CHICKASHA – Nine candidates filed for the five open seats on the city council this year.
Two of the candidates drew no opponents – Vice Mayor Zach Grayson was the lone candidate for mayor, and Erica Alexander filed unopposed in Ward 3 – but elections will be held for council members in three of the town’s four wards.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Kea Ginn drew an opponent in her bid for a second term; two candidates filed to replace Chickasha Public Schools Superintendent Rick Croslin, who was appointed to the Ward 2 post last May to complete the unexpired term of Councilman Nate McCalla after his resignation; and three candidates filed for the Ward 4 council seat surrendered by Grayson.
Chickasha councilors serve twoyear terms and their service is voluntary; they receive no compensation.
The nonpartisan election will be held April 2. Whoever receives the most votes in each race will be the winner; there will be no runoffs. The victors will receive the oath of office at the April 15 City Council meeting.
Ward 4 Councilman and Vice Mayor Zach Grayson is Chickasha’s new mayor-elect. He filed unopposed to succeed Chris Mosley, who is stepping down after six years as mayor.
Grayson, 39, is a native of Wellston, graduating from high school there in 2003. He attended the University of Central Oklahoma, in Edmond, where he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a focus in community policing.
He spent 14 years in the U.S. Army, which included two tours in Iraq. Grayson and Josh Woods of Chickasha, who was a friend from his time in military service, co-own the Interurban restaurant, Dragoon Graphics and Two Vets Clothing Company.
Grayson moved to Chickasha in 2012 and was elected to the City Council six years ago.
“I am humbled by and grateful for the trust given to me by the Chickasha community to be their next mayor,” Grayson told Washita Valley Weekly Community News. “I have big shoes to fill, as I believe Chris Mosley has done a fantastic job these last six years. Thank you to all those who have supported me and mentored me over the years during my time on the city council.”
Erica Alexander, 43, former owner of Alexander Eats, was the lone candidate to file for the Ward 3 post being vacated by Dr. R.P. Ashanti-Alexander, a school administrator who has held that office for the past 11 years.
“We closed Alexander Eats last August, and since then I have been doing private catering and home chef menus,” she said. Her husband, Cody Alexander, is the Imaging Logistics Project Coordinator for Standley Systems.
The couple have three children. Their older son, Cash, was a CHS valedictorian and All-State baseball player who is attending Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Their daughter, Brynlie, is a Chickasha eighth grader, and their younger son, Perry, is a Chickasha sixth grader.
Alexander graduated from Amber-Pocasset High School, attended the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, “and have called Chickasha home ever since.” She has been a registered voter in Chickasha for 25 years.
This is her first time to hold a public office. However, she is active in civic affairs, serving on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors, chair of the Chickasha YMCA Council, a member of the Chickasha Public School Foundation board of directors, and on the Board of Trustees for the USAO Foundation. In addition, she was a 2023 honors graduate of Leadership Chickasha.
She also was the president of the Grand Elementary PTO for two years and has been a member of the CHS Quarterback Club for three years.
John P. Smith, 67, a Chickasha native and a Navy veteran who previously was a school teacher/administrator in Chickasha and Marlow, is a candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant Ward 4 seat.
Smith retired from the Navy as a senior chief in 1995 after a career served primarily in submarines. Nevertheless, “My roots in Chickasha are deep,” he said.
He was reared inWard 4 and graduated from Chickasha High School in 1975.
He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 2000, and a Master of Educational Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2008.
He previously taught geometry at the Chickasha Quality Academy, was assistant principal at Chickasha middle school, and has served on the Chickasha School Board. In 2009 he took a position as assistant principal at Marlow elementary school, “where I retired in 2016.”
Smith and Gina, his wife of 29 years, returned to Chickasha from Marlow “and we built a house here” in 2018.
“I’ve resided in Chickasha for a total of 42 years and have lived in every ward in the city,” he said. “I’ve been a legal resident of Chickasha for 59 years,” 17 of those while he was on active duty in the Navy.
