(Correction: This article was updated at 3 p.m. Friday, July 31, to include a correct photograph of Mareo Johnson. NonDoc regrets the error.)
Residents of District 1 in North Tulsa will choose among five city council candidates Aug. 25 after incumbent Vanessa Hall-Harper drew four challengers to her campaign for a sixth term. Athletics director Reggie Williams, professor Corinice Wilson, pastor Mareo Johnson and farmer Thomas William Moore are all seeking to oust Hall-Harper and represent Tulsa’s only majority-Black council district.
While the district geographically includes only northwestern Tulsa, the area is colloquially known as North Tulsa and includes the Greenwood District. A historic lack of both economic development and affordable housing have plagued the district for decades, although it has seen recent improvements in both.
With five candidates on the Aug. 25 ballot, a Nov. 3 runoff could be on tap. In order to avoid a runoff, a candidate would have to secure more than 50 percent of the vote in August.
The following cheat sheet provides an overview of Tulsa City Council District 1 candidates and is derived from publicly available information, such as campaign websites, social media pages, news articles and podcast appearances. Candidates are listed alphabetically, and video from a District 1 candidate forum held July 30 is embedded below.
Vanessa Hall-Harper (incumbent)
Age:Â 54
Background/profession:Â Vanessa Hall-Harper was born and raised in Tulsa, according to her city biography. She has a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University, a paralegal certificate from the University of Tulsa and a master’s degree from Southern Nazarene University. She worked for Tulsa County prior to her election to the city council in 2016.
A decade ago, Hall-Harper defeated seven-term incumbent Jack Henderson to represent District 1, and she has represented the district since. That makes her Tulsa’s second longest tenured councilor after Phil Lakin. Her husband, Marcus Harper, is a Tulsa Police Department officer who was on administrative leave for four years after he was charged in 2021 with accessory after the fact. Accused along with officer Ananias Carson of withholding information and providing false statements about how they interacted with another officer whose car was used in an August 2020 shooting, Harper was found not guilty in a 2024 bench trial. He later sued the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Police Department and Rogers County District Attorney Matt Ballard for malicious prosecution, abuse of process and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He voluntarily dismissed the case a few months later.
Hall-Harper told KTUL in 2024 the criminal charges against her husband were retaliatory.
“All of this was about me. This was an attack on me and my husband as two leaders in this community. That’s all this was. This was an attempt because I said that TPD has crooked-ass cops in it, and today proved that I was right,” Hall-Harper said.
Platform:Â Hall-Harper’s website highlights support for improving housing affordability, food security, public safety and transportation, and economic opportunities. She highlights her work to help establish and support for the Oasis Fresh Market grocery store, which was required to return ARPA funds in 2023.
“A healthy community is food secure, with grocery stores, farmers markets, community gardens, and ample access to healthy and fresh food,” her website reads. “Vanessa championed the development of Oasis Fresh Market and will not stop fighting until all North Tulsa families can get the quality, affordable groceries they deserve.”
Her site also highlights housing and “economic opportunity” as priorities.
“Communities with adequate and affordable housing, access to healthy food, an adequate number of police and fire officers and adequate public transportation are attractive to potential businesses,” her site states. “Healthy communities are more productive, have fewer health care costs, are more active and encourage spending. Vanessa has spent her time on the council working to uplift Black-owned small businesses, expand opportunity through projects like [Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton], and protect the community’s voice in key projects like the Kirkpatrick Heights Development.”
On that topic, Hall-Harper has faced some criticism for clashing with Partner Tulsa over how $5 million in public funding would be used for revitalization efforts. In May, the city council approved her proposal to move oversight of the money from Partner Tulsa to the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation.
“Nothing is being done that is out of the ordinary. And it is unfortunate that some organizations feel like they have to raise everyone’s blood pressure and make it seem like something negative is happening,” Hall-Harper said, as reported by The Tulsa Flyer.
Her Facebook page includes endorsements from several local religious leaders including Jamaal Dyer, Sean Jarrett, pastor Scott Gordon, and Francetta Mays.
“I respect every candidate in this race, however, my support for Vanessa is based on what I have personally witnessed over the years,” Gordon stated in Hall-Harper’s Facebook post. “She has consistently shown up, stood up, and spoken up for North Tulsa. Whether the issue was housing, economic development, neighborhood concerns, public safety, historic preservation, or ensuring that North Tulsa had a voice at the table, she has been willing to fight for the people she represents.”
An infographic supporting her campaign describes her as “unbought,” “unbossed,” “unapologetic” and “unstoppable.”
Links:Â Website | Facebook | Instagram
Mareo Johnson
Age:Â 53
Background/profession:Â Mareo Johnson has served as the president of the Tulsa chapter of the NAACP since 2025 and has been active in the north Tulsa community for several years. He helped found Seeking The Kingdom Ministries Inc. and the Tulsa chapter of Black Lives Matter, according to his website. He is also a graduate of Victory College, a Tulsa-based Bible college, with a degree in theology.
