Mick Cornett just announced he will not seek reelection.

State Senator David Holt is a very likely candidate, as is Ed Shadid.

I'll be pulling for Holt if he runs. He is a very level headed person with a calm demeanor.

Mick Cornett just announced he will not seek reelection.

State Senator David Holt is a very likely candidate, as is Ed Shadid.

One thing I really like about Cornett is how he really gets it when it comes to promoting urban development as well as portraying a positive image of the city to the nation. While he is a conservative Republican, he has steered away from hot button cultural issues and even went against his party when it meant the best for the city of Oklahoma City.

I am not certain David Holt would have the same kind of character. I will likely be voting Shadid.

back in 2014 when Ed ran against Mick. Mick got 65 percent of the vote while ED got 32 percent. Also Ed has mention that he will not seek a re election for ward 2.

I would vote for David Holt in a heartbeat. Solid guy who knows about city business and state government, very smart, well respected across the board by all sorts of different demographics. He would be a great choice.

One thing I really like about Cornett is how he really gets it when it comes to promoting urban development as well as portraying a positive image of the city to the nation. While he is a conservative Republican, he has steered away from hot button cultural issues and even went against his party when it meant the best for the city of Oklahoma City.

I am not certain David Holt would have the same kind of character. I will likely be voting Shadid.

The mayor has very little impact on suburban vs. urban development. An effective mayor in our city government system is a mayor who has the support of the councilors. Shadid during his last mayoral campaign destroyed all political capital he had, and alienated himself and lost the respect of his fellow councilors. I could foresee him having no power as mayor, as any proposal good or bad would be shot down by City Council just out of the fact that it was Shadid's proposal.

Disappointed to hear about Mick. Great guy and great Mayor.

For those who don't know, Holt was Mick's Chief of Staff for five years.

It is commonly thought he has had his eye on the mayor seat for quite a while.

Mayor Cornett has been awesome for the city and will be sad to see him go, but we were lucky to even get him back for this last term.

I would support Holt 100% for mayor, especially over Shadid.

I'm still new around here and don't know much about Holt, but (at the risk of getting too political in this thread) I really respect that he voted against both SB 197 and 694 advancing through the Senate.

Press Release:


Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett announces he will not seek re-election in 2018

Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election when his fourth term as mayor expires in the spring of 2018.

“I still love the job as much as I ever have,” Mayor Cornett said from City Hall on Wednesday morning. “And that makes it a difficult decision. I look forward to this final year in office knowing we have several more milestones to reach.”

Cornett became Oklahoma City’s Mayor on March 2, 2004. He is the city’s longest-serving mayor and is currently the longest-serving mayor in the country among the 50 largest cities in the United States. He is scheduled to leave office in April 2018.

Mayor Cornett is currently the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That one year term ends in June.

Before becoming Oklahoma City’s mayor, Cornett spent 20 years as a television news and sports anchor. He then served three years on the City Council before announcing his candidacy for Mayor in November 2003.

The next Oklahoma City mayoral election starts with a primary on Feb. 13, 2018. If a candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary, he or she is elected to office. If no candidate wins a majority, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to a runoff in a general election on April 3, 2018.

Hopefully Mick runs for Governor...

Hopefully Mick runs for Governor...

I'm pretty sure Elmo could run for Governor and do a better job than the incumbent.

Hopefully Mick runs for Governor...

Yes please.

I think he'd have a good shot of getting it.

Love Mayor Cornett.

I am excited to get new blood out there, though. ~15 years is the perfect amount of time to give whatever it is you have to give to an elected municipal position, and Mayor Cornett really crushed it during his time. Big shoes to fill for whoever wins, that's for sure.

I would hope this change would also finally bring a change to the City Manager position and some of his key reports.

Couch has held that job 4 times longer than anyone before him and change is needed in that position to get a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective on how things are done at City Hall.

The City Manager job is way, way more powerful than the mayor and yet nobody pays attention.

Ed would be a disaster to progressivism in OKC.

We need to find someone who is progressive, aggressive, and charismatic. This will be a critical election for this city and whether it will be reflective of 23rd Street or desirous of separating from pompous politics. Mick did a good job of being both conservative in his national politics AND progressive for our city.

OKC has a "weak mayor" system where he/she only gets one vote on city council and usually only votes in the case of a tie. So in that respect, less voting power than any of the 8 city council positions.

