Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith hasn’t decided what her next career move will be.
“I might just want to be a master gardener, we’ll see,” Keith said, laughing.
Keith, who was District 2 County Commissioner for 16 years, ran for mayor of Tulsa against Monroe Nichols.
She conceded her mayoral bid and will not serve another term in the commissioner’s office.
In an interview with Public Radio Tulsa, Keith said she’s planning on taking some time off.
“Give me six months and then I’ll kind of reconfigure what I want to do,” Keith said.
Keith was honored with a proclamation in Sand Springs Monday night. The city council recognized her years of public service.
This community has meant a whole lot to me,” Keith said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the administration, the councilors, the mayors over the last 16 years.”
The proclamation cited Keith’s many career achievements, including as a reporter for local TV station KJRH.
The proclamation also cited Keith’s work in office overseeing the construction of Tulsa’s new Family Center for Juvenile Justice.
Keith was criticized on the mayoral campaign trail over alleged abuse at the facility. She repeatedly denied any responsibility. Juvenile Judge Kevin Gray oversaw the center until the county commissioners took it over following abuse allegations.
When asked about being honored for her work on the FCJJ while facing scrutiny during her mayoral campaign, Keith said the attacks were “simply politics” funded by murky sources.
“People knew it was a lie,” she said. “There was probably $2 million worth of dark money out there. How do you go against that? It’s something that we as citizens should be talking about.”
