https://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/O2nBMog2pjYOjEgHLeGBPA/348s.jpg
1. Mental (Behavior) health facility complex $50 million
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/senior3.jpg
2. Wellness Center (5th center)
3. Riverfront Soccer Stadium (soccer specific & American football, 12,500 -15,000 seat starter, on city owned land) - Budget $25 million
4. Aquarian (@OKC Zoo or Core Development) $200 million
5. Community beautification projects; sidewalks, street lights & planters $200 million
6. BNSF Pedestrian Bridge development with boardwalk north/south piers $100 million
7. Streetcar: two 1 mile expansions north/south routes - Budget: $125 million
8. Oklahoma City Museum of Arts (renovation & expansion project) $25 million


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/link1.jpg
9. Caps over I-235 and/& I-40 to Health Science Center Complex $50 million
X. State Fair Park (new arena-$100m, new elevated space tower-$20m & grand entrance-$5m on G. Pershing Blvd)

11. Bricktown Canal one mile west extension $30 million

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perez112918g.jpg
12. Manual Perez Park relocation $10 million
13. Chesapeake Energy Arena (minor renovation & upgrades) $50 million
14. Cox Convention Center demolition for redevelopment $50 million

15. Creation of a N.E. 23rd Street Development Corridor.

Numbered 1-14 did a copy & paste. Added 15. 23rd Street N. E. Corridor. Here's my results. Hope we can get all 14 projects; most cases these are overestimates; some will be underestimates...

I realize I'm nitpicking, but is the following your description or is it the way the mayor shows it?


5. Community beautification projects; sidewalks, street lights & planters $200 million

Sidewalks are a safety and livability issue. So are decent street lights that WORK!

I will climb off my soapbox now.

p.s. Half the streetlights that were installed along the new trail along NW 63rd Street are already out of order. How hard would it be for OKC to fix these?

Don't speak for Mayor David Holt; he has shown that he is very capable of speaking for himself when he addressed this website.

Many of the ideas gathered were from this website. Ideas needed such as an Energy FC Stadium or we will lose USL soccer; also a new State Fair Arena or OKC will lose 'hand down' to Fort Worth's Dixie's Arena second-to-none among rodeo specific arenas.

Agree on the sidewalks, just happen to be one of those raggedy walking people who would trip over a sidewalk regardless of how smooth the surface was.

Street lights; we definitely need to address the issue ASAP. Need technology to catch these cooper thieves because they don't know which lights are cooper or aluminum. The damage is devastating for the amount of petty cash they receive from these scrap metal outlets--maybe there needs to be more legislation to impose fines/jail time to curtail the molestation of public safety property thief. With you there rte66man.

What about those poison darts from Raiders of the Lost Ark? Put them in like every third streetlight, randomly. Copper theft problem solved.

Where would a fifth senior wellness be located? Each quadrant of the city is already slated to receive one.

What about those poison darts from Raiders of the Lost Ark? Put them in like every third streetlight, randomly. Copper theft problem solved.

Better yet start a drone patrol. Have a place/s to auto launch/recover and they have poison darts or knockout gas. Shoot em with a tranquilizer. Then with camera and alert cops get called. Each drone does a 15 minute section so would cover it in that time. Only in dark hours too.

What about tennis?

Is there enough interest (corporate sponsors, fans) where Oklahoma City could build an outdoor venue; host a major annual tennis tournament--men, women, singles, doubles, mixed...

As much as I would like an aquarium downtown by the river. It would be a huge value added to the OKC zoo and really put the OKC zoo complex into the national spotlight. If you consider the existing infrastructure and a degree of a post MAPS funding mechanism already in place it seems like something to really consider.

I've had the good fortune to reconnect with a zoo I probably hadn't gone to in 25-30 years when it became fun to bring the kid to the zoo. We're zoo members now and probably go twice a month when the weather is decent. I was lucky enough to be a well-travelled kid. I've been to most states. We'd take these three-week vacations in the summer where we'd drive with a camper all over different regions of the U.S. to experience what all they have to offer. I remember being told we were going to the best zoo in the U.S. (this was in the 1980s) at the San Diego Zoo. I recall not being all that impressed.. it wasn't much of a step above the OKC Zoo at the time.