What the mayor is in OKC is primarily a cheerleader, ambassador and advocate.

Ed Shadid just posted this on Facebook:

"I believe Mick Cornett is completing his most effective term as Mayor of OKC (particularly his work as Pres. of the Conference of Mayors) and I hope he will consider running for State office as we need an advocate in our highly dysfunctional State government. OK and OKC must diversify with great urgency away from the old Oil and Gas-centric economy and towards a new 21st century diversified economy or we risk great pain and economic irrelevance. I am actively considering my role in leading the City towards the rewards of a stable and diversified future."

sounds like he's running

David Holt has been telling people he's going to run.

Ed Shadid has also been doing the same.

Add Brian Maughan to the mix. He has already publicly announced.

A sleeper candidate who would gain a ton of support pretty quickly and is well liked across the spectrum: State Rep. George Young.

County Commissions Brian Maughan has already thrown his hat in the ring:

https://www.oklahomacounty.org/district2/Biography.aspx

Statement by Senator David Holt regarding announcement by Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett

"Today, Mayor Cornett announced he will not seek another term, putting an end date
on one of the most successful mayoral tenures our city has ever seen.
Today is a day to celebrate Mayor Cornett's phenomenal record of service to the
people of Oklahoma City. I wish we could declare it 'Mick Cornett Day', but that
is something only mayors can do, and our mayor has always deflected credit for
our city's renaissance.

But in fact, Mayor Cornett deserves much of the acclaim for our recent successes.
From the NBA to MAPS 3 to the implementation of MAPS for Kids to his leadership
in promoting healthier lifestyles, Mayor Cornett leaves an unparalleled record of
accomplishment. In addition to being my mayor, he has always been my friend, and
I sincerely hope his public service does not end when he leaves City Hall."

Think Cornett will go for another state position? Or just retire?

Interesting. I would happily vote for Holt, for the most part I have long been impressed by his work in the state legislature.

He would make an excellent governor or senator.

Other than that, I bet he wouldn't be interested as he can make a bunch of money now through his business contacts and speaking engagements.

He would make an excellent governor or senator.

Other than that, I bet he wouldn't be interested as he can make a bunch of money now through his business contacts and speaking engagements.

As high profile as his career is I think he would win the governor's race.

We've thought that of other past good mayors as well...

As high profile as his career is I think he would win the governor's race.

Is Cornett socially conservative enough to win a state election in Oklahoma? He's a centrist and I don't think centrists can win state-wide elections in Oklahoma anymore.

I think he was a centrist because the position of mayor has always been non-partisan in OKC and he wanted to (wisely) avoid the political rifts that plagued cities like Tulsa.

He is certainly very pro big-business and that is not a centrist view and an important part of far right platform.

So in other words, yes, I think he could win over those who consider themselves conservatives in this state.

I think anyone who thinks Cornett stands a chance in a statewide race doesn't understand Oklahoma politics. In Oklahoma politics, for those statewide races, if you don't play well with the rubes, you aren't going to make it through your primary. Cornett is just too polished and too tied to city politics to fend off a Bible thumping huckster like Todd Lamb.

I think he'd make a fine governor though.

And David Holt will make a fine mayor.

Oklahoma is now 66% urban.

And I think he'd get a ton of support from both OKC and Tulsa.

OKC's renaissance under his reign is probably the best comeback story in the history of the state, and that is recognized throughout Oklahoma.


Not saying he would definitely win, but there are some unique things at play here. Plus, he can easily play up the faith and family values stuff.

I think anyone who thinks Cornett stands a chance in a statewide race doesn't understand Oklahoma politics. In Oklahoma politics, for those statewide races, if you don't play well with the rubes, you aren't going to make it through your primary. Cornett is just too polished and too tied to city politics to fend off a Bible thumping huckster like Todd Lamb.

I think he'd make a fine governor though.

And David Holt will make a fine mayor.

I think Cornett is probably going to ride off into the sunset (I would) but there are probably some folks who might vote for him just because of the Thunder and the story behind it.

Holt would be a fine mayor in the same mold, but if I had to guess I'd think Holt's visions are grander than mayor of OKC.

I'll vote for Holt. He's the perfect republican IMHO.

Cornett would win if he ran for governor. Don't underestimate his rural support, he can make the case what's good for okc is good for OK, like the thunder.

