you are Democrats. A more conservative candidate lost in the primary election last month by less than 500 votes. What is your message to Tulsa Republicans?

Nichols: So when I started the campaign, it was all about issues, and I think that's why we were successful on Aug. 27, getting the most votes out of anybody in the race. We started the campaign just talking about how we're going to meet the needs of Tulsans, how we're going to end homelessness, how we're going to improve student outcomes, how we're going to expand our economy and make sure this is the safest big city in America. What I believe is that folks who are left of center or right of center just want a city that works better. They want to make sure that the roads are smooth and that the city budget is transparent, and that's how we are going to deliver, should Tulsans elect me. I've worked in the legislature now for eight years, and over those eight years, what I've learned is, is that it's not all about who gets credit, but it is about progress. That progress means that you got to work with a broad coalition of folks. We built that coalition campaign. We're going to leverage that coalition to lead after November 5th. And what I would tell folks is, hold me accountable. Hold me accountable to get it done, and I look forward to being your mayor.

Keith: Well, I think it's been clear my entire 16 years working at Tulsa County, I've been the lone Democrat, and I have worked I am nonpartisan. And the work that we do here in the mayor's office and at the county commission, you know, I will just say this, potholes are not red or blue. The work that we do is nonpartisan, and I have a record of doing this, of bringing money home for the levies, and just recently bringing money home from our state legislature. And my opponent, in eight years, has passed two bills. Now other democratic individuals have passed a whole lot more, but in about three days, I went up to the legislature, met with them, came back, met with the approps committee, and I brought home $50 million so arguably, I know I'm the one who knows how to get the work done, bring people together to do it, and I'm prepared to do that as your mayor, and I look forward to doing the work.

There are several model plans for addressing homelessness in Tulsa. One is a "housing first" approach, which means providing permanent and supportive housing for people without preconditions. Another is a "treatment first" approach, which believes that homeless people must first address any mental health or substance abuse problems before a permanent housing solution can be reached. Which model would you support, or do you have another plan to address homelessness?

Nichols: Look, we have a crisis now. Homelessness has gotten 8% worse. Almost every year, family homelessness is up 34% since 2020. I don't think that we have to choose one or the other. The fact is, we have to have an all-in approach. You have to ask yourself, if somebody is suffering from a mental health or substance abuse issue and we choose not to house them, is Tulsa safer because they're on the streets, or is Tulsa safer because we've chosen to find them a place to be where we can serve them better? I think Tulsa is a little bit safer if we can get them off the streets. That being the case, I think it's also critical, as I said before, that we coordinate these services to make sure that we put folks on the track to get better. I do believe that most folks sleeping on the streets today, we prefer not to be sleeping on the streets. I spent time with folks who are sleeping under bridges and on sidewalks and in these encampments, I've talked to them about their stories. We have to meet this moment with compassion, and I think it's an all-in approach. I'm looking forward to leading that approach.

Keith: So I think you have to have wraparound services for many of our folks coming off the streets. I've worked with our family shelter, and I'm so excited about the work we do, because every week, we are housing families, and we work with the housing authority to get them into homes. So we're moving the needle there. And we just opened Good Samaritan joined us as a health provider there, and that's making a big difference. And we have this pharmacy that is helping individuals who are on the street and need some of the pharmaceuticals that they cannot afford. In addition, I do want to point out also that I helped find the dirt so that Irongate would have a place to go. Those are just a few of the things that I've worked on and been successful doing. And, I mean, there's I've and I've done the Point-in-Time Count. This is an area where I'm highly engaged and I'm just ready to continue to move the needle on this because I've already got plans in place.

The Tulsa Housing Authority says the demand for affordable housing far exceeds the supply in Tulsa. If elected, how would you provide more affordable housing in Tulsa?

Keith: I will be working with the housing authority. We think that for like, $2.4 million, that in one year, we could get at least 200 families off of the streets, and they have got a nice, solid plan. It's going to be philanthropy. It's the Tulsa Housing Authority and the City of Tulsa, everybody working together. And I want to be part of that plan. And again, yet, 200 people off the streets in one year, and I believe we can do it.