Things have changed greatly since the 1980s, and San Diego is ridiculously successful. The OKC Zoo still punches above its weight, but with the aquarium now being closed, and basically the entire east end of the zoo essentially abandoned past the stingray exhibit, it's getting the feel of an outfit which is struggling. Sure, they added the elephant exhibit--which is a world class exhibit. The Asia exhibit was pretty underwhelming when it finally came online. It seems like they are drastically scaling back on the number of exhibits and that they've made the decision to only do a few exhibits, but do them very well. So certain exhibits in the zoo are new and state of the art. Others were built in the 1950s and before and have some pretty serious maintenance issues.

Unlike a lot of those other items, like sports arenas which will be nothing but money holes, public investment in the zoo is something all of the public can actually enjoy. Tourism is a huge industry, a world class aquarium or other exhibits would bring in lots of dollars and permanently employ a lot of folks.

What about tennis?

Is there enough interest (corporate sponsors, fans) where Oklahoma City could build an outdoor venue; host a major annual tennis tournament--men, women, singles, doubles, mixed...

I recall Will Rogers Park has a tennis center that has hosted Virginia Slims tournaments back in the day. I don't know if it is a facility that could be worked over into something modern and effective, but a conversation starter.

I really think an aquarium somewhere downtown would be awesome. Maybe by the river?

Is there something in the charter that strictly forbids us from doing anything unique/original?

I recall Will Rogers Park has a tennis center that has hosted Virginia Slims tournaments back in the day. I don't know if it is a facility that could be worked over into something modern and effective, but a conversation starter.


Virginia Slims tournament --- hahhah that just sounds weird. Smoking and tennis don't really mix these days.

I wish we could develop something downtown that would strictly be unique to OKC. (Ex: St. Louis arch, Seattle Space Needle, etc.) Something that could define the city to where someone would instantly recognize it and know that it is Oklahoma City. It's just a cool thought I've always had and something that could further enhance our skyline. The Skydance Bridge is cool, but IMO pretty underwhelming.

... The Skydance Bridge is cool, but IMO pretty underwhelming.

Blame that on our crappy city engineers, original design was way better. "Unexpected costs" seems to be a familiar recurring theme with them...

https://newsok.com/article/3508495/skydance-bridge-to-be-redesigned

https://newsok.com/article/3508772/cables-cut-for-planned-skydance-bridge

I wish we could develop something downtown that would strictly be unique to OKC. (Ex: St. Louis arch, Seattle Space Needle, etc.) Something that could define the city to where someone would instantly recognize it and know that it is Oklahoma City. It's just a cool thought I've always had and something that could further enhance our skyline. The Skydance Bridge is cool, but IMO pretty underwhelming.

had we gotten the original not scaled down version of the skydance bridge, i think it would have been it

https://journalrecord.com/2019/02/19/mayor-seeks-a-broader-strategy-for-maps-4/

Pete (or anyone else more in the know than I), it seems like there has been a sharp uptick in announcements of developments in automobile alley over the last ~6 months. While I'm sure a lot of this is natural development as there's a great supply of underused building stock and land in the area, do you think the developers are announcing these projects now based off of assurances there will be a 235 cap/other significant investment in the area as part of MAPS 4?

While, for better or worse, I won't be surprised if a 235 cap is part of MAPS 4 based off of everything I've heard here and elsewhere, I'm just curious if some of these developers announcing projects know something the public doesn't. Not that I think there's anything hugely scandalous about this - just curious.

That being said, it seems that a decent amount of credit should be given to the streetcar for helping spur the recent uptick of development in AA as well.

https://oklahoma.uli.org/event/march-mapsness-okc/

I can’t see the Journal Record because of the paywall. I really need to get a subscription to them as they do outstanding journalism.

regarding the highway cap, it will be interesting to see if the new councilors agree that this is where they think the money needs to spent. Two other questions include a streetcar extension versus the cost of the cap. Maybe a combination project? And the. There is ODOT. There really isn’t an incentive for them to be for this. The new Director would have to buy in. That person’s s opinion is probably directly influenced by the governor. This project idea probably has the most obstacles. They are not impossible obstacles but significant both monetarily and politically.

