OKC Mayor Race 2014

[kevinpate]

...
I'm a betting man and I'm willing to bet Cornett gets at least 58% of the vote against Shadid in March.

I wouldn't bet against you.

[soonerguru]

Didn't Shadid host a forum on sprawl? Yes, he did, and I attended. So now he's cool with sprawl, yo, as long as he can scare up some low information voters. Does he think we're this dumb? We have video of him ranting against subsidizing suburbs and now he's trying to get suburban voters to support him? This campaign is a joke.

[Midtowner]

Being a sportscaster definitely prepares one to be Mayor!

Actually, yes, it does. Cornett was in the business of communicating with the public. That's a major aspect of being mayor. He is also very comfortable in front of cameras. This is really where the mayor differs from being a councilman. He's a spokesman for the city, a cheerleader. That said, again, your argument is facile. As if Cornett went straight from being a sports journalist to mayor.

Is this just your thing? The first time, you made some stupid remark about the mayor somehow being responsible for policemen not being hired (after funds had been allocated) and never really answered that question. Now you're making an equally silly argument and ignoring the copious job experience acquired by Cornett prior to him becoming mayor, not to mention the fact that he has already been mayor for 9+ years... as if that actual experience at being mayor vs. his opponent's zero experience is irrelevant? Hur dur.. he's just a sportscaster. Wow.

[betts]

David Stern called Mick Cornett "the mayor who wouldn't go away." His tenacity in bringing the Hornets, and ultimately the Thunder, here could arguably have as big an impact on Oklahoma City as MAPS I. He has become a national figure and his efforts have brought a lot of positive attention to Oklahoma City. He was surely an important part of the MAPS 3 project delineation as well. I've seen Oklahoma City literally transform itself over the last 15 years, but the most dramatic changes have occurred during Mayor Cornett's tenure. Some of that is probably happenstance, but I see no reason to veer in another direction when the one we're headed in has been almost nothing but positive. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Oklahoma City is not perfect, but we can work towards perfection using the trajectory we're already on. There is a positive and progressive spirit in the air that has nothing to do with party affiliation.

[krisb]

Who said he's cool with sprawl? He hasn't even launched his campaign yet, geez. But he is going to have an indie singer-songwriter and poet at the rally. A campaign with diversity and soul is what I'm all about. A big reason why I voted for Obama.

[CaptDave]

Who said he's cool with sprawl? He hasn't even launched his campaign yet, geez. But he is going to have an indie singer-songwriter and poet at the rally. A campaign with diversity and soul is what I'm all about. A big reason why I voted for Obama.

Diversity and soul are great things. But I want a mayor that can keep the city on its upward trajectory.

[bradh]

Who said he's cool with sprawl? He hasn't even launched his campaign yet, geez. But he is going to have an indie singer-songwriter and poet at the rally. A campaign with diversity and soul is what I'm all about. A big reason why I voted for Obama.

Good Lord...this explains so much. God forbid vote for someone you know, who is good at the job and right for the job (disclaimer - that statement does not refer to the Presidential election)

[betts]

Who said he's cool with sprawl? He hasn't even launched his campaign yet, geez. But he is going to have an indie singer-songwriter and poet at the rally. A campaign with diversity and soul is what I'm all about. A big reason why I voted for Obama.

I voted for Obama too, but not because of any songwriter or poet. I like diversity too, but without the last 3 Republican mayors, there wouldn't be any poets or indie singer-songwriters living here or even claiming to have been from here. You're missing about 30 years of perspective. And I'm having trouble seeing how someone whose new campaign strategy seems to be creation of dissension between pro-urban and suburban residents can be good for this city.

[Mikemarsh51]

Actually, yes, it does. Cornett was in the business of communicating with the public. That's a major aspect of being mayor. He is also very comfortable in front of cameras. This is really where the mayor differs from being a councilman. He's a spokesman for the city, a cheerleader. That said, again, your argument is facile. As if Cornett went straight from being a sports journalist to mayor.