Nichols: When I started, we started this campaign talking about issues, talking about a vision for the future, one of those issues that we've talked about from the start is affordable housing. Again, you can go to Monroeformayor.com and see our affordable housing plan, which includes us getting 6,000 new affordable units ready and up online by 2028. It also includes a 60% reduction in blighted properties in our neighborhoods as we revitalize our neighborhoods and bring a sense of pride back to communities. And then it also means that we have to expedite some of these affordable housing projects to ensure that the city is not in the way of us doing what we need to do to get these, these projects out of the ground. Like I said before I mentioned the 900 kids at Tulsa public schools that are homeless. There are another 1,200 kids that are in families facing eviction. This is a crisis of epic proportions. It's the reason why we spend so much time talking to developers, talking to families about how we get over the top of it. And like I said, you go to Monroeformayor.com and see that affordable housing plan.

When it comes to crime, what do you think should be the top priority of the Tulsa Police Department?

Nichols: I think it's a couple of things. I mean, a) I think we have to get up to our authorized force and officers. We are understaffed as a police department, so we have to get on the track of recruiting officers and making sure we're doing everything we can to retain them. I was proud to support a bill in the legislature to really hopefully keep folks in the profession for a little bit longer. My dad was a police officer before he passed away. My uncle is a police officer. I know how hard that job is and how important is for us to make sure that we're investing in the folks that are on the streets. I do think we have to focus, though, on getting the most violent offenders off our streets in Tulsa and allow us to invest in neighborhoods so we can ensure that, as you know, look crime: there's a bunch of root cause issues, and this is not just an enforcement issue, so we have to make sure that we are getting the violent criminals off the street, and then we have to do our part and make sure we're investing in those same areas. So we can not only reduce crime, but we can improve education, we can improve economic development, we can improve prosperity, but it starts with getting those violent criminals off the street.

Keith: We are 130 officers short. We have the funds we need to stand up and get more recruits into our community. So how are we going to do that? I mean, the police, they're going everywhere, trying to recruit folks. I want to be a part of that effort. And a former candidate, VanNorman, suggested that we go to some of the states where maybe law enforcement doesn't feel so appreciated, and try to recruit and bring them back here to Tulsa, because we do have an amazing police force, and I will always have their backs. Senate Bill 825, Monroe voted to defund the police at the state level, the state legislature, and I will never do that. I can promise you, I will always have the backs of our law enforcement officers, because they are the ones who keep us safe day in and day out, and I'm really grateful for them, and grateful to have their endorsement. The FOP has endorsed our campaign.

Nichols: I have no idea what Karen (Keith) is talking about, but what I do know is the fact that she probably had to look down at the notes, means that she did not know that, she did not know that, and she did not write it, and I'm not even sure it's true. I would never defund the police. My dad was a police officer, and I'm sure if he were alive today, he'd be really frustrated by somebody accusing me of doing so. I think we have to invest in our officers, invest in our community, and make sure this is the safest big city in the country, irrespective of what people have to say about distorting my record in the past.

Keith: We did the research, it's Senate Bill 825 and you're on record. Nichols: What did the bill do? Keith: It would defund the police, it was set up to defund the police. Municipalities have their funding, and it would not allow municipalities to take funding away from the police. That's how it was said.

How will you work with the Tulsa Police Department to combat the fentanyl crisis?

Keith: it's absolutely a huge issue for all of us, and that starts with more security at our borders. We have to do a better job controlling what comes across our borders and so, you know, and our police definitely, this is something that they're having to pay attention to day in and day out. It's education. We need to reach out to our young people, to our families, and let them understand it could take their life. I mean, this fentanyl epidemic it's real, and as your mayor, I will do everything that I can to educate but to also work to make sure that let people know we want the border more secure.

Nichols: Look, this is something I think about a lot. I have a 16-year-old son, and he and his friends are really good kids, and we've seen, oftentimes, really good kids either make a mistake or there's something in something that they didn't know, and it is out of control, it's dangerous. And for me, I've talked at the top about making sure that we're addressing the issue of violent repeat offenders, I think that that's also for those folks who are part of these drug cartels, who are in our communities, who are actually here in Tulsa. I think we have to make sure that we're doing everything we can to protect public safety here, using intelligence, and making sure that we have high punishments for those who would give these things to our young people who spread them across our community. And then we also have to invest in drug treatment programs to make sure that folks who maybe have fallen into it, or maybe folks who are at threat of relapse, don't do it. It can cost them their lives. We have to educate. We also have to enforce the law, and we have to treat folks in this community.

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Oklahoma’s Own News On 6 brings you the only live, televised debate between the candidates who are running to be Tulsa’s next Mayor – Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols. Tune in or stream on Monday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. to hear directly from them as we ask the questions and then let you decide. Presented by Ylla Gosney Attorneys at Law.

See the difference locally owned makes – every day – only on Oklahoma’s Own News On 6.