In the small Oklahoma town of Chickasha, home to 16,000, Oklahoma Christian University alumnus Chris Mosley works diligently as an established businessman and the city’s mayor.
Mosley, a 1987 graduate and member of Delta Gamma Sigma, was sworn into office in April of 2018 after former mayor Hank Ross decided against running for reelection. Mosley is a joint owner of the Mosley Agency, Inc. which services over 1,000 local clients. He also serves on a handful of the city’s acting boards.
In a recent interview with the Talon, Mosley discussed how Oklahoma Christian facilitates a purpose within his daily decision-making and how others can follow suit.
Q: Describe what your position is and what everyday life consists of as the acting mayor of Chickasha.
One thing that was mentioned to me was once a mayor, always a mayor—24 hours a day, you are acting mayor of the community. You don’t come off the clock. It’s meeting, lots of meetings. The city of Chickasha is a strong city manager community, meaning the city manager runs the day-to-day operations. Myself and the council act as a legislative branch. We deal with ordinances and laws of the town so we are always going through agendas and approving items that deal with that. I fall into the role of city manager when he is unavailable. Council meetings are the first and third Monday of every month. I attend weekly economic development council meetings. I attend the Chickasha Industrial Authority meeting, which I chair. I act as a non-voting board member of the Economic Development Council—a third party contractor that works in economic development and job creation. There are a lot of things that it does. I have a weekly meeting with my city manager, and I speak to groups on a consistent basis. Some of these meetings start as early as 7:30 a.m., meaning I have to start my day around 5 a.m. I try to lead the council and the community in a positive direction.
Q: What made you want to run for city office, and how did you get involved?
I’ve served on numerous boards since I’ve been back in Chickasha, and I have always tried to be active in the community. My grandfather was a chamber president; my dad was too—he also served on the council in the late 60s. My brother, another Oklahoma Christian grad, is on similar boards. I committed to running for mayor in the late fall of 2017 through the encouragement of friends.
Q: What are a few things you learned at Oklahoma Christian that you have put into practice as the acting mayor?
My faith was already strong when I started at Oklahoma Christian, but when I ran for mayor, I talked to my wife about it, and we just want in everything we do to have our actions glorify God. I think about that day. You have to treat people with respect, whether I agree with them or not. When I speak, I want to edify. I never want my words to push anyone away from the church. You have to learn in a way that’s respectful, and you have to be mindful of others. My accounting degree has been helpful too. I had to put that into practice right after graduation.
Q: What advice would you give Oklahoma Christian students who want to grow into an active role within the city or state government?
Be involved. Be involved in whatever group you can find. If you want to be in city or state government, you’re going to have to lean that way. You have to make that decision early and you make those relationships with people. It is always good to have someone you can get advice from. The big thing is to develop those relationships. If you’re interested in running for office, get to know the people, get to know the entity—whether that is the neighborhood block level, the city level, the state level, or greater. Get involved.
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