Hot Dems - Episode 5 with Monroe Nichols

y you the other ones don't ask me another question welcome to episode five of the hot dims hot Rings interview with manroe Nicholls current state representative yeah yeah I'm excited about this sort of sort of sort of kind of not really it'll be fine the first one is the ignite toortle um it's nice name are you ready to go right now yeah let's do it all right all right here we go oh easy money easy money so this is hot dims this is mild D you I mean moderate DS there we go so tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're running for Tulsa mayor uh let's see so you mentioned I've been in the legislature for eight years now um been a great time of change in the state really proud to represent Democrats as member of the House Democratic caucus and I think a lot of times we think that oh there's not a whole bunch of Democrats up there we can't get anything done uh we've got a lot of stuff done as Democrats which been really cool and I think the other lesson I've learned is from that stuff to the stuff that people have done in the polls the past Medicaid expansion everything else I am convinced that like we can come together do some phenomenal things and so if you take those those those things we've done the state anything about the challenges we have at home homelessness education uh Economic Development Public Safety um I'm running from mayor I think we can we can we can do that stuff at T right like I think we can in homes by 2030 I think we can improve student outcomes I think we can expand our economy and I certainly think we can be the safest big city in the country so I'm run famili to make those things true a partnership with everybody because the power of all those together I think it's I think it's something that we can get get done so I'm excited definitely and thank you for all the hard work in in the legislature yeah you know what that's why was like oh chicken wings I those been leg for eight years how hard can this be we're about to find out right coming with coming in with big words yeah I know know I know you know I'm a cowboy so I'm so today the Cowboys are playing their first preseason game it's on right now okay um and so like this happens me usually close to the playoff season I figure I should start the season with them playing a game and me having a meltdown but I fig I'd do it here chick leag instead of actually watching the game right but I'm representing so we talk about super we're big talkers this don't I know it are you a my parent my dad is you're not a g I am not who so we moved back to the States from Guam in5 C which was the same here that not a girlse like what is that the Broncos that's horse the Colts it's the baby horse my goodness but hey we we we have won a Super Bowl this Century well did they wa we in the 2000s yeah oh they did pay Manning yeah well look I mean we're America's team so there you go okay that hurt you never say that you never say that so number two is the mango habanero mango mangoes aren't hot I've had mangoes right they're not hot a hot mang a hot mango who's ever heard of those but hot Bano I mean here we go I mean look that one sits on the tongue a little bit you know what I mean that going to hang you oh on the tip a little bit it's fine how well you engage with the Youth of Tulsa and ensure the voices are heard in your Administration yeah I think there's two things so part of the education plan we put out there is the creation of the off of children youth and families and one of the things that I'm the work for the city council on is to bring to tuls where call youth impact assessments and so we're getting ready to take a a policy move that may be about Parts funding or any host of things we're constantly thinking about Howes this impact young people by going and asking them through the structured assessment process stuff that I've done in my career over the years other plac and so it's a great way to get youth voice into the policy making space and so that they're helping Drive what we do at the city the other thing is producing kind of a children's budget every year so we see how we're spending money on have kids and making sure I think the critical thing you want to do is that you hear from all kinds of kids not just the kids that are the the students on National Honor Society and all that kind of stuff but really the young people are most impacted by things that we do in negative ways those young people who sometimes are left behind by the system a little bit like how do we engage those young people in respond to their needs and so the goal is not just to listen to kids for one thing that you do at one point in time but how are we building in good systems that we say hey every time we're making a move that we know it's going to impact young people let those young people give some feedback by how they are impacted and let that help Drive our decision making at the capital I've been on the Appropriations budget committee for six of my eight years I think and we do every time there's a bill that cost us money we have to do a fiscal impact uh assessment on it so uh we know how much it's going to cost the state this year future budget years you got to do the same thing understanding how he kid decision sorry it's it's hot I know it's hot my lips are uh tling right now yeah the lips so what happened to me I kind of thought I got past the lips it was on the tongue and then I just lick my lips yeah and so now yeah now it's on the lips you know what me yeah I I don't know if the water was a good idea right now I I don't know if it was either I like the water may have spread it