Local state senator to resign from Senate Aug. 1

OKLAHOMA CITY — Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, said Friday he will resign from the Oklahoma Senate, effective Aug. 1.

Montgomery agreed Thursday to become president/CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s Board of Directors voted to hire Montgomery, who will replace former President/CEO Krista Ratliff. His term at the chamber will begin Aug. 1.

Montgomery said Thursday that his formal resignation from the Senate would trigger the process of a special election to fill his unexpired term. He was elected to his second term as District 32 senator in November.

“It has been an honor and truly humbling to have been able to represent at the state Capitol the community that I have grown up in and call home for the last nine years,” Montgomery said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for the trust my constituents have placed in me, for the outpouring of support I have had, and cherish my colleagues I have worked with these many years. I consider it a great blessing to be able to continue to work for my home in a new role as president and CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce and believe that my resignation from the Oklahoma State Senate, effective Aug. 1, 2023, will be a long term investment in our community.”