The City of McAlester will have a new mayor come November while local school bonds failed after not securing a majority needed by state law. Current Ward 2 Councilman Justin Few won what was essentially a four-way race up until last week. Few won election on Tuesday with 781 votes (51.
01%), while challengers Kevin Beaty received 635 votes (41.48%), Randy Roden 79 votes (5.16%), and Jimmy Plummer 36 votes (2.
35%), according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma Election Board. “I am profoundly honored and humbled by the trust you’ve placed in me tonight,” Few said in a statement to the News-Capital . “I want to sincerely thank my incredible wife Lori, my son Noah, all of the dedicated volunteers who have stood by me from the very beginning, and the citizens of McAlester for your unwavering support.
” Few said he will continue to build on the city’s progress and elevating the community. “By working together, we’ll create opportunities for our children, support our local businesses, beautify our city, and attract new industries, Few said. “Today is just the beginning.
The work ahead won’t be easy, but I’m confident that, united, we will keep moving McAlester forward. Our strength lies in our unity, resilience, and unwavering commitment to each other. “I promise to lead with integrity, to listen to your voices, and to work hard on your behalf.
Let’s build a future that honors our past, embraces our present, and reaches for the possibilities ahead.” Few is the owner of Platinum Appraisals located in downtown McAlester. He was first elected to the Ward 2 seat in 2022.
He has been a president or a member of several local community boards, including Keep McAlester Beautiful, McAlester Rotary Club, and the Chamber of Commerce. He will be sworn in on Nov. 12, 2024, during the regularly scheduled city council meeting.
Beaty congratulated Few on his win and wished him the best in the upcoming position, “The past few months have certainly been tough. I’m grateful for the support of my community throughout this process,” Beaty said. “Thank you for the opportunity to run for mayor and I look forward to serving the city as city councilman.
” Plummer said he will always be available to Few as a resource. “I wish Justin Few the best. I will continue to support the hopes and dreams that citizens have expressed to me personally and always be a resource if needed,” Plummer said.
In other local elections, three school bonds failed to pass after not meeting the minimum percentage needed in order to pass. Voters in the Kiowa and Krebs School Districts voted in favor of school bond measures for the two districts, but due to Oklahoma requiring bond measures needing 60% of the vote to pass, both measures failed. For the Kiowa School District, voters were asked to approve a bond of $1 million to provide funds for the purpose of purchasing transportation equipment.
Unofficial results from the Oklahoma Election Board show 54 voters (52.43%) said yes to the proposition with 49 (47.57%) voting no.
In the Krebs School District, voters were on proposition one to approve a bond of $5,470,000 for the purpose of constructing, equipping repairing, ad remodeling school buildings, acquiring school furniture, fixtures and equipment and acquiring and improving school sites to include but not be limited to a classroom addition. Results show 155 voters (55.16%) said yes to the proposition with 126 (44.
84%) voting no. Proposition 2 proposed a bond of $6,690,000 for the purpose of constructing, equipping repairing, ad remodeling school buildings, acquiring school furniture, fixtures and equipment and acquiring and improving school sites to include but not be limited to a physical education gym. According to the Election Board, 144 voters (51.
25%) said yes to the proposition with 137 (48.75%) voting no. If no protests on the results are filed, the results will be certified Friday by the Election Board.
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