Objective:

The State of Oklahoma and the City of Tulsa’s relationship with our great tribal nations has been damaged by divisive rhetoric and combative litigation. The City of Tulsa must work in partnership with all our tribal nations. While the McGirt decision brought about challenges that certainly need to be addressed, it is imperative that our sovereign tribal nations be treated with great respect. In a Keith administration, the City of Tulsa will:

1. Fly the flags of the Cherokee, Muscogee Creek and Osage nations

• On day one, Karen Keith will fly the flags of the Cherokee Nation, the Muscogee Creek Nation, and the Osage Nation at City Hall.  These are the three nations encompassing the City of Tulsa. While Karen enjoys great working relationships with tribal leaders, she will never take those relationships for granted and will always respect tribal sovereignty.

2. Resolve jurisdictional matters

• Karen is fully committed to working with tribes to resolve jurisdictional matters that have resulted since the McGirt decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Karen views the city-tribal relationship as a powerful partnership that is worthy of respect and open collaboration, as opposed to adversarial positions in court. The city and our tribal neighbors can work together and thrive together.

3. Collaborate with tribal leaders, law enforcement, and elected officials

• Karen Keith will collaborate with tribal leaders, law enforcement, and our state and federal elected officials to come to the table with common-sense solutions to the challenges we face. Ultimately, Karen believes wholeheartedly that the tribal nations and the City of Tulsa want the same thing—law-abiding citizens protected and criminals behind bars.

4. Work with the tribal nations to grow Tulsa’s economy

• The tribal nations in the City of Tulsa are not only sovereign nations, but they are economic powerhouses.  Karen Keith will work directly with the business leaders of the tribal nations to collaborate and grow Tulsa’s economy, thus creating more jobs for both tribal and non-tribal citizens.