Craig Henderson

A mayor chosen by fellow councilors

Sapulpa’s current roster places Henderson in Ward 4 and identifies him as mayor. The council has two representatives from each of five wards. His authority operates within that council structure: the published city code assigns the mayor the chairing of council meetings, while a council majority appoints the city manager, who heads the administrative branch. The title therefore does not establish personal authority to run every department or hire its staff. Council decisions require the applicable collective vote. The distinction is visible in his accession: in July 2020 the council selected him as mayor, rather than voters casting a separate citywide mayoral ballot. Organizational minutes record another council selection on May 2, 2022, when his nomination passed 7–0. The code cited here is the city’s published compilation; the two recorded selections independently demonstrate the council’s role.

A counseling career alongside municipal service

The city’s biographical page reports that Henderson was sworn into his council seat on July 5, 2011. It identifies him as a graduate of Sapulpa High School, the University of Oklahoma, Princeton Seminary and Rutgers University, without specifying graduation dates or degree titles. It also describes mental-health training and teaching with OU’s National Resource Center. These are attributed biographical statements. The page’s reference to nine years of council service dates its narrative; its older employment title and tenure should not be read as a fresh employment verification. Youth Services of Tulsa’s current staff roster provides the more recent description: Craig Henderson, LCSW, Director of Counseling Services.

Career & public service

1. 2011

   Council service begins

   City biography dates his oath to July 5.

   City of Sapulpa — Craig Henderson biography ↗
2. March 2020

   Pandemic policy vote

   Opposed the amended restrictions that passed 5–4.

   Sapulpa — March 23, 2020 minutes ↗
3. July 2020

   Selected as mayor

   Fellow councilors chose Henderson at the July 6 meeting.

   Sapulpa Times — new mayor selected ↗
4. March 2022

   Youth Services agenda appearance

   Broken Arrow scheduled a presentation on the nonprofit’s municipal services; completion not established from the agenda.

   Broken Arrow — Youth Services presentation record 22-291 ↗
5. May 2022

   Council selects mayor again

   Organizational minutes record 7–0 approval of his nomination.

   Sapulpa — May 2, 2022 organizational minutes ↗
6. 2026

   Uncontested ward seat

   January reporting identified no challenger; current city roster lists him as mayor and Ward4 councilor.

   Sapulpa Times — 2026 council election field ↗
7. August 2026

   Regional representation

   INCOG roster lists him for Sapulpa.

   INCOG — board of directors ↗

People, institutions and the relationships between them

Following the connections

Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.

Documented relationships

5 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.

A divided vote over pandemic restrictions

The March 23, 2020 council minutes record a 5–4 vote approving amended business restrictions. The adopted language allowed limited restaurant dining with four people per table and six feet between tables, alongside other restrictions. Henderson voted against the motion. Sapulpa Times reported that he and two other opponents considered it too lenient, while another opposing councilor considered it too strict. The recorded outcome was passage despite his opposition. This is a useful distinction when reading a roll call: a shared vote can conceal opposing policy reasons. The episode predates his selection as mayor and is presented as a dated decision, not as a statement of today’s public-health rules.

From a ward seat to the mayor’s chair

Sapulpa Times reported that Henderson received seven votes for mayor at the July 6, 2020 meeting, against one for the serving mayor pro tem, with one abstention. The 2022 organizational minutes then document his reelection by fellow councilors. In January 2026, the same newspaper reported that he had no challenger for his Ward 4 council seat. The current city roster lists that seat with a 2030 endpoint. These are different electoral events: retaining a ward seat and being selected as mayor. The roster confirms his present mayoral title, but its 2030 notation should not be treated as an independently verified four-year mayoral appointment.

Youth Services and a second municipal connection

Henderson’s professional role connects him to Youth Services of Tulsa, where the current roster names him director of counseling services. David Grewe is listed separately as executive director. A Broken Arrow agenda record created in February 2022 scheduled Henderson to explain the organization’s services to that city’s council. Its background describes an annual city contract for counseling and crisis intervention for young people and a local office supporting delivery. This establishes an institutional relationship extending beyond Henderson’s Sapulpa office. It does not make Sapulpa the contractor, establish that Henderson personally negotiated the agreement, or prove that the scheduled presentation occurred. The record identifies a $30,000 contract for fiscal year 2021–22, financed from Broken Arrow’s General Fund, General Government operating budget. That is the organization’s annual contract value, not Henderson’s compensation or evidence of a particular payment.