I still have yet to subscribe but from the paragraph shown it says maps will likely be the first billion dollar maps and will set aside 100 million for an endowment to fund ongoing MAPS project operations. I think that would be a smart move.

I still have yet to subscribe but from the paragraph shown it says maps will likely be the first billion dollar maps and will set aside 100 million for an endowment to fund ongoing MAPS project operations. I think that would be a smart move.

Endowment for ongoing MAPS project operation sounds like a great idea--in addition to a contingency fund.

Many of those original MAPS Projects like the Bricktown Ballpark (opened in 1998) will approach 22 years come 2020. Use to love the right field upper deck that they tarped off with ADS; wish they would restore those seats and replace all seats in The Brick; same with The Peake.

Great Idea. The Endowment grows interest that adds a little extra cash to the fund.

It would be cool to see improvements to the proposed commuter rail corridor to help expedite the process of construction.

A few examples would be using MAPS 4 funds to secure property for proposed station and build grade separated overpasses on high trafficked streets that separated the BNSF line while having room for an additional track or even dedicated tracks alongside the existing BNSF track to be constructed whenever official construction on the entire line begins. A more specific example would be something like building an overpass at Wilshire long enough to reconnect Classen straight through. The bridge superstructure should carry the BNSF track plus be wide enough to build a separate commuter rail track in the future.

Create a TOD area in the old town of Britton with streetscape improvements and property purchased for a future commuter rail station. Again, this could expedite the process of bringing commuter rail to OKC. Do this for several other locations along proposed lines.

Commuter rail prep for the future 10-20 years from now has good potential. Drivers in OKC are showing signs they want to navigate throughout the city without vehicles. The Streetcar is a good example of a sample.

Having a north route from OKC to Edmond; south to Moore, Norman would be a starter. West to Yukon & El Reno present futurel possibilities as well as east to Del City, Midwest City & Shawnee.

More people would commute south to Norman for OU school, games & events etc...

Key to commuter rail is cities with 125,000 pop., Norman is there; Edmond is almost there. UCO being a commuter university certainly bodes well since there are over 90,000 in Edmond. A Turner Turnpike commuter rail would need some study and funds from ODOT.

Moore-Norman accounts for a combined 185,000.

Is there something in the charter that strictly forbids us from doing anything unique/original?

That sort of negativity isn't helpful man. One must only look at the Riversport Rapids for a MAPS project that very few other cities have done. Same with the canal. Not every MAPS project has to be super unique and original. The whole point of MAPS is to increase the quality of life in OKC, so some, if not most, of those projects will be mundane (but stuff that still helps the City).

Blame that on our crappy city engineers, original design was way better. "Unexpected costs" seems to be a familiar recurring theme with them...

https://newsok.com/article/3508495/skydance-bridge-to-be-redesigned

https://newsok.com/article/3508772/cables-cut-for-planned-skydance-bridge

It wasn't city engineers - it was ODOT. ODOT forced the changes because they wanted to be able to drive vehicles on it in case they needed to make repairs.

It wasn't city engineers - it was ODOT. ODOT forced the changes because they wanted to be able to drive vehicles on it in case they needed to make repairs.

The article says this:


The Skydance Bridge will need a redesign as its projected cost has soared to more than twice the original estimate, city officials said Tuesday

Given Oklahoma's love affair for the cheap train, if OkDOT did in fact use that as an excuse, I'm calling BS on it! A suspension bridge could have been modified as well to be able to drive cars over it but that isn't what it's about. As always, a shiny rendering is put fourth that Oklahoma is finally getting something nice like what other major cities have then the bill comes... then starts the value engineering. Happens with developers all too much as well.

