OKC names new city manager
The Oklahoma City Council on Tuesday named Finance Director Craig Freeman to succeed Jim Couch as city manager. The vote was unanimous.
Asked what strengths the council saw in Freeman, Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee said, “His skill, his character, and his ability to build a team and work well with people.”
Freeman immediately assumed responsibilities as the city’s top administrator. He officially takes his new title Jan. 2, when Couch’s retirement takes effect.
Freeman said he looked forward to working more closely with the city’s elected leaders.
“What I really appreciate about our council,” he said, “is they don’t always agree with each other, and they can debate and discuss issues, but they walk away in unity around the concept of moving the city forward.”
“It’s our role to make sure we’ve got the team together that can carry out their vision.”
Freeman, 53, taught and coached at his former school, Windsor Hills Baptist School, before joining the city in 1992 as a management and budget analyst.
He served 10 years as budget director and was named finance director in 2011.
In that role, he played a central part in assuring the city maintained top ratings with bond rating agencies, keeping borrowing costs low.
He led a staff of 85 in the Finance Department in areas including debt and risk management, accounting
services, and budget development.
Freeman has had roles in the agreements for completing the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum and development of downtown’s convention center hotel.
Both projects will be completed on his watch, as will the convention center itself, the associated parking garage, and the MAPS 3 downtown park.
Building on the values Couch put to work in assembling the team that extended the MAPS-driven renaissance and attracted the NBA was on Freeman’s mind Tuesday.
Couch, he said, “built a team that invests in people.”
“I believe it’s what really holds us together right now,” Freeman said. “This is the team that was here, that brought us to this place.”
“People that are good leaders, grow leaders,” he said. For the city’s 4,800 employees, Freeman said, that means knowing “you can lead from whatever position you’re in.”
Looking ahead to his first year, Freeman anticipated having positions to fill, completing street projects that are residents’ No. 1 priority, and delivering on the promises made to voters in MAPS 3.
“It’s all setting the stage on the discussion for MAPS 4 as citizens give feedback on ... what they’d like to see us do,” he said.
The city is collecting ideas for MAPS 4, asking residents to “Dream Big.” A vote is about a year away.
Mayor David Holt tweeted, “This is a good day for OKC.”
He said Freeman was “uniquely effective in at least three areas — his financial management, his high ethical standards and his collaborative management style.”
“All will put us in the best possible position to succeed,” Holt wrote.