Tulsa Mayoral Debate: Juvenile Justice Center Discussion

The Tulsa mayoral debate between candidates Karen Keith and Monroe Nichols is currently underway. Monroe Nichols, a Democratic representative for Oklahoma House District 72, is vying for the mayor's seat.

Karen Keith, also a Democrat, is the Tulsa County Commissioner for District 2. Her jurisdiction includes Sand Springs, Tulsa, Jenks, and Glenpool.

For Keith: Former employees of the Juvenile Justice Center are facing challenges in court that involve accusations of abuse. Your opponent has criticized Tulsa County Commissioners' handling of the accusations. How do you respond?

Keith: Well, first, thank you for asking the question and caring about what happened there. As a county commissioner, I helped build that state-of-the-art facility. Keep in mind that for 50 years, state court judges have run that facility overseen by a state agency, the Office of Juvenile Affairs and as county commissioners. Just think about it this way, if you're a landlord and you have somebody in your home that you're renting to them, they go out and rob a bank. Are you responsible? We had tenants in that building who are not paying attention, and it got it has gotten so bad, the judge sent us a letter and said, I don't want to do this anymore. So being the responsible people that we are, we have taken over the juvenile facility, and we have really turned the corner on this issue, and I'm proud of the work that we're doing and continuing to do. We brought in some high-powered talent who are moving the needle, and I'm just we've got to make sure these kids are safe, and we're doing that.

Nichols' Response: I think the most dangerous thing you can say if you're mayor, that's not my job. The reality is those young people, for years, suffered sexual abuse, physical abuse, and nobody did anything. And so I think it's really interesting that we're here. We're talking about public safety. We're talking about somebody who's going to protect 180,000 square miles when they couldn't protect 150,000 square feet. And I think that's a big distinction between the two of us.

For Nichols: Your opponent has criticized you for being absent while the Juvenile Justice Center’s probation was being discussed last year. How do you respond?