Mayor Cornett to speak at Republican National Convention

[metro]

Huge News for OKC to get this kind of exposure. Maybe one day we can host one.

Oklahoma City mayor will speak at Republican National Convention


Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. Photo/Mark Hancock

8/21/2008

The City of Oklahoma City announced today Mayor Mick Cornett will speak at a general session during the upcoming Republican National Convention.
Cornett – who serves as president of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials group – will be the first Oklahoman to speak at the convention since former Congressman J.C. Watts spoke in 1996.

This year’s event will be held Sept. 1-4 in St. Paul, Minn. with more than 2,000 delegates from 50 states and six territories or districts in attendance.

Cornett’s exact day and time has not been announced.

[Pete]

Another tribute to the emerging reputation of OKC.

People look at Cornett and realize he represents a community that is doing a lot of things right.

[venture]

Good news...until we find out it will be one of those presentations that is at 9am and in front of 4 people and the cleaning crew. We've all seen those shots of speakers talking to next to no one.

Either way, some publicity is always good.

[Saberman]

Thats 4 more possible new visitors to OKC, could cause a snowball effect. Gota start some where. Think positive.

[ddavidson8]

That's an excellent choice for both parties involved.

[kevinpate]

.oO(does he have to bring the tacos?)Oo.

[andy157]

No wonder he's asking for a raise.

[metro]

Cornett wants to promote OKC’s economy at RNC
Journal Record
August 28, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – Mayor Mick Cornett wants to promote Oklahoma City’s economy and job creation when he addresses the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, he said. But while he was still drafting his speech this week, Cornett said he’s still not sure what will happen in the editing and approval process before he takes the stage. “Never having been through this process before, I don’t really know,” he said.

U.S. Sen. John McCain is expected to be declared the party’s candidate for president on Thursday night, tying up the four-day event. Cornett will be among about 45,000 delegates, alternate delegates, volunteers, members of the media and other guests predicted to attend the convention.

Party planners this week said the highlights of the night when Cornett is scheduled to speak will be a presentation by U.S. Sen. John McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain, and the party’s vice presidential nominee, who hasn’t been identified yet.

The event’s theme for Wednesday will be prosperity, one of the few preparatory details Cornett was given. He said the parameters he has assumed for his brief presentation are “what makes sense for me, what makes sense for Oklahoma City, and assuming it’s going to need to fit into the platform for John McCain.”

“I would like to talk about our economy, the economic approaches that have worked in Oklahoma City,” Cornett said. “We’re proud of our job creation. We’ve tried to create a city where the private sector can create jobs, and do what’s necessary to increase the chances of that happening. It’s an approach that has worked for us, and I’d like to see other cities try it.”

He said his comments will fit McCain’s fiscally conservative background.

Cornett, who took office in 2004, also serves as president of Republican Mayors and Local Officials, a national organization. Although Oklahoma City’s government charter defines the office of mayor as a nonpartisan position, the declaration of a party affiliation is necessary to get work done in Washington, D.C., he said.

“At the national level, we don’t divide up into partisan rooms because we’re partisan, because mayors generally aren’t partisan. We do it because Washington is partisan,” he said. “And I’m going to be welcome in certain rooms because I’m a Republican mayor that I’m not going to be welcome in if I’m a nonpartisan mayor. So if we’re really going to have an impact in getting our message across in Washington, it helps to have a party affiliation. “Whereas I try to keep it nonpartisan when I’m in City Hall, nationally it’s to our benefit to be one or the other. It becomes a lobbying issue.”

Cornett said he’s been watching some of the Democratic National Convention on television this week. The party’s presentation of Michelle Obama, the wife of presumptive nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, helped personalize her, Cornett said. “It was good to tell her story,” he said. “Because her story is a good selling point for him, as a candidate. I thought that was smart and well-done.”

[ssandedoc]

This is good for the RNC, gives the convention a positive star to look at.

[John]

Oklahoma has Coburn, Fallin & Cornett speaking at the RNC. Not bad!

[metro]

I'm more excited about Cornett speaking. Even if his seminar has poor attendance, it will get some press exposure and more good exposure for OKC. Keep spreading the good word about OKC's renaissance. I'm not so interested in hearing Coburn's excuse for why he fell asleep doing a crossword puzzle on the job.