all around your mouth that's that's at least my [Music] thought all right what's the next one let's do so so the next one is the fiery Cayenne okay now that one sounds a little hotter than mango it does yeah all right are you ready for it I am you sure yeah I I am I we don't know if that milk's going to work over there here we go right now that was not as bad as other one no but I'm sitting here waiting for it to hit me later that's what I'm thinking it'sit that one's not bad I mean it's not something I would just order to put on something look but that one's not bad though I think the other one was so hot that this one is like oh your taste buds are already on fire so this is going to go right now so on your website yeah you talk about starting to teach in Tulsa fun to attract and retain qualified Educators y one is this planning remodeled after the remote Tulsa program and two how would you um how would this be funded yeah so it's actually not modeled after uh Tulsa remote it's actually modeled after What's called the te the teachers intive a lopment in in Texas okay and so what they do in Texas is work that I did U outside the legislature my job is TR together working with a bunch of Partners in Texas when they did years ago is they restructured the school funding formula all across the state and so districts were essentially put in four categories and like a like a tier one school was a school the community where the students came from like a large number came from economic disadvantage those types of things and so if you were a teacher in that school and you were getting growth out of students you got incentivized for that so like you can make like $32,000 higher than another teacher if you were you know highly impactful in those School in those classrooms where we needed teachers the most because what we know about those classrooms are you have high teacher to often times uh and it impacts kids literacy rates everything from literacy rates all up to graduation r and so teaching Tulsa is actually designed after that to say hey if we got a teacher that's really punched above their weight which we have a lot of those and they're getting growth out of student so like they're taking a student who's in you know fifth grade but on second grade reading level and helping them grow to catch up then we're going to invest that and say hey we want to incentivize you for the work you're doing with these students we know the impact that has on the Long Haul what we're starting to see in Texas as a test case is that ly rates are starting to go up uh in certain places graduation rates are starting to go up a lot of places what's happening is Teachers aren't having a Le of profession they're not having to go be an assistant principal they could be in the classroom they continue that and and and so we're keep them there I think got to do the same thing here right uh and so uh the goal when we get started is to fund teaching Tulsa both from public and private sources and then hopefully get us to a point where we can fund it you know as a city uh without without the need of private resources through where it's next V Vision package or something else but I think citizens in Tulsa would be really excited to say yeah we're going to invest in teachers and we're get better outcomes for kids and that's what teaching TS is all [Music] about all right so moving to number four the four sauce um I didn't have I I tried to take I had I did try to take this one out you tried to take it out yes was it is it the one that people struggle with a lot um I struggled with you were struggling the last two the last two I struggled with the most in the order that they're in like this one is really okay yeah so number four is the reaper the what the reaper oh yes that sounds like something that's not good I've never I mean like Reaper is like if we're on Family Feud it would be like blank Reaper R Reaper that's when you that's the guy who comes when you die so this has got to be bad I would imagine it has to be there's no good Reaper no yeah I didn't think so you guys can fact check me on that one Reaper comes across is a nice guy and then you go to shake his hand uhuh and uh you realiz he's not very nice no um cuz what just happened there is I bit it I was like not that bad so I tried to swallow and so now like the back of my tongue is hot from number four and the front of my tongue is still a little hot from number two still number two yeah yeah yeah number three was not bad but number two kind of front of the mouth right now number four kind of back of the mouth right now um but I'm hanging in though I mean I feel like I'm I mean I think I'm crushing it now I I think you are yeah I don't know what the rest of day look like for me but right now I'm yeah so so on your website you talk about reducing tosses eviction rate yeah how do you plan to do this uh so there's a couple things uh one is uh you know really balancing um putting in some additional potential like tenant protection right so like people know they're getting evicted a lot of people end up on the docket don't know so how we notifying people and then making sure we can support them with things that they need right uh because what uh one of the reasons I'm passionate about this is a like we don't want to continue to exacerbate our homeless problem that we have right now that crisis that we have right now but also the impact that it has on kids one the first question you ask how list of kids you've probably heard me say this before but t loone 900 kids are homeless 12200 kids are in families fac eviction The Chronic absente rates for those kids those families