Platform: Johnson advocates “expanding re-entry programs and job training, creating opportunities for small business growth — especially Black-owned businesses — investing in youth development, strengthening mental health crisis intervention, and championing education.”
His campaign website frames him as a community advocate highlighting his work toward “equity socially” and his belief in “fairness for all people.”
Thomas William Moore
Age:Â 49
Background/profession:Â Thomas William Moore was born in Claremore and raised in Nowata, Tulsa and Cheyenne, Wyoming, according to his campaign website. He graduated from the University of Wyoming and the University of Tulsa College of Law, although he is not a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association. His career focused on owning real estate and operating small businesses, as well as working in the wind energy sector.
Moore had previously challenged the creation of a homeless shelter next door to his farm near Mohawk Park in North Tulsa from 2024 to 2025. He appealed a Tulsa Board of Adjustment decision approving a zoning variance for the shelter, and his case was dismissed as moot after the City of Tulsa’s attorneys argued the exception was specific to the facility being operated by City Lights, which had pulled out of the project in March 2025.
While Moore did not “win” his legal case, efforts to establish the facility were effectively ended in August 2025 when city officials announced the funding would be used for other projects.
Moore is also the only candidate for Tulsa’s Black-majority district who is not Black. His website says he has Shawnee, Lenape, German and British ancestry. If elected, Moore would be the first non-Black representative for the North Tulsa district since its creation in 1990.
Platform:Â Moore was motivated to run for office by his battle with the city over the Mohawk Park facility, according to his website.
“Finding zero help from anyone in the city and a city councilor who couldn’t even be bothered to speak out against such a flawed concept, Tom fought the city until the plan was eventually scrapped,” Moore wrote on his website. “[O]therwise we would have over 100 homeless folks land locked at Mohawk Park supposedly getting put on track to get new jobs and apartments in a part of town where those things exist only after a two hour walk/bus ride back to the parts of town that made sense for a shelter. Tom learned much about the operations of the City of Tulsa in that process and quickly figured out why North Tulsa seemed to be lagging behind the rest of the city and vowed to do what he could to get things on track.”
He argues in support of lower taxes, support for local businesses and increased infrastructure funding for District 1. He also advocates a city policy of not shutting off electrical or water services for non-payment and supporting the revitalization of abandoned properties to address housing costs over new builds.
On homelessness, Moore argues “housing first” policies are “baffling” and a failure.
“Giving drug addicts brand new apartments will just get your appliances traded off for fentanyl and giving folks with serious mental health concerns a place to live that does not also create an ongoing care plan will not result in less homelessness, it just extends the problem and wastes time and resources,” Moore wrote. “The problem has been brewing since the asylums were closed and the solution is multifaceted and will require some state intervention.”
Links:Â Website
Reggie Williams
Age:Â 42
Background/profession:Â Reggie Williams was born and raised in Tulsa, according to his social media, and he is the athletic director for North Mabee, a Salvation Army youth program.
Platform:Â Williams’ campaign Facebook page does not focus on the campaign, instead largely reposting content related to Tulsa. While hundreds of posts going back to August 2025 include little about Williams’ policy goals, he has advocated for increasing infrastructure funding, expanding access to record expungement and public-private partnerships to address social issues.
“Real progress happens through partnership,” Williams wrote in January. “I believe in working with local organizations, schools, churches, and neighbors to meet people where they are and move District 1 forward together.”
He has the endorsement of former city council candidate and radio host Angela Chambers.
Links:Â Facebook
Corinice Wilson
Age:Â 53
Background/profession:Â Corinice Wilson is a longtime Tulsa educator who is currently an assistant professor at Tulsa Community College, according to her LinkedIn. In 2008, she worked as program director for the Tulsa Youth Intervention Program, and she was appointed by Mayor G. T. Bynum to the Beyond Apology Commission.
Wilson earned her bachelor’s degree from Northeastern State University, master’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, as well as a PhD in sociology from Oklahoma State University, according to her LinkedIn.
Feedback about Wilson on the infamous RateMyProfessors.com, a website which allows students to leave anonymous reviews of college instructors, are largely positive, with a few complaints on her email writing, grading timeline and two complaints that her class was “woke.”
Platform:Â Wilson’s campaign platform emphasizes her experience. She cites her work securing grants for education, supporting equity on the Beyond Apology Commission, assisting organizations focused on families and working to prevent gang violence as qualifying her for the office.
“North Tulsa has been under-resourced and overlooked for too long. As a city commissioner on the Beyond the Apology Commission and a former co-chair of the North Tulsa Coordinating Committee, Dr. Wilson has been at the table pushing for equity before it was a campaign slogan,” her website states. “She’s not learning this on the job.”
She also campaigns using the slogan “C3,” which stands for “community,” “collaboration” and “change.”
“This campaign is about listening to residents, solving problems and fighting for stronger neighborhoods,” Wilson said in a campaign video. “I am running because District 1 deserves a stronger voice at city hall.”
