ELGIN – Mayor JJ Francais announced Friday afternoon via Facebook that he will seek the state Senate District 32 seat being vacated by John Michael Montgomery (R-Lawton).
Francais, 41, is the associate publisher of Southwest Ledger. He also is assistant vice president of external affairs for Hilliary Communications, a family-owned enterprise which owns the Ledger, and which delivers telephone, internet, and TV service to more than 10,000 subscribers in Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa.
“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be in the room where decisions were made,” said Francais (R-Elgin). “My goal is to make southwest Oklahoma the place where people want to stay and raise a family.” He said the economy is “one of my paramount concerns.”
Francais dropped out of school in the 9th grade but later acquired a general education diploma. Later he attended the Canadian Valley Technology Center in Chickasha, where his focus was business education, and he graduated in 2010 from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, in Chickasha, with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Francais was elected Mayor of Elgin in 2021, is a member of the governing board of the General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute and Museum in Hobart, and serves on the USAO board of regents.