Cornett would make a great gubernatorial candidate and could win solely based on his ability to get people to work together. He's certainly not a liberal, so that defeats many worries in that vein. Unless we've been completely blind, it's not like he has a dark past that is going to come roaring up if he were to run.

I mean, his ability to get people to sit down at a table and have a discussion is what just about every executive office in this country DESPERATELY needs and what most constituents dream of in their governors/presidents. Oklahoma could only be so lucky to have a candidate like Cornett.

I have worked on ten Oklahoma City municipal elections thus far over about fourteen years. Eight out of ten of those elections were successes. This last one was probably the toughest because the candidate put the effort in and we were reasonably well enough financed by donors to deploy 28,000 pieces of exceptionally designed mail, text messaging, phone calls, field workers, and more. He walked over 3,500 doors.

The takeaway from this last one is that it is that the electorate has changed. The OKC municipal voter has gotten older, the pool of municipally engaged voters has gotten smaller, and national politics has permeated this voting group. 88% of the voting demographic is over 48 years of age. Because of the time of year that we have these elections, weather can dramatically affect turnout. Low turnout increases the opportunities for anomalies to have significant impacts.

I am sad to say that a question that came up at the doors over and over again for the candidate was who he voted for president. Does he support Trump? Despite being a registered Republican and a self-professed conservative, responding that city council races are non-partisan and who he voted for was irrelevant, was not an adequate answer. I think it is very hard for a moderate intellectual individual to be elected to office at this point. Non-partisanship in City Council races is no longer valued by the core voter. It is very much an deciding issue now. I think that these sentiments hold even more truth in a low turnout scenario.

In a four-way mayoral race, anything can happen. I expect it to get nasty and bloody. This last city council election is a bellwether warning. If one looks at the southside, Morrisette nearly one outright even though Stone is reasonably well financed. I am not sure if Morisette's campaign paid for the hit piece on Stone or if it was an Independent Expenditure Committee. Regardless, the completely baseless attack that republican Stone was a closeted liberal nearly put Morrisette over the top. It got him very close.

I think that we have entered an era where to win, one may have to go to the absolute far right or far left. I would not be surprised if Ed owns Ward 2 and Ward 6 and stimulates turnout for himself. It will probably be the suburbs versus the inner city. The Bernie folks versus the Trump folks may very well be the election scenario we see play out before our very eyes. This is unprecedented. A positive campaign based on merit, continued civic renaissance, and business may very well have a tough time resonating in a four-way race dominated by partisan politics.

Holt has the built in mechanical advantage. However, in a low turnout election, things may be completely surprising. Logic no longer applies.

"88% of the voting demographic is over 48 years of age"

Holy cow.

People of that age think completely differently and are literally from a different era. Did not grow up with the Internet and many still watch the nightly news and read the newspaper as their primary news sources.

For all the talk about progressiveness, it's the older people (and church goers) who vote in this country and you can see that impact very clearly.

I'll vote for Holt. He's the perfect republican IMHO.

Cornett would win if he ran for governor. Don't underestimate his rural support, he can make the case what's good for okc is good for OK, like the thunder.

Like he did with Lake Canton? Sardis?

I think you underestimate the huge middle finger OKC and Tulsa have extended to the rural areas of the state. The Canton incident was years ago and there's still a thread on here where everyone is liveblogging the precipitation in NW Oklahoma.

I think you underestimate the huge middle finger OKC and Tulsa have extended to the rural areas of the state.
I understand the point I think you're making, but damn, at some point the rural parts need to understand that without OKC and Tulsa, there isn't a them for the most part.

My educated guess is that Cornett wouldn't stand a chance against Lamb in a gubernatorial primary. I'd put the over-under on the margin in a two-way race at 2-to-1. I agree with the poster upthread who said that *winning* statewide elections is all about playing by rules. That's true in both the major parties.

I understand the point I think you're making, but damn, at some point the rural parts need to understand that without OKC and Tulsa, there isn't a them for the most part.

From a rational standpoint, you are right. But on the other hand, without the resources being hauled or piped in from rural parts of the state, there wouldn't be an OKC or Tulsa. A successful candidate is going to have to navigate the rural-urban divide, and I don't think Cornett could possibly be up to the task. I don't think that's fair or rational, but it is nevertheless probably true. The fact that OKC is poised on occasion to suck the water out of Sardis, Atoka and Canton is a major issue for the nearby rural communities who still think, for example, that the Lake Canton drawdown was partially done to accommodate a film shot around Lake Hefner.

