John M. Fothergill, the Republican Tulsa County treasurer, won reelection in the June 16 primary, defeating Brandon Shreffler. With no other candidates in the race, the primary decided the election.
Fothergill has led the office since becoming acting treasurer in 2020. The office collects property taxes, manages county revenues and invests public funds.
Before that, he spent years in Tulsa-area government, including stints as a Sand Springs city councilor, a Tulsa City Council member and staffer, and a deputy county commissioner.
The following profile is based on Fothergill's public record, his campaign website and his responses to NonDoc's interview.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Office sought: Tulsa County Treasurer
- Residence: Tulsa County. Fothergill says he is married to Tabitha, and they are raising two sons in Tulsa County.
- Birthplace: Enid, Oklahoma
- Education: High school diploma, Jenks High School; bachelor's degree in business administration and finance, Northeastern State University, 2006
Experience and public service
Fothergill's career spans private-sector construction work and more than a decade in local government:
- Construction administrator, KBR, Inc., 2000
- Civilian contractor, KBR, Inc., 2004–2005
- Director of constituent services, Tulsa City Council, 2005–2016
- Council aide and legislative liaison, Tulsa City Council
- Council member, Tulsa City Council
- City councilor, Sand Springs, 2013–2016
- Vice-mayor, Sand Springs
- Deputy county commissioner, Tulsa County, 2017–2021
- Chief deputy treasurer, Tulsa County, 2020–2021
- Tulsa County treasurer, 2021–present
Fothergill has also served as chair of PatriotFest, on the Tulsa Area Metropolitan Planning Commission, the Oklahoma Municipal League board, the Tulsa Levee District 12 board, the Tulsa Metropolitan Environmental Trust board, the Route 66 Main Street board and the Lucile Page Manor Apartments board, according to the Tulsa County treasurer's office website. He is a member of the Coalition of Tulsa Area Governments, president of the Rotary Club of Sand Springs for 2025–26 and has spent more than 20 years on the event management team for Oktoberfest.
On the issues
Fiscal stewardship and government efficiency
Fothergill says his office manages more than $1 billion in taxpayer funds each year, according to his campaign website. He says he believes government should work better, not get bigger, and that he treats every taxpayer dollar as his own.
In his NonDoc questionnaire response, Fothergill said his office generated almost $7 million in investment income from county funds in the last fiscal year, reducing the need to ask taxpayers for additional revenue.
Government transparency and accountability
Fothergill says his office uses OpenGov to put the county's entire checkbook online so every penny spent in Tulsa County is searchable, according to his NonDoc questionnaire response.
Candidate responses were drawn from Fothergill's answers to NonDoc's candidate questionnaire and from his campaign website. Voters can find more information at the Tulsa County Election Board or at ok.gov/elections.