[bornhere]

“At the national level, we don’t divide up into partisan rooms because we’re partisan, because mayors generally aren’t partisan. We do it because Washington is partisan,” he said. “And I’m going to be welcome in certain rooms because I’m a Republican mayor that I’m not going to be welcome in if I’m a nonpartisan mayor. So if we’re really going to have an impact in getting our message across in Washington, it helps to have a party affiliation. “Whereas I try to keep it nonpartisan when I’m in City Hall, nationally it’s to our benefit to be one or the other. It becomes a lobbying issue.”

This is pretty much bogus. Cornett is the most partisan mayor in my lifetime. Have you ever looked at the mayor's web page? "Here's a picture of Mick Cornett with a Republican." "Here's a picture of Mick Cornett with another Republican." "Here's a picture of Mick Cornett with a whole group of Republicans."

I wonder what 'rooms' he's welcome in because he's a Republican.

[Bobby821]

Glad he is among the Rich and has enough money to throw at the candidate to be offered a speaking spot at the repub convention. Just goes to show you, I will be glad when this pompus is out of office..

[venture]

The beauty of OKC's form of government...it isn't a strong mayor. A lot of rust belt areas have gone to that, and they are hurting extremely bad right now.

I agree with the points that any good publicity for OKC is welcome. That is as long as the message being pushed is about OKC...not about a partisan issue or person.

[bornhere]

I doubt he had to throw money at anyone to get a turn at the podium. The GOP is probably pretty hard up for speakers this year.

[ssandedoc]

Glad he is among the Rich and has enough money to throw at the candidate to be offered a speaking spot at the repub convention. Just goes to show you, I will be glad when this pompus is out of office..

Mick is pompus. When I had my graduation at OCCC he was the guest speaker. The lady introducing him was nervous and forgot to give his long bio and just introduced him as "Mayor Mick Cornet." He walks right next to her, puts his arm around her shoulders and says, "It's okay you can go ahead and read it all." So she spends the next 2-3 minutes reading his biography all the time he has his arm around her. Talk about awkward and rude!

Once his speech was over, he received a pot as a gift and then left. The man could of stayed another 45 minutes to watch us all graduate. Like what he does for our citiy, but he is pretty egotistical.

[kevinpate]

> what 'rooms' he's welcome in because he's a Republican.

.oO(Smoky chipolte filled back ones?)Oo.

I agree it's good exposure for the state to have its mayor speak at RNC, and Fallen and Coburn too. Who knows ... we might even find there's a whole new stereotype for the state.

I suppose one's political leanings will influence whether that's a happy thought or not, so I'll just leaving it laying there. Pick it up or discard as you prefer.

[metro]

Glad he is among the Rich and has enough money to throw at the candidate to be offered a speaking spot at the repub convention. Just goes to show you, I will be glad when this pompus is out of office..

You're kidding right? Mick doesn't live in a palace in Nichols Hills, Edmond or Gaillardia. Mick has a respectably modest home in the Putnam City area. He's not independently wealthy by any means. You folks do know tv personalities on local tv stations don't get paid that much right? As Aaron Tuttle himself pointed out on this website a few months ago (he left the tv biz), most news personalities make $30,000-$45,000 a year. Mick's been off the air for how long now? 10 years? So that figure was probably smaller 10 years ago, especially when we weren't near the city we are today. That's not a salary to build an empire on.

[jbrown84]

Yeah the notion that he's like some former movie star with millions in endowment is ridiculous and far from the truth.

[ssandedoc]

Yeah the notion that he's like some former movie star with millions in endowment is ridiculous and far from the truth.

Doesn't mean he doesn't have investments and business connections. I bet his bank account is better than what people expect.

[Luke]

What's with the notion that people that have money are evil?

"Poor people should be running the world!!!!"

[gmwise]

I really want to see term limits on mayor micky.
But I settle for a federal charge of corruption

[jbrown84]

If you know somebody that can do better, tell them to run. That's how it works.

[JWil]

What's with the notion that people that have money are evil?

"Poor people should be running the world!!!!"

Looks like some on here believe in "Economic Justice."

[venture]

Why aren't there term limits?

Seems like a gimme. Granted they need to be firm. Have a few friends that live in a city in Ohio. Their previous two-term mayor was term limited out, sat out a term, and then ran again and got re-elected. But this time around their city is dead and running unemployment rates around 10%.