I'd vote for a steaming pile of what my dog leaves in the back yard before I'd vote for Shadid.

"88% of the voting demographic is over 48 years of age"

Holy cow.

People of that age think completely differently and are literally from a different era. Did not grow up with the Internet and many still watch the nightly news and read the newspaper as their primary news sources.

For all the talk about progressiveness, it's the older people (and church goers) who vote in this country and you can see that impact very clearly.

Hmm.... I am (well) over 48 (52, actually), dumped the nightly news for its gross worthlessness decades ago, and gain news from a variety of sources. And I'm also a churchgoer and haven't purposefully missed a vote/election since I registered 30-something years ago.

Point being that being (slightly) older in the tooth doesn't *quite* mean you're *that* conventional :) :) :)

^^^ Yeah, I'm 51 and I certainly don't conform to the "old folks" category, was playing around on the internet back in 1986, don't watch nightly news or read the newspaper, or drive too slow, or..... I'd say that the cutoff line for the "old folks" should probably be 58 or so instead of 48.

Anyone that participates here is clearly a different bread of cat. :)

^^^ Yeah, I'm 51 and I certainly don't conform to the "old folks" category, was playing around on the internet back in 1986, don't watch nightly news or read the newspaper, or drive too slow, or..... I'd say that the cutoff line for the "old folks" should probably be 58 or so instead of 48.

Yeah and I, being 64, would say that age is more like 78....

Lamb has a million dollars in the bank. I think his break with Fallin could backfire - I hope. I would take Cornett over any of the possible Republican candidates, I think Cornett would be a great Lt. Gov. More GO/and Maps $ projects for citizens and neighborhoods. Borrowing 75 million for the last bond for Economic Development, widening roads - subsidizes the wrong things.

...I think that we have entered an era where to win, one may have to go to the absolute far right or far left. I would not be surprised if Ed owns Ward 2 and Ward 6 and stimulates turnout for himself. It will probably be the suburbs versus the inner city. The Bernie folks versus the Trump folks may very well be the election scenario we see play out before our very eyes. This is unprecedented. A positive campaign based on merit, continued civic renaissance, and business may very well have a tough time resonating in a four-way race dominated by partisan politics....

I understand your vantage point and concern.

That being said, I believe it's a bit alarmist. The reality is we were coming off an election year on this last round. 2018 will be a very different animal where people are far less inclined to vote for a person based on national partisan politics. Obviously there will always be partisan politics...but it will take a national clust@*@%@ to change the reality in our municipal elections in 2018.

I believe it's a bit alarmist.

If I did not have the experience on working on all these campaigns over fourteen years, I wouldn't make such a stark statement. The difference is that voting demographics are now much more tribal. Historically, partisanship has not permeated municipal races to such a degree. The tribalism phenomenon is a new influence in city politics. Or, it can be made to be an influence.

Do you really think that the influence of the Trump folks on the far right or the angry far left will wash out in a year?

We know Ed will go to his base tribe of support. If three Republicans are fighting over their base tribes in the suburbs, in a low turnout election, anything can happen.

Mayor Cornett's involvement in supporting David Holt is critical to permeating that gap and bringing perspective back into the race. Don't be surprised if $1 - $2.5 million collectively is spent on this mayoral election.

To further extrapolate, this race will be about the future. Holt represents a continuation of Cornett's philosophies to build our city into a better place that retains and attracts though a better quality of life.

Assuming Ed continues his typical political personality, he will tell you everything that is wrong with the city. And many times, his criticisms are not without their own merit. For him, the difference between being the Mayor and just another council vote is both the megaphone it provides and the Mayoral appointments that come along with it to inject our city's committees and boards with his appointees.

My "alarmist" comments relate to the third major variable is the tribalism factor and the partisanship that comes along with that. How much is that a factor that drowns out a discussion about our city's overall future?

Ed is the most progressive person on the council. He will not be endorsed by big business or the Chamber, but he cares about walkable urban development that benefits everyone in the city and growing an economy of the future. His campaign challenged Mick to focus more on neighborhoods and quality of life issues. Ed understands that Big League cities have good public transportation, a social safety net, and embrace diversity. His mayoral run was about 10 years ahead of its time for OKC, but considering how blue the city voted in the last local elections and the wave of populism in our country, perhaps his time has come.