face eviction are Sky High and it tends to be younger kids and so it means there's younger parents typically speaking and so that means we have an issue with like younger people being known for to live here and so part is making sure we're creating that opportunity for people uh more of a grand scale uh but but then you know making sure we're put we have whatever supports in place that are out there to stab ize them in their home and that's in work with you know landlords too like we in the as part of that plan are going to put together Council and addiction so we're really thinking very deeply about how we do this and and how do we activate because again we have opportunities to spend money and we have some resources we got to make sure what are the best things to mitigate evictions uh one other really critical part of that is what we've had now is about a $2 and5 million fund that would allow for responsible landlord to dip into that fun just to help somebody who's in a pinch who they have a good tenant in a pinch and so like 600,00 maybe even 2600 bucks that get them out on the street right and we find ways to replenish it because like you know landlords have to be a partner in all this not everybody who evicts folks is a bad person um uh and then we have to get really strict about folks who are just massively evicting people right we we've got to get on top of that but I have some friends who are landlords I know they work really hard to try to keep their rents low for people and so we got to make sure you know uh we're we're working alongside them and the fact is we still also have to get our housing stock up uh we we you know this this is a lot of hard work so there's like you know this Council in addictions where we're constantly thinking about the Investments we have to make to stabilize people it's the Outreach those people on the addiction dock to see hey where are you struggling and how can we help you uh it's that $25 millionar to kind of start to say like hey hey landlords work with us to make sure we're stabilizing many people in place uh and then it's you know worked on an affordable housing uh stock issue and I think if we do those things right um that that Topline goal of ending homelessness is supported by it my second goal of improving student outcomes is obviously supported by it if we get those people who are struggling financially and get them into programs that help them advance in their career my Workforce uh issue and stabilized economies um uh is is impacted by it and I think you know ultimately when people are living and thriving and less stressed it makes us all safer so it hits that fourth point I talked about around Public Safety so so for me I think about like hey what are the things that are going to hit all three of those uh us reducing those eviction rates is critical and I think we're over 11 in the country right now the goals get us out of the top 25 out top 15 out top 25 out of the top 50 and out of you know out of out of the top 100 if we can uh in evictions all right [Music] um sorry I want to apologize for this last sauce it's it's the bomb apologize for it's the what the bomb also not something I usually is good no yeah bomb bombs are typically not good no I mean I'm a history major so yeah yeah yeah uh where where's where is this thing produced is this you know I don't I got I almost got it there it's on the side there oh over here uh Cana Kansas City Kansas City all right all right this is this is GNA decide if I ever go to Kansas City maybe may have had my last trip there I've U I've had this one before and um I mean you're still I I am so there's yeah so I mean like how bad can it be he's still here here we go it's in the Side Y the other ones don't ask me another question right I was the same way some of the other ones like when you talk the the air kind makes it worse like I don't want to breathe yep I you how this one did this one to you is like the water doesn't exactly make it better you know no I mean it takes away the pain just for a second while you're drink yeah all right what you about to say okay so you played football in college well at te easier than this so if fing for office were an Olympic sport MH what event would you compete in and how would you go for the go uh let's see running for office it has to be more like a uh my goodness you know it's crazy I would put it up uh on two events I would think it's on one end like the steel Chase or you're running for a long time for a long time right we TR just watched for the first time actually ever it is it is uh you got to take some time out to watch that it takes a while but it's a test of endurance in a lot of ways and the difference in I think running for office in the squel chase is typically in the squel chase the best person wins and we know it's always true in in politics and elections uh the best person always WI and so uh I guess so you take that and then there's also maybe something like break dancing which I just found out was Olympic sport this year um and where something is definitely you got to have the talent everything but there's some subjectiveness associated with it uh people are you know it's not just a hey you are fast or so you want um but there's some judging associated with it somebody else ultimately is going to make the decision who who won there's not a tie and so I think I think it's a lot like like that right so one end you're onun this long race and it's a test of endurance and test of strength and and all that kind of stuff and at the end of it the best the fastest the most prepared whatever it is uh in politics and always and so then I would take