Tulsa mayor reflects on first year, reaffirms commitment to sovereignty at AICCO luncheon

Native Commerce News is sponsored by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO), dedicated to expanding Indian Country commerce across the globe.

(MUSCOGEE NATION) Mayor Monroe Nichols has served as Tulsa’s mayor for just over a year. As guest speaker at the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO) Tulsa Chapter Luncheon on January 8, Nichols reflected on the initiatives he pursued during his first year and his work with local tribal governments.

Speaking to a packed room at River Spirit Casino and Resort, Nichols acknowledged the role the tribes play in the city’s success, and the need to have good relationships.

“What I care about most being mayor is being good at this job, for sure, but also being a good steward of the reservations of the Osage, Cherokee and Muscogee Nations. I take it very, very seriously.”

During his address, Nichols reflected on public safety in the City of Tulsa, telling the audience that crime in every major category has gone down since last year. 

A large part of his public safety dialogue revolved around resolving a lawsuit between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation, something Nichols reflected on with pride. 

“The partnership that I talked about with Chief Hill, the partnership that I talked about with the Muscogee Nation, was really born out of a need to make sure that whatever we do, whether it's protecting this city, whether it's building a strong economy or educating kids, that we were going to do it together, and you cannot do it in front of a judge,” said Nichols. 

Nichols praised tribal leadership for always stressing the importance of making things better for upcoming generations. 

He also reiterated his commitment to decreasing the timeline for housing an unhoused person to 45 days.

“Eagle's Nest was a large-scale encampment about two months ago,” said Nichols. “If you go out there today, it's not an encampment anymore. Working with the Muscogee Nation and a lot of our partners in the homelessness field, we actually decommissioned this encampment. And pretty soon it will be returned as an eagle preserve, its intended purpose.”

Nichols’ administration has pledged to get 6,000 affordable housing units into the City of Tulsa by 2028 as part of the commitment to reducing homelessness.

He also mentioned the importance of hiring Amanda Swope as the Director of Tribal Policy and Partnerships and stressed the importance of sovereignty for the tribes with jurisdiction in Tulsa. 

“It's a lot easier when you don't just give lip service to sovereignty, but you make the decision that even if it's hard, these are our values, this is the land that we sit on, and this is going to be the pathway forward,” said Nichols. “In 2026, Chief Hill and all the representatives from Muscogee Nation just know that our commitment is deeper in 2026 than it's ever been before, and I'm excited about the partnership ahead because I know it's going to be great things for this city, and Muscogee Nation is helping lead the way.”

The next AICCO Tulsa Chapter luncheon at River Spirit is scheduled for February 5. For more information and to register, click here.