The Mayors Council of Oklahoma recently held their annual Summer Conference in Durant. At their monthly board meeting held on June 21st, they elected two new members to the MCO Board of Directors.
Debra Wimpee, Mayor of Broken Arrow was selected as Vice President, and Bless Parker, Mayor of Miami was chosen to serve as a Director of District 1.
“We are grateful that these two outstanding Mayors agreed to serve in leadership roles of our organization,” said Craig Parham, Mayor of Amber and President of the MCO Board. “Their experience in leading their respective communities brings a depth of knowledge to our board and we want to thank them for their service.”
Wimpee has served as Mayor of Broken Arrow since April of 2021 and was first elected to the City Council in 2017. Currently, Wimpee is the Executive Director of two commercial real estate associations, as well the owner of a social site, the BA Buzz. In addition, she is a Chamber Ambassador, serves on multiple Veteran related boards and is a Broken Arrow Rotarian.
“I am honored that my fellow Mayors would choose me for this leadership role with the organization,” said Wimpee. “The strength of our local communities is driven by local leadership, and I look forward to working with Mayors from across the state to grow our cities and towns across Oklahoma.”
Bless Parker has served as Mayor of Miami since May of 2020. He has worked for AT&T for 25 years, and is owner and operator of Mudville Internet Broadcasting, airing Miami Wardog football, basketball, baseball, graduation, soccer tournaments and the Annual 8 Man All Star Game.
“Serving on the MCO Board of Directors is an incredible honor, and I appreciate the trust my fellow Mayors have in me,” Parker said. “MCO leads the way in providing a statewide impact to municipal issues. Our municipalities may vary in size, but we all share the same concerns when it comes to our cities and towns.”
Mike Fina, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Municipal League believes the leadership of the Mayors serving on the MCO Board leads the way to more effective local government. “Oklahoma has strong leadership at the local level,” said Fina. “A group of municipal leaders providing a consistent, unified message allows for municipalities to have a major impact on statewide issues.”
The Oklahoma Municipal League is the authoritative source for information, training, and resources on effective local government for member organizations and is recognized as the unified voice of Oklahoma cities and towns.
The Mayors Council of Oklahoma was formed in 1991 as a bipartisan organization to represent the concerns and views of the body of the state’s Mayors. MCO provides a vehicle for the development and implementation of programs of multi-jurisdictional cooperation between cities and towns designed to lessen the burden on local government. Oklahoma Mayors make the commitment to work through the conference to improve their own communities as well as the conditions facing cities and towns throughout the state and nation.
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