some other sport where it's a little more subjective something like break dudes potentially all right eating chicken wings is uh more like um probably more like I don't know uh boxing I don't know because I'm be taken out uh I'm I'm I'm actually coming down from it now a little bit I think I think I mean yeah I'm good I mean like my sweating though I feel like I was got to playing basketball I mean it the the that hot sauce is liter you might it I'm going to tell you if you're watching at home and I don't know who makes this I'm sure they're good people do not buy this like the bomb is not made for food that you're going to eat um don't do it also uh sorry the bomb people but they're in Kansas City I don't think there'll be voting this election anyway right don't matter anyway yeah yeah so for the uh people at home um minus the uh Deval people um how can people go find your website and get find ways to volunteer you go you go to mpr.com uh you can sign to volunteer you can find out all about the campaign about me as a candidate about the plans for the future uh and what I hope is that people feel like they want to be involved in that future right I think this is really The Story of Us and how we do all these things together I think the challenges facing Tulsa are bigger than one person one agency uh it really is all of us deciding that that we're gonna we're g to do this thing together and uh I often say what gives me a lot of confidence that we can I look back on who tuls has always been I mean you know we were the old cap of the world so we power the entire Globe we were the center of black wealth uh we're all Indian Reservation this is this you know this should be the center of native arts and culture and we're home to um so many first generation Americans that are contributing so much to our community at Tulsa Public Schools there are 70 languages that are spoken 70 different langues spoken schol and so if you think about all these different iterations of Tulsa always been uh moments of greatness unlike anywhere else uh and like this those are also measured with some some tough dark moments um but it's still in us to do things that weren't possible before we did them first and so you know I think this is about us saying you know what we're ready to lead again we're ready to do the things that hadn't been done and that starts of taking care of people and if we do that we take off as a community we got more potential anywhere in the country and this election uh I do think is the most important Tulsa's history uh for a lot of reasons I think nothing nothing other than not only can we make history in this election I'd be the first person of color Ser as mayor but I think that's an indication that Tulsa is like turning the page on doing things the old way it's like okay this new chapter of who we are taking all the great things we've done before uh you know reconciling some of the trauma from before but most importantly marshalling all that to be you know that great American city in the future I'm really excited about it for.com for.com vot Tuesday August 27th yep coming up in what three weeks it's really close man it's really close it's close coming up close right around the corner right around the corner and I also say for everybody watching every election is credal yes you know I think this year here uh at the national level it's you know a fight for democracy itself but it's also a fight for all the things that we've worked on um and and I think this is important to important to say and I don't just say it as a Democrat but I am proud to be a Democrat and what you know President Biden's been able to deliver on um what President Obama delivered on before him what President Clinton delivered on before him we have always been we've often been called at least in my lifetime in moments like this to make sure that we fix problems that caused by somebody else or that we double down on the solutions that have made us the strongest country coming out of the pandemic that continue has us as the leader of the world you know having a largest economy is not just the only thing um but the fact is we are fair and better than anywhere else in the world right now and that's no small part to Democrats who have chosen in this moment to be responsible uh who chos us moment to Center people and so I think that folks have to understand once again you know here come the Democrats to save democracy U but also to invest in communities and I think that's true for what's going on the race of the White House in Congress and and in the mayor's office right now that's also well thank you so much for coming on I I would say thank you to you still on fire I'm not in a position to thank you yet it's okay I'm sure that'll change maybe next time I see you I'll thank you yeah I'll be like you know what thank you um but not today no I'm kid no it has been fun it's been a lot of fun to be here and I appreciate you guys I mean young Democrats I mean you guys are you guys are doing uh great things you you're on the doors for candidates um you know U and I and that makes a big difference for us as candidates like we don't win unless people show up to help until like you know we ultimately get to go to the legisl and vote and all that kind of stuff but is on the shoulders of you all who show up all the time almost get there so I can't thank you enough not not just for today because that a little like but for what you guys do every single day to support candidates because it is more than supporting candid really is trying to you know um help Oklahoma be better than Oklahoma app L it be most of the time so I appreciate it