State of the City address
Did anyone attend yesterday? I totally forgot about it.
OKC to focus on education, health
February 1, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY – The city is experiencing a culture shift that emphasizes health and education, Mayor Mick Cornett said Thursday in his annual State of the City address. He also reiterated a responsibility to continue to grow Oklahoma City via the Core to Shore development plan near downtown, with emphasis on massive upgrades to the Ford Center arena to attract an NBA basketball team.“People judge cities by how they feel,” Cornett told a full auditorium at the Cox Convention Center. “Does it feel safe? Does it feel clean? Does it feel like the people are friendly? Do they seem educated? Are they tolerant? Is there an energy, a vitality, that any visitor can sense? When it comes to Oklahoma City, you bet there is.”
The mayor cited several statistics and news items that present a positive image, including the metropolitan area’s gain of more than 65,000 jobs in the last four years, the U.S. Census counting Oklahoma City as the 12th fastest-growing large city in the country since 2000, the city recently passing a six-figure bond issue with nearly 80-percent voter support, and tourism-driven hotel revenues rising 16 percent in the last year.
“We have some issues, too, but we’re working on them,” Cornett said, citing a homelessness task force that’s developing a 10-year action plan and joint efforts with the U.S. Attorney’s office to fight gang violence.
Cornett said city leaders have four main issues to support in 2008, all of which have a direct impact on the local economy: education, health, city core development and the promotion of the so-called “big league city” tax issue worth $120 million to remodel the Ford Center.
The city will host the NCAA women’s basketball regional tournament this year and the Big 12 men and women’s championships next year, but such large events are not guaranteed in later years, Cornett said. Oklahoma City faces the likelihood of falling behind other cities in the region competing for tournaments – including Tulsa – unless the Ford Center is improved. It’s an added benefit that about $20 million of the March 4 ballot question is expected to help sway the NBA’s board of directors in their decision to allow the Sonics basketball team to relocate to Oklahoma City, he said. Cornett used his address as an opportunity to secure support for the campaign, asking the audience to fill out cards for volunteer help or monetary donations.
Citing the one-penny MAPS for Kids sales tax that expires next year, Cornett said, “We’re creating a city where people realize you must invest in your community. And there may be no better example of our community’s willingness to invest in itself, than our ever-increasing support for public education.”Continued support of school bond issues throughout the metro area proves that residents realize the need for continued funding, which in turn leads to an educated work force that attracts new business, Cornett said.
Executives looking to establish jobs in the city also look at the overall health of the community, he said. To that end, the recently passed general obligation bond issue included nearly $70 million for about 350 miles of pedestrian walkways. The mayor has also gained national recognition for his initiative to put the city on a diet, urging residents to lose 1 million pounds of body weight collectively. About 25 percent of the city’s population is considered obese, according to a national health study.
“While we have raised the standards for the city from a capital projects perspective, and a beautification perspective, in many ways we have not raised the standards for ourselves. And I’m speaking now about our health,” he said. “Let this be the year that we stop pretending that obesity is going to go away on its own.“We are at the beginning stages of a cultural shift,” he said. “We have not built this city by expecting little. And we do not have to accept less, not in our capital projects, not in our commitment to education, and certainly not in our health. ”Cornett’s luncheon presentation was sponsored by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.
Originally Posted by jbrown84
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