Sapulpa’s seat at INCOG

INCOG’s board roster, dated August 17, 2026, identifies Henderson as Sapulpa’s mayor and representative. This puts him in a regional forum alongside representatives of other municipalities, counties and tribal governments. INCOG’s current public notice for a congestion-management plan illustrates one part of that regional setting: planning for travel reliability, safety, freight movement and transportation choices. Board membership documents participation in the institution. It does not establish that Henderson directs its staff, controls another member government or personally approved every regional project.

Public advocacy without a candidate endorsement

In its reporting before the April 7 municipal election, KJRH quoted Henderson urging voters to reject racism, race-baiting and name-calling. The station explicitly reported that he did not endorse a candidate. His intervention illustrates the mayor’s public-facing role in a local political dispute, separate from a council vote or an executive order. It supports a description of his stated position on election rhetoric, not an inferred campaign alliance or financial relationship. The profile does not assign responsibility for the disputed material to anyone on the basis of that account.

Check the record

Sources & corrections

Research checked 2026-10-22. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.

1. City of Sapulpa — City Council ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-22

   Ward 4: Craig Henderson, Mayor (2030); ten councilors across five wards. 2030 is listed council term endpoint, not independently established mayoral term.

2. City of Sapulpa — Craig Henderson biography ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-22

   July 5, 2011 oath; education and YST/OU background. Text says nine years of council service and is historical; do not carry its employment duration or committee assignment forward as current.

3. Youth Services of Tulsa — current staff ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-22

   Directors: Craig Henderson, LCSW, Director of Counseling Services; David Grewe is Executive Director.

4. Sapulpa Times — new mayor selected ↗

   independent-reporting · Source date 2020-07-07 · Checked 2026-10-22

   Micah Choquette; July 6 council election, seven votes for Henderson, one for Martin, one abstention.

5. Sapulpa — May 2, 2022 organizational minutes ↗

   primary-minutes · Source date 2022-05-02 · Checked 2026-10-22

   May 16 packet PDF page 12, organizational minutes printed page 1: mayoral nomination and 7–0 approval. Agenda proposals elsewhere are not treated as completed actions.

6. Sapulpa City Code — administration ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-22

   Published code compilation, sections 2-203–205 and 2-301–302, printed pp2-5/2-6; mayor presides, manager appointed by council majority and heads administration. Historical compilation; no claim of exhaustive current charter audit.

7. INCOG — board of directors ↗

   primary · Source date 2026-08-17 · Checked 2026-10-22

   Roster explicitly dated August 17, 2026; Sapulpa representative Craig Henderson, Mayor.

8. INCOG — regional transportation planning ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-22

   Current congestion-management plan public notice describes regional travel reliability, safety, freight and transportation choices.

9. Broken Arrow — Youth Services presentation record 22-291 ↗

   primary-agenda · Source date 2022-02-22 · Checked 2026-10-22

   Created February 22, 2022, scheduled March 1; p1 of1: FY2021–22 annual contract $30,000, General Fund. Original visually inspected. Printed October 22, 2026 is retrieval date. Informational agenda record does not prove presentation occurred or payment was disbursed.

10. Sapulpa — March 23, 2020 minutes ↗

    primary-minutes · Source date 2020-03-23 · Checked 2026-10-22

    March 23 minutes printed p3 within April6 packet: amended restrictions passed5–4; Henderson nay. Search-index original-record text inspected; full PDF archive timed out.

11. Sapulpa Times — restaurant restrictions ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2020-03-24 · Checked 2026-10-22

    March24 account: Henderson, Beyer and Suggs opposed as too lenient; Galloway opposed as too strict. Indexed text accessible, direct page blocked403.

12. Sapulpa Times — 2026 council election field ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2026-01-26 · Checked 2026-10-22

    January26 candidate feature, final election-information section identifies Ward4 Henderson as unopposed. Unrelated election dates not adopted.

13. KJRH — mayor responds to election flyer controversy ↗

    independent-reporting · Checked 2026-10-22

    Samson Tamijani; April6 reporting ahead of April7 municipal election. Henderson urges rejecting racism/name-calling; report explicitly says he endorsed no candidate. Alleged flyer authorship not adopted.