Cornett delivers final State of the City address
In a valedictory address to a key constituency throughout his 14 years as mayor, Mick Cornett saluted business leaders Thursday for their role in Oklahoma City’s renaissance. • “We have taken a city that had been branded by tragedy and built it into a cosmopolitan, job-creating powerhouse, that is also known for its compassion,” Cornett said.
The mayor spoke for 30 minutes to about 1,450 guests assembled at downtown’s Cox Convention Center for the annual State of the City speech put on by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the city’s leading business organization.
Before Cornett’s remarks, Rhonda Hooper, president and chief executive officer of Jordan Advertising and the Chamber’s 2017-18 chair, presented Cornett with the organization’s Hot Brand statue.
The Hot Brand is presented to past chairs of the Chamber board and, rarely Hooper said, to others who have “contributed and made an indelible mark on our community.”
The bronze sculpture by Rich Muno depicts a calf rising just after receiving his brand.
“Having served longer than any mayor in our city’s history, Mayor Cornett has helped lead and promote the remaking of Oklahoma City and communicated that around the globe,” Hooper said.
Cornett is stepping down in April after 14 years and a record four terms as mayor. He has
“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to be your mayor.”
begun a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.
During Cornett’s tenure, Hooper said, Oklahoma City added 100,000 jobs while keeping unemployment low and building a dynamic urban core with arts, culture, dining and the NBA.
Cornett will be remembered for the arrival of the National Basketball Association’s Thunder and for his focus on transforming the city, creating walkable neighborhoods and promoting healthy lifestyles.
In his remarks, Cornett focused on the quality of those projects, many of them associated with MAPS 3, the 2009 iteration of the city’s longterm capital improvements initiative.
He reminisced about meeting a 9-year-old during a visit to his former school, Coronado Elementary, observing she clearly had high standards when she politely waited for the visiting politician to finish speaking, then asked whether balloons released at a city celebration were biodegradable.
“And really, higher standards is the best way to describe the ascension of Oklahoma City,” he said.
“It’s higher standards for public buildings and sports venues. You see all of that in MAPS and MAPS for Kids and MAPS 3,” Cornett said.
“We have higher standards for public safety, which you see with our commitment to hire additional police officers and firefighters.
“Next month we’ll complete the process and have body cameras for every police officer in the field.”
He singled out parks improvements, sidewalks, trails and transit.
“And of course we have better streets. They’re built around the needs of people, not necessarily the needs of cars,” Cornett said.
With before-and-after slides he highlighted the transformation of neighborhood shopping and entertainment districts including the Plaza District, Midtown and East Bricktown.
But Cornett reminded the audience not every neighborhood and every resident had been lifted up.
“It is the common urban story that no matter how much economic success a community enjoys, no city ever becomes problem-free,” he said.
He praised community service organizations and acknowledged the “wide
range of strategies and outcomes” to be found in the 24 public school districts that enroll children living in Oklahoma City.
“For a kid, a good school can mean a great
life,” Cornett said. “Success is about inspiration and motivation with a real-world curriculum that is intellectually challenging.”
“Education is a shared responsibility,” he said. “There’s a role for all levels of government. There’s a role for the business community.
“We have to produce graduates with problemsolving, critical-thinking skills who are prepared for college and career and real life.
“Our current level of thinking is not going to get us there.”
Cornett promoted Thursday’s kickoff of the annual Allied Arts fundraising campaign, noted improved health measurements and said the next five years would be better than the last five. Then, goodbye.
He said he had learned through 14 years of reporting on the state of the city that those in attendance are the city’s best ambassadors.
“So please keep it up,” Cornett said. “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to be your mayor.”