LAWTON, Okla. — The Lawton City Council convened for the first time in 2025, marking the start of a new year with a special session dedicated to welcoming new leadership and outlining the city’s goals for the upcoming months.
The meeting began with heartfelt remarks from all eight ward officials, who shared their experiences working alongside outgoing Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris. Harris, who served the city for three years, expressed gratitude for the opportunity, noting that his time on the council had been an honor.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d wind up in this position. It’s been a tremendous honor,” Harris said. “Not only do we have this family, but we have this team. Let me tell you, for the last three years I got to play with the best team in the world.”
Harris’s successor, R.L. Smith, will now represent Ward 2. Smith, eager to begin his tenure, discussed his priorities, including strengthening ties with Fort Sill and addressing homelessness in the community.
“I want to continue the great relationship with Fort Sill Oklahoma. What a tremendous blessing it is to have them in our backyard, or our front yard,” Smith said. “I also want to continue on and work on homelessness.”
Smith acknowledged the challenge of stepping into Harris’s shoes but vowed to be accessible to his constituents and to work closely with fellow council members, including Harris, to hit the ground running.
“I’m excited to listen to anything the people might have to say,” Smith added. “I’m going to lean into the city council quite a bit, lean into Kelly more, so I can hit the ground running and I can know my job better.”
In addition to Smith, Ward 1 Councilwoman Mary Ann Hankins was sworn in for another term. Although initially uncertain about re-running, Hankins decided to continue her work to finish projects she had started, particularly the Kids First initiative, which aims to expand opportunities for Lawton’s youth.
“I wasn’t going to run. I thought I would be closer to my kids and that sort of thing, but I have to serve somehow, someway,” Hankins said. “I just want to do some things to help society.”
Hankins shared her excitement for the new year, noting her experience in education and a background of over 20 years of work in the field. She emphasized the importance of community participation in the success of the initiative.
“I think this is something I could be more helpful because I do have an education in that and I have a work history of 20 years plus. I’m excited about that,” Hankins expressed. “I want our citizens to feel a part of that too because without the citizens doing their part we can’t really do much.”
Also sworn in for his third and final term was Mayor Stan Booker, who reflected on the long-term nature of municipal government projects and the ongoing effort of city transformation. Booker acknowledged that while his term would not allow him to see all plans fully realized, the work would continue beyond his tenure.
“There’s no way that I will be able to see everything through, even in three years,” Booker said. “Projects in a municipal government take years. Transformation takes years. The plan has always been to continue transformation from Mayor to Mayor, not just one. We want all of this transformation to continue even after my final term.”
Mayor Booker concluded the meeting with his New Year’s Address, looking back on 2024 and outlining key projects for the year ahead. Among the priorities is an expanded effort to improve city infrastructure, with an increase in the number of streets to be resurfaced. Originally planned for 80 streets, the number has been raised to 100, thanks to the passing of the 2040 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).
The first regular council meeting of the year is set to take place on Tuesday, January 14, at 6 p.m., where council members will continue to discuss and plan for the city’s growth and development in 2025.
