The out gay mayor of The Village, Oklahoma resigned on Monday citing harassment and concerns for his safety. Adam Graham posted his resignation letter to city manager Bruce Stone on Twitter.
“For almost five years, I’ve proudly served The Village as Councilmember and Mayor,” Graham tweeted. “It’s been an honor to serve and it’s been my great privilege to break boundaries. I no longer feel safe to serve in my capacity here. It’s with a heavy-heart that I tender my resignation.”
For almost five years, I've proudly served The Village as Councilmember and Mayor. It's been an honor to serve and it's been my great privilege to break boundaries. I no longer feel safe to serve in my capacity here. It's with a heavy-heart that I tender my resignation. pic.twitter.com/w5AheQOlYL
— Adam Graham (@adamjacobgraham) July 18, 2022
In his letter, Graham wrote that “In the last month, I’ve been followed home from meetings, threatened while walking my dog, harassed at Starbucks and have had my tires slashed.”
“Unfortunately, these malicious, bad-faith attacks are escalating and I no longer feel safe to serve in my capacity as mayor.”
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Graham claims that the harassment stems from a May 28 altercation with Nichols Hills police. Officers from the neighboring city had reportedly stopped a speeding vehicle just inside The Village city limits. Nichols Hills police officer Brandon Edwards claims Graham arrived shortly after he and another officer pulled over the driver and that the mayor yelled at them about how they could not stop people in The Village.
“His presence directly agitated an already uncooperative driver during the stop and put our safety at risk when it didn’t need to be,” Edwards claims in his report of the incident.
Graham reportedly refused to answer questions about the incident at a June 20 Village City Council meeting.
“I stood up against Nichols Hill Police targeting The Village residents,” Graham wrote in his resignation letter. “I will never apologize for standing up for the people I was elected to serve. I will never understand why some officials are more concerned with representing the interests of Nichols Hills than the interests of their constituents.”
Graham, who was elected in May after serving on The Village city council since 2018, was one of the youngest mayors ever elected in Oklahoma, and the city’s first openly gay mayor.
