Norman McNickle has served the City of Stillwater since 1976, where he worked up the ranks to become chief of police in 1987. McNickle was appointed administrative director of public safety in 2011, overseeing police, fire and emergency services.
He was named interim city manager in December 2015 and Stillwater City Council unanimously approved him as Stillwater city manager in February 2016.
The Stillwater Police Department received accreditation from the Oklahoma Commission of Law Enforcement Accreditation under McNickle's leadership. Stillwater is one of nine cities to achieve accreditation.
He also reorganized the police and fire command structure to reduce administrative positions, resulting in more personnel working at the street level. McNickle managed the construction of the new police building from concept, architectural design, bond issue passage and construction.
He also facilitated a partnership between Payne County and the City to provide a consolidated E-911 system. The partnership has resulted in a savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures for both agencies. The countywide agency is one of the few self-supporting, solvent E-911 systems in Oklahoma.
McNickle was the 2009 recipient of the Oklahoma Municipal League’s Don Rider Award, which recognizes local officials who have made outstanding contributions to their communities. He was also awarded the 2007 Outstanding Leader Award from the Leadership Stillwater Alumni Association and was named the 2005 Stillwater Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year.
McNickle is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University.
Content last review 03.31.2022
