POLITICS
Kimberly Marsh
The Hon. Gerald Hofmeister, Presiding Judge of Tulsa Municipal Court, administers the oath of office to Mayor Monroe Nichols IV as Gavin Nichols witnesses the ceremony at City of Tulsa Inauguration on Dec. 2,2024. Photo, Basil Childers, The Oklahoma Eagle
City Councilor, Other Officials Also Take Office
With a gifted woolen blanket spun in the colors of fire and sunlight slung over one shoulder, Tulsa’s new mayor stood in stoic silence as the Tulsa Indian Club Singers set a drum beat suggestive of the strong, prosperous, and united city that Monroe Nichols IV envisions.
The first African American mayor of Tulsa took the oath to serve the citizens of Tulsa along with nine members of the City Council and a new city auditor. The tribal drum ceremony hearkened back to a time of loss and suffering that tribes and African Americans endured in earlier times. Nichols paid tribute to Mother Lessie Bennington Randle, who survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and lived to see Tulsans of all walks of life elect their first Black mayor. Randle, who attended the ceremony, recently celebrated her 110th birthday. She is one of two surviving members of the massacre.
Nichols was sworn into the office of mayor on Dec. 2, along with the new auditor Nathan Pickard, who ran unopposed, and the nine member Tulsa City Council, including three elected to serve their first term, one who previously served on the council, and five returning incumbents.
As the new mayor recounted the number of mayors who came before him – 38 mayors serving in 40 administrations, he acknowledged their time, some serving during times of great hope and prosperity and others in times of peril.
“As I take on the task of serving our city, I do so with humility and respect for the 38 who have come before me, and with a commitment to make this the safest, most vibrant city in America, with economic opportunity for everyone,” he said to a ballroom filled with enthusiastic Tulsans.
In his first remarks speaking to issues that challenge Tulsa, Nichols addressed homelessness as the topic that was at the top of most voters’ minds when they participated in surveys and answered their doors to speak to canvassers.
“First, we must confront the crisis of homelessness. The data tells us our numbers are up 22 1/2 percent since 2023. Homelessness is a complex challenge. In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a new comprehensive effort, aimed at getting us to a functional zero homelessness by 2030. We’ll take immediate action to meet the public safety needs downtown and begin our effort to responsibly decommission camps across the city. We will lead with compassion for those living on the street, but we will also be aggressive in cleaning up our city. Among the homeless population are 3000 individuals currently sitting on the wait list for housing assistance.”
Nichols said it is imperative to work tirelessly to make sure that every person in Tulsa has access to safe, affordable housing, always championing housing as a human right.
“Our goal is 6000 new affordable units by 2028,” he said. “And the clock to get there starts right now.”
To join him in the fight for housing and as well as the fight against crime, Nichols introduced the media to his first six “cabinet” appointments.
Emily Hall, Senior Advisor to the Mayor on Homelessness.
Hall, a candidate for the Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree of law at the University of Tulsa, is a legal intern with the Federal Probation Office of the Northern District of Oklahoma. She graduated from William Woods University with a bachelors degree in communications and public relations in 2003 and earned a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) degree from the University of Springfield, Illinois. Prior to law school, Hall was the vice president of Strategy & Innovation at the YMCA of Greater Tulsa. She worked with Tulsa Public Schools for six years serving in several roles from 2014 to 2020. Hall is a Tulsa native and the daughter of Susan Savage, the first woman to hold the office of Tulsa Mayor, who served from 1992-2002.
Gene Bulmash, Senior Advisor to the Mayor on Housing.
Bulmash is currently a Housing Preservation Officer at the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, but will move to Tulsa by January, with his wife, Emily Kaiser of the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
Prior to joining DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Bulmash practiced real estate, municipal and corporate law for over 20 years in Chicago, London, DC and Singapore. He worked for small and large firms, including managing his own firm and represented individuals, small and large corporations and governments. Bulmash received his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Illinois and passing the CPA exam.
Laurel Roberts, Public Safety Commissioner
Laurel Roberts will be a liaison with oversight of the police and fire departments and responsibility to advise the mayor on matters of public safety. She brings 29 years of experience with the Tulsa Police Department to her new role with the Nichols administration. Roberts retired from the Tulsa Police Department in November 2024, completing her most recent assignment at the Riverside Division. Roberts served at all three of the uniform divisions and also worked in the Narcotics/VICE Unit, Internal Affairs, and Integrity and Compliance, and in administration at the Special Investigation Division and the Special Operations Divisions.
Aron York, Administrative Scheduler
York will be responsible for organizing the mayor’s schedule, which is known as one of the most difficult jobs at City Hall because of the frequency of changes and the large number of requests for mayoral engagement, from everywhere. York is a partner with Little Giant Consulting, where he built strategic partnerships with suppliers in several states to ensure candidates had the materials and services they needed to run modern, efficient campaigns. He served as field director with Friends of Joy Hoffmeister in her campaign for re-election as Oklahoma State Education Superintendent. For the City of Tulsa, York currently serves on the Human Rights Commission as a 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee Member and is a board member with the Court Advocate Services (CASA) for kids.
Dana Walton, Deputy Chief of Staff
Dana Walton served as Nichols’s campaign manager and now joins his team at the City of Tulsa as deputy chief of staff. Walton, who has proven her resilience with the campaign in times of personal loss of a family member, will become the boss, Nichols said. Walton has managed multiple campaigns and served as Executive Director of the Caucus for the North Carolina Democratic Party. She has a bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Wyoming.
Shane Stone, Director of Government Affairs.
Stone served most recently with the City of Maricopa Police Department where he was executive administrator and assistant to the city manager. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. Nichols said Stone will work with state government officials to ensure coordinated efforts with local leadership.
