Don’t Get Distracted by Jacobi Crowley
In this city, the mayor is a sideshow.
Over the course of the season, Jacobi Crowley has easily become the most hyped candidate of the 2024 Lawton mayoral election. In a post by the prominent local influencer Emmanuel Alfaro to his Facebook group, the notable Lawton Grapevine, where he asked members who they would be voting for, commenters overwhelmingly announced their support for Mr. Crowley. Over the course of the past few weeks, especially in the aftermath of KSWO’s mayoral debate, he has become a trendy candidate to support, and his signs have cropped up all over town, challenging Mayor Booker in the battle for Lawton’s road medians and front lawns.
However, despite his present trendiness, it’s important to remember that, if elected, a potential Mayor Crowley would not hold any specter. Despite the special attention that many Lawtonians give to the mayoral election, it is arguably the least important election that Lawton will be holding on August 27th since, in Lawton, the mayor is a primarily ceremonial position.
Now don’t get me wrong, the mayor does hold a few actual powers, but their powers are more similar to those of the Vice-President than the President. According to Article C-2-2 of the charter of the City of Lawton, the mayor is allowed to vote on the city budget, motions to remove certain members of the city bureaucracy, and in cases where the city council is tied, in which case he is allowed to cast a vote to break the tie. Their only other official responsibilities are delivering “a public address on the state of the city at a time and place of their designation” and conveying “other messages to the council and citizens of the city as he deems appropriate.” He isn’t even permitted to choose his own lieutenant, with that responsibility being delegated to the city council.
All this said, this doesn’t mean that the mayor is totally powerless. For instance, a mayor may be able to wield the so-called power of the bully pulpit in order to shame the city council into passing one policy or another. Mr. Crowley could, for instance, advocate for the city council to act on the issue of homelessness during his prominent state of the city speech. However, that is ultimately who has the real power here: the city council. As per Article C-2-4 of the charter, the city council is responsible for enacting legislation, adopting a budget, overseeing the city government, regulating elections, and, importantly, appointing the city manager: the most powerful administrator in the city of Lawton.
As for this election, if you are really passionate about the candidacy of Jacobi Crowley, then you should absolutely go ahead and vote for him. Even if his debate performance on KSWO lacked substance, he demonstrated undeniable charisma, and given that his whole job as mayor would be to make speeches, this virtue arguably makes him imminently qualified for the position. However, perhaps, it would be worth becoming more knowledgeable about the candidates in some of the other elections occurring on the same date. The Comanche County District 1 commissioner, the Oklahoma House District 50 representative, and the Lawton city councilors will all serve in roles with substantially more political power and will have far more of a say over the future of our city.