Craig Immel

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Craig Immel

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 25, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Oklahoma State University

Graduate

University of Denver

Personal

Profession

Construction manager

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Craig Immel ran for election for Mayor of Tulsa in Oklahoma. He lost in the general election on August 25, 2020.

Immel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Craig Immel obtained a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University and a master's degree from the University of Denver. His professional experience includes working as a construction manager, in real estate, consulting, and nonprofit work.

Elections

2020

See also: Mayoral election in Tulsa, Oklahoma (2020)

General election

General election for Mayor of Tulsa

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Tulsa on August 25, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		G. T. Bynum (Nonpartisan)	51.9	36,727
		Greg Robinson (Nonpartisan)	28.8	20,414
		Ken Reddick (Nonpartisan)	13.8	9,771
	Submit photo	Ty Walker (Nonpartisan)	2.8	1,951
		Craig Immel (Nonpartisan)	1.9	1,313
		Paul Tay (Nonpartisan)	0.4	286
	Submit photo	Ricco Wright (Nonpartisan)	0.3	193
	Submit photo	Zackri Leon Whitlow (Nonpartisan)	0.2	165

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 70,820
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Craig Immel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Immel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm an Independent candidate for Tulsa Mayor. I'm running for office to provide real leadership on Tulsa's most challenging issues, including Covid-19, education, public safety, racial relations, government transparency & sustainable economic development. Over the course of my professional career, I have learned to blend business acumen, vision, integrity, and work ethic with team building and communications skills, to earn the reputation of an adaptable team player who knows how to get things done. I am looking forward to bringing these same skills and personal traits to City Hall as Tulsa's next Mayor.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Tulsa needs to reclaim local control of local decision making.
• I will fight for our public schools, kids, parents and teachers.
• I will help to repair Tulsa's historical and current racial inequalities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am most passionate about doing everything possible to position Tulsa as a truly great American city for the 21st century, and promoting Tulsa as a fantastic place for people from all walks of life to live, learn, build a business or raise a family.

More specifically, my background in community advocacy, construction management and real estate has provided me with the unique skill set to lead public efforts to make smarter investments in the type of urban design, public education, economic development, and infrastructure strategies that Tulsa will need to implement to become competitive in the near, mid and long term.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My maternal Grandfather, Wayne Wyatt Cheatham.

Grandpa was a World War II veteran who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day. In later battles, he was taken as prisoner of war, had his back broken, was tossed onto a pile of dead allied troops, and miraculously escaped. He later served as a courier for General Eisenhower and earned a Purple Heart.

When he returned to his farm after the war, he was given only a year or two to live by his doctor. He recovered from his injuries, and lived to be 75 years old, continuing to farm, tinker with HAM radio, travel the country to visit his war buddies, and pick bluegrass with friends and family.

Most importantly to me, he was known all over Washington County, Arkansas, as an all around great man who stuck up for his neighbors and always did what was right. Everyone I met that ever knew him always made it a point to tell me what a great person he was. In fact, they still do. He was never interested in pursuing in an elected office, but he was a true leader in his community.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

1. Honesty and integrity

2. Ability to think independently and critically to solve problems
3. Having the courage to stand up for what is right even when the right thing is not politically popular
4. Willingness to solicit the opinion of diverse voices, and to respect opposing ideas and opinions

5. Fundamental business and financial acumen

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Honesty, fairness and integrity

Compassion and empathy for neighbors and community
Respect for diverse backgrounds, opinions and perspectives
Professional business acumen and experience
Global experience and perspective
Open mindedness

Life-long learner

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy that inspires other Tulsans to become more directly involved in local decision making. In addition to voting, I believe every American should, at some time, consider running for elected office or serving on a local board, commission or authority. Our democratic system of government is at risk for becoming broken beyond repair, and more regular people need to get involved to ensure our democracy can function and survive as it was originally designed to.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Measuring America: How the United States Was Shaped By the Greatest Land Sale in History.
I love this book because the story is so fascinating to me for several reasons. Certain areas of the United States where I have lived, including Tulsa, were part of the original Louisiana Territory, and I have explored much of it. I also was intrigued to learn how, for the Louisiana Purchase to be completed, the entire territory had to be surveyed and measured. The scientific process for determining exactly what units of measure to use, and to determine what tools and instruments needed to be improved or invented to complete the job, had profound impacts on modern day systems of land surveying, our currency and monetary system, timekeeping, land tenure, and our democratic government.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

One of my daughter's kid songs.....

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

Tulsa has a "Strong Mayor" form of government. So it is paramount that the Mayor take an assertive leadership role in setting the vision and direction for the City, bring diverse voices together, build a world-class team, and do everything in his or her power to protect the safety and well being of Tulsans and the local economy, while also ensuring that no one gets left behind.

If the mayor in your city is not a member of the city council and oversees the day-to-day administration of the city government, what do you believe is the ideal relationship between the mayor and city council?

It is important that the Mayor and City Council have a positive and mutually respectful working relationship to get things done in the City of Tulsa.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Tulsa's greatest challenges stem from the fact that our city is located within the jurisdictional boundaries of the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma's dysfunctional and toxic political environment creates real and enduring hardships for Tulsans, hurts our reputation across the US and internationally, and does not inspire confidence in company leaders who may be considering bringing their companies, employees and their families to Tulsa. We have to do more to decouple Tulsa's fortunes from those of Oklahoma.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between your city and the state government?

More local control over local decision making. Our urban and rural areas have unique characteristics and have vastly different needs when it comes to addressing education, health, infrastructure, the environment, etc.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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