Early voting begins tomorrow for the Feb. 11 election, which will feature the Okmulgee Councilmember at Large race (Mayor). On the ballot are Mickey Baldwin, who is seeking to retain his post, and his challenger, Eddie Nelson, Jr.

Here is his candidate profile and announcement: Not a Politician, But a Concerned Citizen Meet Eddie Nelson, Jr. He is running for the Okmulgee Mayoral Race, and reminds those he meets, “I am not a politician. What you see is what you get. I am a bit edgy looking, but my heart has always been for the future of Okmulgee.”

Raised “right” as Eddie would say, by his grandma, who shaped his work ethic, his deep faith, and his integrity: “your word should always be your bond.” He has lived that life of keeping your word, working hard, and being involved in the community. Born and raised in East Los An- geles, Eddie moved to Reno, Nev. after graduating high school. His grandma wanted a better life for him and they both knew it was not in L.A. He worked at various handy man jobs, working with the public, and giving himself the opportunity to see the U.S. while he was still young enough to enjoy it. Along the way he met his first wife and had four boys, whom he is happy to say all now live in Okmulgee. Eddie raised his boys by himself to be men of integrity and to have a strong work ethic. He has lived in Okmulgee now for over 25 years.

Later, he met his second wife, Katherine, who brought him to Okmulgee. “I fell in love with Okmulgee on day one. Okmulgee had a small town feel with a big heart, and it brought me in, as well as all my boys are here too.” Eddie is also a proud grandpa of one grandson and three granddaughters.

Eddie is retired now, and disabled, but he works all the time, gardening and fixing his home. He has a strong sense of Okmulgee and how it needs some fun things for kids to do: more updated parks, splash pads, skating rinks. All of these things and more used to be here in Okmulgee. Parents now have to go and spend their money in Tulsa or Broken Arrow, versus keeping the funds here. He’s noticed how “run down” so much of Okmulgee is. His thoughts on community development and neighbors helping neighbors is something that sparks his interests. How can we all pitch in to make our neighborhoods strong and pleasant to live in? How can we update our parks and splash pads to where kids and families can gather and have wholesome fun. How can we use our lakes to do children fishing tournaments? How can we work together with our local businesses to see where they need help and more engagement with shoppers?

So much of what Eddie wishes to happen must take a community buy in. Eddie mentioned how much he dislikes one person taking credit for obvious teamwork. His knowledge of running businesses and working with people with various backgrounds will make him a terrific team player for the Mayoral Seat and working with the city and city counselors.

He also believes that his firm faith is more than a label one wears, or something shouted about in a room. Eddie believes that you can tell a lot about a person when the spotlight and cameras are off. His personal integrity and faith drive him to be a better person daily and is the reason why he is running. “For too long, people have said over and over how much the love Okmulgee, yet our town is losing on so many levels: Our kids need places to play, quality education, and families need fun, wholesome things to do in our town.”

“I would be honored to have your vote and am available anytime to talk about why I am running.” – Eddie Nelson, Jr.