The article says this:



Given Oklahoma's love affair for the cheap train, if OkDOT did in fact use that as an excuse, I'm calling BS on it! A suspension bridge could have been modified as well to be able to drive cars over it but that isn't what it's about. As always, a shiny rendering is put fourth that Oklahoma is finally getting something nice like what other major cities have then the bill comes... then starts the value engineering. Happens with developers all too much as well.


Yes, the cost estimate soared to double the original estimate - from $5.2 million to $12.8 million - due largely to the redesign needed to bow to ODOT's demands. From your first article link:


The original design called for cables connected to the massive sculpture that would support the 30-foot-wide bridge.

Assistant City Manager Jim Thompson said the state Transportation Department had problems with the design because it wasn't capable of supporting large maintenance vehicles.

State officials also suggested the city might be required to use only bridge-certified fabricators for the steel needed for the project, raising the price on materials.

This requirement doubled the structural loading requirements of the bridge, forcing a total redesign of the bridge deck structure. That's why it's a truss bridge now, instead of a suspension bridge as originally designed - it's a vehicle-rated bridge that's restricted to pedestrians only. All thanks to ODOT throwing a fit because they want to drive their trucks onto the bridge.

It's a long video and audio quality suffers at times due to how far back the camera is, but this was a MAPS 4 panel moderated by Steve that had Ward 6/7 councilors/candidates and Roy Williams with the chamber. The highway cap among other things were discussed.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuYdxKRbRAI

Yes, the cost estimate soared to double the original estimate - from $5.2 million to $12.8 million - due largely to the redesign needed to bow to ODOT's demands. From your first article link:



This requirement doubled the structural loading requirements of the bridge, forcing a total redesign of the bridge deck structure. That's why it's a truss bridge now, instead of a suspension bridge as originally designed - it's a vehicle-rated bridge that's restricted to pedestrians only. All thanks to ODOT throwing a fit because they want to drive their trucks onto the bridge.Is this a normal requirement to be able to drive trucks over pedestrian bridges? What I mean by that, is do other states that build these bridges require that?

It wasn't city engineers - it was ODOT. ODOT forced the changes because they wanted to be able to drive vehicles on it in case they needed to make repairs.

Thanks for the correction. However, our city engineering dept. is still crap a lot of the time. :(

Is this a normal requirement to be able to drive trucks over pedestrian bridges? What I mean by that, is do other states that build these bridges require that?

I'm not a professional in this area, but I don't believe so, no. From what I understand, ODOT's reasoning is they needed the ability to get maintenance trucks on the bridge, mostly for maintenance and repair of the scissortail flycatcher sculpture.

I'm not a professional in this area, but I don't believe so, no. From what I understand, ODOT's reasoning is they needed the ability to get maintenance trucks on the bridge, mostly for maintenance and repair of the scissortail flycatcher sculpture.
Not even pedestrian bridges are safe from cars in Oklahoma! ;)

I've had the good fortune to reconnect with a zoo I probably hadn't gone to in 25-30 years when it became fun to bring the kid to the zoo. We're zoo members now and probably go twice a month when the weather is decent. I was lucky enough to be a well-travelled kid. I've been to most states. We'd take these three-week vacations in the summer where we'd drive with a camper all over different regions of the U.S. to experience what all they have to offer. I remember being told we were going to the best zoo in the U.S. (this was in the 1980s) at the San Diego Zoo. I recall not being all that impressed.. it wasn't much of a step above the OKC Zoo at the time.

Things have changed greatly since the 1980s, and San Diego is ridiculously successful. The OKC Zoo still punches above its weight, but with the aquarium now being closed, and basically the entire east end of the zoo essentially abandoned past the stingray exhibit, it's getting the feel of an outfit which is struggling. Sure, they added the elephant exhibit--which is a world class exhibit. The Asia exhibit was pretty underwhelming when it finally came online. It seems like they are drastically scaling back on the number of exhibits and that they've made the decision to only do a few exhibits, but do them very well. So certain exhibits in the zoo are new and state of the art. Others were built in the 1950s and before and have some pretty serious maintenance issues.

Unlike a lot of those other items, like sports arenas which will be nothing but money holes, public investment in the zoo is something all of the public can actually enjoy. Tourism is a huge industry, a world class aquarium or other exhibits would bring in lots of dollars and permanently employ a lot of folks.