“I don’t want to serve just the citizens ofWard 4; I seek to represent all citizens of Chickasha,” he said. “We have neglected infrastructure issues and that certainly needs to be addressed, along with property maintenance. I want to be a councilman who will ask questions and not just be a rubber stamp. I love Chickasha; it’s always been my home.”
Ward 2 candidate Daniel Terry, 50, is a Chickasha native who owns and manages Pro Auto Care.
“I was born in Chickasha and graduated from high school there in 1993.” Two years later he graduated from the OSU Institute of Technology at Okmulgee.
“I worked for my dad for 16 years and went out and worked on the National Hot Rod Association NHRA drag racing circuit for a stint,” then returned to Chickasha “to start my own business.” Pro Auto Care recently “hit a milestone of repairing 25,000 vehicles,” he said.
“I’ve worked along with and trained several great technicians. We are still growing and enjoying what we started.” The company has seven employees, one of whom is now a partner in the business.
“My decision to enter into government was to get on board with the growth of a wonderful community,” Terry said. Eric Joseph Anderson, who moved to Chickasha eight years ago, is among the three candidates seeking the open Ward 4 seat.
Anderson, 50, enlisted in the Army while in California and served for six years, 1992-98, deploying to Macedonia and Bosnia. He was medically evacuated from Bosnia and then medically discharged from the military.
He attended USAO and has lived in Chickasha since 2016. He and his wife, who were previously living in Minco, “looked at several cities and found a place here in Chickasha in 2016 that fulfilled our needs, as well as being the city that really was the light for my young family.”
Anderson attended USAO and graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
He was a Ward 4 council candidate last year, too, and his oldest son lives and works in Chickasha.
“I see the excitement and growth of Chickasha,” Anderson said. “I want our city to keep growing.” In addition, “People helped me when I arrived here and were very supportive. They’re always willing to go the extra mile to show their support.”
Kea Ginn is see king reelection to a second con secutive term on the City Co uncil from Ward 1.
She was born and reared in Chickasha and graduated from Chickasha High School in 1999. She received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma in 2005, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma Christian University in 2006.
Ginn began her nursing career at LifeLine Home Health & Hospice in 2005, and today serves as vice president, practicing as a Registered Nurse and clinical director. She is a licensed Oklahoma home health administrator.
Kea is married to Jeremy Ginn and they have two children: Mea and Miah. Both children attend Chickasha Public Schools and are active in academics and sports programs.
Ginn currently serves as a volunteer coach in youth basketball, and has been a v olunteer coach in youth sports for more than a decade. She is a member of the Chic kasha Public Schools Continuity of Services Committee, and is a board member on the Chic kasha Economic Development Council.
She said she is proud of Chickasha’s “progress, direction, and momentum in the local econ omy,” but believes “we must remain focused on improving infrastructure and new developments.”
Securing a loan last year for construction of a new water treatment plant “was critical for Chickasha’s future,” she said, “and plans to improve additional infrastructure projects must also be a priority.”
Ginn said that if r eelected she will continue to advocate for Chickasha’s future and growth, “for Chickasha to be a place businesses want to come to, where residents are proud to live and want to raise their families.”
Three of the candidates did not provide photos or additional biographical information that Southwest Ledger requested, beyond what was included in their “declaration of candidacy application” filed with City Hall.
• Isaac DeLeon, 33, who listed his occupation as electrician, is one of the candidates in Ward 4. DeLeon wrote in his candidacy application that he has been a resident of the ward for three years.
• Charlie Burruss, 58, whose occupation is oil and gas mineral management, is a candidate in Ward 2. He complained to the City Council on Nov. 6, 2023, about “neglect” of city streets. Burruss wrote in his declaration of candidacy that he has been a registered voter in Chickasha for 33 years.
• David C. Lucas, 70, is a candidate in Ward 1. In his declaration of candidacy Lucas listed his occupation as “retiree” and said he has been a registered voter and member of the ward for six years.