Jenks Welcomes New Councilors
By EMILY RAMSEY
Managing Editor
CITY LEADERSHIP: Jenks City Council members are, from left, Robert Lee, Lonnie Sims, Mayor Joshua Wedman, Vice Mayor Mike Sharp, Bo Summers, Cory Box and Craig Murray
Courtesy Jenks City Council
The April 4th Jenks City Council race, with four seats up for election, resulted in the election of three new councilors.
Craig Murray defeated incumbent Kevin Rowland for the Ward 3 seat; Cory Box defeated incumbent Greg Bowman for the Ward 6 seat; and Robert Lee defeated Kelly Dunkerley for the Councilor at Large seat.
Incumbent Joshua Wedman held onto his seat for Ward 4.
They will all serve a four-year term.
Craig Murray has spent 37 years in public safety, 36 of those years with the Tulsa Police Department.
He continues to work in residential and event security.
Murray’s reason for running for office was largely due to the community encouragement that he received and his desire to further strengthen the bonds between city officials and public safety employees.
“I can relate to the police and fire departments and what they do each day,” he says.
“I want to create a feeling of closeness, that they feel there’s someone looking out for them.”
Murray, a Tulsa native, and his wife have lived in Jenks for six years.
Cory Box served in the U.S. Air Force for 25 years and has lived in Jenks for 10 years with his wife and son.
Box has spent the last few years serving as a local voice regarding various construction and proposed development projects, particularly in southern Jenks, near his home at 111th Street and Peoria Avenue.
“I have found that I am one of those people who is willing to volunteer,” he says.
He decided to run for Jenks City Council due to the continued encouragement that he received from many in the city government.
Box also feels that he will bring a greater feeling of access to City Hall, he says, something that he thinks has been missing.
“People deserve to have an audience. I want my constituents to know that they will have access to me,” he says.
Robert Lee ran his campaign on the issues of future infrastructure improvements, smart economic development, increased walkability, and the need to support educators and first responders during a time of “continued irresponsible budget decisions from our state lawmakers,” he wrote in an email.
He was moved to run for city council due to the need he saw for the city to take further steps to protect Jenks’ property values and the investments that families and businesses have made in Jenks, he continued.
Lee is Art Director for the National Resource Center for Youth Services at the Univerity of Oklahoma-Tulsa. He lives in Jenks with his wife and daughter.
Updated 06-01-2017
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