I swear I didn't see your comment before posting mine. Lol. I like your idea better.

The Canopy at the Zoo could operate their food services at a new Zoo Aquarian to replace the old Aquarian funded by a MAPS 4 initiative with a budget of $150 million capital improvements project.

Partner with the Women's College World Series & the World Cup of Softball events. The Zoo or Remington Park might consider building a 300 room hotel (get a reputable flag operator like Great Wolf Lodge, Holiday Inn or Four Points by Sheraton) in the area that could provide service for area events.

If the Adventure District has a hotel in the area along with the Aquarian, the events in the area would pull cross-country travel to the area where you have the The Zoo (Aquarian, various exhibits), Race park & casino. Expand those events like a mini Rocklahoma style festival for the Zoo Amphitheater.

If you going to let them gamble--let's go BIG with some Vegas style operations in the area--Oklahoma City needs to go BIG, draw those big spenders from Texas & cross county travelers, you'll see an Austin-style boom in Oklahoma City. The Persimmon Hill area is among the most scenic red clay hills of heavily traveled old historic Route 66. For God's sake, push & promote our Western Heritage, Cowboy & Native American Indian themes...

Love Plutonic Panda's description moniker 'Oklahoma's love affair for the cheap train,' of which many posters agree; we need to wash that dandruff right out of our hair.

The new aquarium of approved will be in the downtown area. Preliminary work/designs have already started

The new aquarium of approved will be in the downtown area. Preliminary work/designs have already started

Where?

For those who care, here are my MAPS picks:

1. Citywide beautification of major corridors. We have seen again and again what a catalyst street and intersection improvements are toward the improvement of our neighborhoods and business districts. This is a critical quality of life component that affects the way we view our neighborhoods, our sense of happiness and safety, as well as the businesses we choose to frequent. This is a direct strike effort that would not only make our city a more attractive place to live, this would also be a hit with voters, many of whom have felt (wrong or right) that too much of MAPS's focus in the past has been on Downtown (I have supported all of the MAPS votes, by the way).

2. Mental Health, Homeless, Addiction Center: We need a facility downtown that can connect people to resources for survival and recovery. And we need to stop using the County Jail as an intake facility for people in need. This is critical to improving our city's quality of life (and improving our economic future).

3. Schools. WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. I don't know what, but the OKC school system should strive to be the envy at least of the OKC metro area, and I believe there are some things we could do to help:

- providing athletic, arts, band equipment / uniforms, perhaps improvements to athletic fields and courts
- providing resources for libraries and media centers
- providing funding for in-class materials

Also, I believe OKC should strive to attract the most dedicated, professional teachers. You get what you pay for. Can we not consider offering a pay bump to teachers (hopefully with education certificates when possible) who are willing to teach in OKC schools? We should pay more than Edmond, Norman, Moore, and Yukon. They should be paid more to do the job.

This is a very significant economic development issue for our city and by voluntarily investing in our schools, we would not be depriving ourselves from future state funding, because the funding formula is set and is dependent on enrollment. More enrollment in our schools would result in additional state funding to OKC schools.

4. Streetcar Expansion and additional buses. I support James Cooper's idea to add to our bus fleet. I also support the concept of streetcar expansion -- if and where supported by the recommendations of professional transit experts. Some of the routes for streetcar expansion I'm seeing discussed here and elsewhere may not be justifiable. There needs to exist sufficient density and ridership -- perhaps coupled with opportunity for Transit Oriented Development -- to justify streetcar expansion. And while I generally support it, I only do so with the caveat that my preconceived ideas about where streetcars should go may be incorrect. I'm generally agnostic about the transit mode, I just want better transit, whether it be BRT, bus, or streetcar.

These are the things I really care about. It's not exhaustive and there are other things I might support, but I will definitely not support the highway cap. It is a ridiculous waste of money with dubious benefit; it wouldn't even accomplish what its promoters promise: it would not connect Downtown with the Medical District in any meaningful way except esthetically.

