Former police officer, retired Chief Master Sergeant and teacher at Rose State College, Dukes was just appointed as an At Large Representative with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) Commission representing Oklahoma veterans. And he’s not done yet.
First of all, he’s proud of his family. His wife, Norita, is on the Board of Directors for Leah’s Hope, a 501(c)(3) Oklahoma non-profit organization in Midwest City. They have two boys: Nathan, a firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at Will Rogers Airport, and Christopher, an active duty United States Marine. Mayor Dukes has lived in Midwest City since the age of three.
What motivated his desire to serve? Dukes responded, “It just seemed like the right thing to do and I was always lined with jobs that was in service…My aunt and my mom worked in the nursing field and that’s probably what got me into the service mindset.”
Work Career
Dukes joined the Coast Guard in 1975 as an active duty hospital corpsman and “served in a number of duty stations…and I stayed in the Coast Guard five years.” Afterwards, he earned an Associate in Health Technology from Oklahoma City Community College in 1982 and worked for the Midwest City Hospital as an EMT on a full and part-time basis until 1987. After completing some “ride-alongs” with Midwest City police officers, he joined the police force in October 1983, working for 31 years until retiring in November 2015. The ODVA website states he was selected as “Supervisor of the Quarter” three times and “Supervisor of the Year” in 1999 for his actions during and after the May 3, 1999 tornado and was awarded two Lifesaving awards, the Police Community Service award, and the Meritorious Service award.
“I missed being in the military…And so I joined the Air National Guard in 1985 and ended up doing 25 years…I was an aerospace med(ical) tech(nician)” said Dukes. Later, he became a Security Forces Specialist. According to ODVA’s website, “During Operation Enduring Freedom, Matt was activated by the Air National Guard and deployed to Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, serving as NCOIC for detainee operations.” Chief Master Sergeant Matthew Dukes retired from the Oklahoma Air National Guard in 2008 with 29 years of service.
Mayor of Midwest City
Dukes wanted his town to continue to improve, so he ran for mayor and was elected in 2016 for a partial two-year term. He was reelected in 2018 and 2022. His second, four-year term expires in April 2026.
Starting in 2017, the City Council, Guy Henson (former City Manager), and Dukes identified and promoted extensive infrastructure and quality of life improvements, resulting in the citizens of Midwest City approving a “2018 Moving Forward General Obligation Bond.” The bonds provided $53,650,000 for 19 projects affecting all six wards of the city: parks and recreation, streets, water safety, public safety and animal control.
The mayor is proud of those. “We passed the largest general obligation bond initiative in the City of Midwest City’s history at $53 million…Myself and the City Manager (Guy Henson) did over 45 presentations throughout the city, telling the citizens, ‘This is what we want and this is what we’re gonna do, and this is how you hold us accountable.’ And I’m extremely proud of the fact that we’ve completed all those projects.”
A Problem and an Opportunity
Currently, city leaders are addressing one long-term problem and one big opportunity.
The problem being handled is turning a nearly empty Heritage Park Mall on the northwest corner of East Reno Avenue and Air Depot Boulevard, closed since February 2010, into a new retail store and housing area. On Jan. 1, the Midwest City Beacon newspaper reported, “The Midwest City Urban Renewal Authority is using eminent domain to acquire the property after city officials and the property owner were unable to reach an agreement on a sale.”
Three commissioners and the city are working to take possession of the mall. Once that’s complete, Dukes said, “We’ll have to go through the RFP (request for proposal) process and see what developer comes with the best plan (to redevelop it)…I wanna make sure before I leave office, that we wrap that up.”
The big opportunity is to build a new, 74,000-square foot YMCA close to SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital. A statement by Midwest City on April 16, read, “The City of Midwest City, Mid-Del Schools, SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital – Midwest, and the YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City have partnered on a funding agreement ($40 million) that would build a new YMCA in Midwest City.” Dukes said, “Our current YMCA was built in 1964 and they’ve outgrown it three times.”
Employee Feedback
Midwest City employees like what Dukes is doing. Micala Newland, Midwest City Storm Water Quality Technician in the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, said, “ I appreciate that the city is environmentally friendly…He’s (Mayor Dukes) really supportive of the city.” Marc Bargel, a Midwest City Parks Maintenance employee, agreed. “It’s (Midwest City) a great place to work. Mayor Dukes does a great job and he’s very friendly with all the city employees.”
Dukes is pleased with the city’s progress. “You know, I grew up in this town…I raised my boys in this town and it’s a great place to live. And I just want it to continue.”
Purple Heart City
In December 2024, Midwest City was designated as a Purple Heart City and on March 1, Dukes was named “Mayor of the Year,” honors bestowed by the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH). The State Commander of the MOPH, Master Chief Larry Van Schuyver, said Dukes was chosen ahead of 64 nominees for the award. Accepting the plaque at VFW Post 4938 in Edmond, Dukes smiled and told the crowd, “I’m very honored. My whole family served in the military and this is very humbling. My son is a United States Marine. I tried to guide him the other way (crowd laughed)…I had the honor of serving in not one, but two branches of the United States military…All I did was make Midwest City a Purple Heart City.”
story/photos by Richard Stephens, Jr., Lt. Col, USAF Retired
Midwest City is a military-friendly, veteran-filled community with 58,000 citizens. The city’s motto, “Where the Spirit Flies High,” is living up to expectations. story/photos by Richard Stephens, Jr., Lt. Col, USAF Retired
