McAlester’s New Mayor Hits The Ground Running With Plans For City’s Future

McAlester has a new mayor for the first time in nine years.

Justin Few is about two months into his new role after serving as a city council member.

It's not a far move from the city council seat to the mayor's chair, but Few will tell you the roles are very different.

“When you’re in the mayoral seat, you’re listening for the votes, sitting there trying to get ready for the next thing, and, yeah, the soil’s definitely a little bit more of a task,” said Few.

The McAlester native says he hears questions from voters about what’s being done to fix city infrastructure. Those upgrades are at the top of his list.

“We have a block-by-block playbook of how to maintain our roads, how to fix our roads, what’s more important, and I think that’ll definitely help us,” he said.

Few also lobbies on behalf of the Army ammunition plant to leaders in Washington, D.C. The goal is to ensure it remains in McAlester for the long haul.

“It’s vital to southeast Oklahoma, it’s vital to McAlester,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re on par with the Pentagon, that we’re doing everything they need us to do, and if there’s help that we need, that they understand our needs here locally.”

Business is also booming around town with several new additions.

The mayor says the city will continue to be proactive in attracting new businesses. He points to the addition of the new Starbucks as just one example of how it’s a win-win for both the economy and quality of life.

Few supports the potential return of the prison rodeo at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and hopes any upgrades will bring new faces to town year-round.

“A lot of nostalgia around the community where people really want to see it. If we can bring that tourism and show a little something different in our community, get to share some heritage, then I think that’d be great,” he said.

Related: Reviving The Rodeo: State Lawmakers Look To Bring Back Prison Rodeo

While the title is still new, Few hopes the city will be in a better place by the time he finishes his tenure.