Also, never forget the reason we no longer have the original I-40: we could not pay to maintain the elevated roadway. We do not want to saddle ourselves with this costly bridge upkeep with no guarantee of future federal funding.

Let's fix the existing corridors that cross 1-235 to make them better for pedestrians and cyclists, and let's add true connection to the Innovation District and Northeast OKC with better transit options.

That's my two cents.

Didn’t we just have “Maps4Kids”?

Didn’t we just have “Maps4Kids”?

If by "just" you mean 15 years ago, yes.

It was approved then, but the work continued until last year if I recall correctly. It was also a multi-school District effort.

But similar to the Streetcar, it might be a hard sell for some considering we “just” completed it. Especially if it focuses on just one school district and becomes an “Oklahoma City” project rather than a Metropolitan Area project. It might be a good idea, but can it pass?

Use a little to fund the initial cost of a similar program that Tulsa has and provides a noticeable difference, https://www.upwithtrees.org/about-us/mission/

I would absolutely support a MAPS4 component to pay OKC public school teachers more than Edmond, Norman, etc. Ideally they would be paid more than Ft. Worth/Dallas metroplex teachers. Also the fund should be used for teaching assistants, arts, music, and in-class instruction.

It was approved then, but the work continued until last year if I recall correctly. It was also a multi-school District effort.

But similar to the Streetcar, it might be a hard sell for some considering we “just” completed it. Especially if it focuses on just one school district and becomes an “Oklahoma City” project rather than a Metropolitan Area project. It might be a good idea, but can it pass?

I hear you, and I would add, people might be pissed that we just completed improvements on many schools that are proposed to be closed. Ugh.

That said, the remaining quality of life issue that matters the most is the state of the schools. I'm not suggesting that my idea is the right one but I think we have the desire, intelligence, and can-do spirit to make a difference in this area. If we can put a man on the moon we can fix OKC schools, and make them excellent.

1. No more excuses. I've heard them all. Rich, poor, non-English speaking, etc. If we make our schools a real priority we can make them great. We can lead the state, as we are doing in just about every other area, if we commit to doing it.

2. Don't underestimate the political change that has happened in OKC. It has become the most progressive city in the state, eclipsing Norman. People are excited about the future of this city and they see how our investments in ourselves have paid off. But the school system is a drag on our progress. I believe OKC voters (1.) are annoyed with the school closure plan; (2.) Are smart enough to realize how important having a great school system is to our economic development future; (3) and are imaginitive enough to understand how having a great school system could radically change the growth trajectory of this city.

To your point, I don't think the previous MAPS for Kids vote would negatively affect adding educational components to the next MAPS. People voted for MAPS for Kids because our buildings were in extreme disrepair, and didn't even have air conditioning in several schools. And they can differentiate between improving the buildings (something we have already done) with making our educational environment more whole. We have come a long way as a city since then. We now support city bond elections for schools and people care about our schools. I think this is one of the major reasons OKC has become a blue city.

3. OKC has achieved so much to add to the quality of life. There are many issues unresolved but if we can deliver a first-class public education to our future leaders we will differentiate ourselves from virtually every large city. This could and would be a game changer.

There's a political question about school funding that hasn't been considered. If OKC raises taxes to improve our schools, to a degree we're letting the state government off the hook. I'm not involved with any of those movements but I could see how people might make a strategic decision to keep up the pressure at the state level rather than try to address the problem at the city level.

^

Yes, and education is a statewide problem, not just in OKC.

In OKC, we do tend to do our schools harm by passing so many huge TIF projects. Those bonds are retired with monies, much of which would go to the schools' building fund. If we had directed the $180 million from Project 180 to school improvement, would we be closing historic school buildings because the upkeep was deemed too expensive?

I'd slow your roll on OKC being a "blue" city. Our Congresswoman won with just 50.67% of the vote. Let's not presume things are transformed. OKC (mostly) voters still elected Kevin Calvey to Ward 2.

Seeing the First Christian Church thread made me wonder -- what about using MAPS 4 to create a fund for the acquisition of historic properties? The city could buy the Gold Dome, the Walcourt, and other endangered properties. We could restore them or at least do basic maintenance, slap a historical tag on them, and preserve our local architecture.

