Three candidates running for Krebs mayor's office

Jun. 20—Three candidates have filed for the vacant Krebs mayor's post — all of whom have longtime ties to the city.

Candidates are:

—Tommy Ray Walker, the Krebs vice mayor and Ward 1city councilor who is serving as acting mayor.

—Connie Poole, who is the Ward 2 city councilor in Krebs.

—Chuck Nelms, the longtime fire chief of the Krebs Volunteer Fire Department.

Krebs city councilors called the election to fill the office left vacant by the resignation of Bobby Watkins, who resigned from the office in mid-May following 18 years of service with the city. Whoever is elected will win an eight-month term in office to complete Watkins' unexpired term, then will have the option of seeking reelection in 2023.

The Krebs Special Election for the mayor's office is set for Aug. 23, the same day as the statewide Primary Runoff Election for county, state and federal offices across Oklahoma.

Walker and Poole both filed for the office on Monday, while Nelms filed his candidacy Wednesday. Deadline to withdraw as a candidate or to protest another's candidacy was at 5 p.m. Friday, June 17, at the Pittsburg County Election Board Office in McAlester.

Candidates spoke of their reasons for filing for the Krebs mayor's office.

Walker said he's served for 20 years as a Krebs city councilor and one of the reasons he decided to run for mayor is to help complete some city projects.

"The first thing up is the water plant," Walker said. He said the engineer previously working on the project passed away, and the city of Krebs is now working with Infrastructure Solution, which is based in McAlester, to continue with the project and cal also advice on how to apply for grants or other funding.

"I've tried to help Krebs all my life," said Walker, who said he's a painter with Tommy Walker Paint.

Poole said after serving on the city council, she's feels ready to step up to the mayor's post.

"I've been a city councilor for 12 years," she said.

Poole is a senior advertising executive at the McAlester News-Capital.

Nelms said he felt the time was right to run for Krebs mayor.

"I've been a citizen of Krebs all my life," he said. Nelms said he's served with the Krebs Volunteer Fire Department for 27 years, including serving as fire chief for the past 17 years.

"I want to work on the streets, try to improve those," he said. "I want to try to get businesses to locate in Krebs."

Nelms said he worked with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for 33 years, retiring as safety manager. He said he will now work as safety manager at Core Civic, which is a private prison company, in Holdenville.

He also served as safety officer with the Pittsburg County Office of Emergency Management during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.

He said his father, David Nelms, previously served as Krebs mayor.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.