Ed is the most progressive person on the council. He will not be endorsed by big business or the Chamber, but he cares about walkable urban development that benefits everyone in the city and growing an economy of the future. His campaign challenged Mick to focus more on neighborhoods and quality of life issues. Ed understands that Big League cities have good public transportation, a social safety net, and embrace diversity. His mayoral run was about 10 years ahead of its time for OKC, but considering how blue the city voted in the last local elections and the wave of populism in our country, perhaps his time has come.

I don't think there's *ever* a time coming for Shadid. At least I hope not.

Ed is the most progressive person on the council. He will not be endorsed by big business or the Chamber, but he cares about walkable urban development that benefits everyone in the city and growing an economy of the future. His campaign challenged Mick to focus more on neighborhoods and quality of life issues. Ed understands that Big League cities have good public transportation, a social safety net, and embrace diversity. His mayoral run was about 10 years ahead of its time for OKC, but considering how blue the city voted in the last local elections and the wave of populism in our country, perhaps his time has come.

Ed probably is our most Progressive critic on council. You're right, he won't be endorsed by big business or by the Chamber. And he probably shouldn't be.

I agree with you that he cares about walkable urban environments. He does care about economic diversification. However, demonizing Oil & Gas is probably going to cost him quite a few votes even if he may be right about many of the issues surrounding those resources.

His campaign might have challenged Mick. However, the Mayor was already working on neighborhoods and arguably many of the initiatives he has championed affect quality of life for the greater city. Presenting it otherwise is disingenuous.

If demonizing the streetcar system and pitting bus advocates against streetcar advocates is his strategy for getting a better public transit system, many of us will continue to be unable to support his campaign. We want to work collectively together to build a better, more comprehensive public transit system.

No argument on a social safety net and embracing diversity here. We must also address mental health issues and further criminal justice reform. Those issues are underserved and dramatically under-addressed.

Ed might come close to winning. It is entirely possible if this election is clouded by partisanship and irrelevant issues.

Ed is the most progressive person on the council. He will not be endorsed by big business or the Chamber, but he cares about walkable urban development that benefits everyone in the city and growing an economy of the future. His campaign challenged Mick to focus more on neighborhoods and quality of life issues. Ed understands that Big League cities have good public transportation, a social safety net, and embrace diversity. His mayoral run was about 10 years ahead of its time for OKC, but considering how blue the city voted in the last local elections and the wave of populism in our country, perhaps his time has come.

And there is your problem, assuming that all blue voters in OKC would just vote for Ed. That's incredibly false. Look on this board alone and you can tell that's not the case. There is no need to make our city elections partisan.

I understand the point I think you're making, but damn, at some point the rural parts need to understand that without OKC and Tulsa, there isn't a them for the most part.

Not to add to the divide, but Okie rural voters are not a very intellectually vigorous group.

... There is no need to make our city elections partisan.

They'll become partisan in today's environment, no matter what, sadly.

I believe there is a major divide forming over people even on the left. A lot of the Bernie crowd is disavowing the Democratic Party and creating fissures there. And a lot of the "angry" people are actually center left to centrist Democrats. How might that play out? Hard to say now. I think it's worth noting that Councilman Shadid publicly supported Jill Stein, even though she was not on the ballot in Oklahoma -- yes, the woman who had dinner with Putin and Flynn and said Trump would be better for America than Hillary. Meanwhile, Holt publicly condemned Trump completely and has never gone back on it. So it is very difficult to see how "partisan politics" would play a role a year from now in a nonpartisan OKC mayoral race.

So it is very difficult to see how "partisan politics" would play a role a year from now in a nonpartisan OKC mayoral race.

I disagree. It isn't difficult at all. You are hyper-educated and that is the difference. Even I didn't know about Putin and Jill Stein. This comes down to if partisan politics is made an issue. I don't know Brian Maughn and how ruthless he may or may not be in an election such as this.

Holt officially announced.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6-iRD6bao&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=20170227+-+Holt+for+Mayor&utm_campaign=20170227+-+Holt+for+Mayor&utm_medium=email

http://holtformayor.com