Long-term, the city could either look for buyers who would put these locations to good use, or could develop them on their own. But either way they'd be saved from the wrecking ball.

The center part of OKC is blue but that is absolutely not the case where the majority of the population lives, such as out NW Expressway and along the Memorial Corridor.

And the entire OKC metro area is very red overall.

Probably a more fair assessment to say that OKC has the largest concentration of progressive voters now compared to Norman, but not that on a town-by-town basis we are not necessarily the bluest.

Red, white, blue, pink, purple Chrysanthemums it's about unity--not necessarily party affiliation which is fractured on the state & national level. Not directed at your or anyone assessment, LocoAko

OKC is ready to move forward. Mick Cornett, Guy Liebmann, Kirk Humphreys, Andy Coats, Ron Norick, Patience Latting, James Norick, never made it about party; it's never been an issue.

David Holt has requested ideas; keep those ideas coming and don't wait until the very last to begin submitting your ideas. Stimulate your brain power; when it's all said and done, your contributions will be considered.

Submit, not submissions...

I'd slow your roll on OKC being a "blue" city. Our Congresswoman won with just 50.67% of the vote. Let's not presume things are transformed. OKC (mostly) voters still elected Kevin Calvey to Ward 2.

remember her congressional district included pottawatami and seminole counties, where she lost. She won Oklahoma County, and more specifically, OKC, by a much wider margin than that. I have no illusions that her reelection will be tough, but she will continue to win OKC handily.

There's a political question about school funding that hasn't been considered. If OKC raises taxes to improve our schools, to a degree we're letting the state government off the hook. I'm not involved with any of those movements but I could see how people might make a strategic decision to keep up the pressure at the state level rather than try to address the problem at the city level.

That's why I voted against the statewide initiatives. But as I stated earlier, the funding formula for the state is fixed, and based on enrollment. The state can't arbitrarily withdraw funding from OKC if we choose to invest more in our system. It is literally a set formula, and if we have rising enrollment, they would have to kick in more. So this is a different matter.

For example, when we voted for MAPS for Kids to improve the buildings, the state didn't withdraw funding to us "because we paid for it." We can choose to make strategic investments in our schools AND continue to put the pressure on the state to raise funding levels overall.

remember her congressional district included pottawatami and seminole counties, where she lost. She won Oklahoma County, and more specifically, OKC, by a much wider margin than that. I have no illusions that her reelection will be tough, but she will continue to win OKC handily.

She may be reelected in 2020, but CD5 will be redrawn to include more rural counties. Count on it.

She may be reelected in 2020, but CD5 will be redrawn to include more rural counties. Count on it.

people keep saying this... but this district hasn't changed much through redistricting... and when eastern Oklahoma was electing dems through the last redistricting, it didn't change much either... i know people think this will happen... but the history of evidence is to the contrary...

I don't feel the excitement about this maps like in the previous maps. I could be wrong but this one feels different like there's just not much momentum for it like in previous years. Hopefully they come up with something that can get the masses excited.

people keep saying this... but this district hasn't changed much through redistricting... and when eastern Oklahoma was electing dems through the last redistricting, it didn't change much either... i know people think this will happen... but the history of evidence is to the contrary...

We redraw the maps every 10 years. So in 2020, we're due. I watched an OCPAC meeting where they broke down Russell's loss. They were already talking about redistricting.

I don't feel the excitement about this maps like in the previous maps. I could be wrong but this one feels different like there's just not much momentum for it like in previous years. Hopefully they come up with something that can get the masses excited.

It just depends on what they propose, doesn't it?

We redraw the maps every 10 years. So in 2020, we're due. I watched an OCPAC meeting where they broke down Russell's loss. They were already talking about redistricting.

well it's after the census... so it'll be like 2021... and i doubt much will be done... when it comes to it, there is only so much you can do with such a sparely populated state. the only way there is real change is if we lose a congressional district

Correction... redistricting will be in 2023, as last was 2013... so still two more elections under current districts