Is this just your thing? The first time, you made some stupid remark about the mayor somehow being responsible for policemen not being hired (after funds had been allocated) and never really answered that question. Now you're making an equally silly argument and ignoring the copious job experience acquired by Cornett prior to him becoming mayor, not to mention the fact that he has already been mayor for 9+ years... as if that actual experience at being mayor vs. his opponent's zero experience is irrelevant? Hur dur.. he's just a sportscaster. Wow.

With all your self proclaimed brilliance I would think you could read better. I said that the mayor is taking credit for hiring additional Police Officers, I also said that the class of additional officers has not been hired yet. Both are facts. And by the way, he wasn't a top tier sportscaster. A weekend guy if I remember, a definite B teamer.

[soonerguru]

Who said he's cool with sprawl? He hasn't even launched his campaign yet, geez. But he is going to have an indie singer-songwriter and poet at the rally. A campaign with diversity and soul is what I'm all about. A big reason why I voted for Obama.

All I know is he has surrogates everywhere saying poor OKC has been ignored while downtown has gotten the focus, which is crap. Are you one of those surrogates?

For the record, I voted for Obama too but Shadid (who did not vote for Obama) isn't in the same zip code of Obama as a person, leader, visionary, or politician.

Unlike Shadid, Obama managed to get things accomplished once he was elected and is willing to compromise to achieve measurable progress. He also is a coherent human being who ran a coherent campaign. Thank you for bringing up Obama so we can contrast what a successful politician is with someone like Shadid.

As for voting, I didn't vote for Obama because his campaign had "diversity and soul," I supported him because I thought he had better ideas and would do a better job. You don't seem to know Shadid's positions but you would support him because he has an indie singer at his campaign rally? Really?

[krisb]

I appreciate your points, but i was simply sharing a description of my connection to a candidate's campaign. Not everything demands an adversarial response in this forum. We need more songwriters and poets in these conversations.

[dankrutka]

Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I am hopeful that OKC may get some real dialogue about important issues this election. I really think both of these candidates are thoughtful and generally good guys. Shadid definitely stirs the pot to an extent, but he's certainly asked questions others would not. I'm going to enjoy it and I hope it is substantive.

[dankrutka]

Having said that, I don't see a situation where Cornett loses. Just too much going well for OKC for him to lose (unless OKC's economy takes a turn for the worse).

[MWCGuy]

Cornett really does not even have to campaign however, he will and should just for the sake of keeping the lunatic fringe at bay. If you don't campaign and get your supporters to the polls you can loose a city election because only 10-15% of registered voters vote in city elections and that is on a good day.

I think the one thing that helps Cornett is his experience in the news business. He knows what to say, what not to say and how to approach most situations and still come out squeaky clean.

I get tired of hearing the line "All city council cares about is Downtown." Downtown business district went almost two decades without any significant improvements. Meanwhile the suburban areas have been updated every five years. Really the suburbanites have nothing to complain about. The people that should be complaining but are not are the folks who live in the urban cores (NE, NW, SE, SW) who are driving on roads that are older than areas renovated downtown. However, they ignore the bad roads because they are too busy earning a living and raising their families.

[Midtowner]

With all your self proclaimed brilliance I would think you could read better. I said that the mayor is taking credit for hiring additional Police Officers, I also said that the class of additional officers has not been hired yet. Both are facts. And by the way, he wasn't a top tier sportscaster. A weekend guy if I remember, a definite B teamer.

He was the head sports guy on Channel 5 for years.

And he appropriated money for hiring officers. Why is the police department dragging its heels?

[CaptDave]

Here's hoping Oklahoma City mayoral contest stays civil | News OK

[Bellaboo]

With all your self proclaimed brilliance I would think you could read better. I said that the mayor is taking credit for hiring additional Police Officers, I also said that the class of additional officers has not been hired yet. Both are facts. And by the way, he wasn't a top tier sportscaster. A weekend guy if I remember, a definite B teamer.

Wrong - he was actually good enough he called the in state televised high school football games.

You must be a little disgruntled.

[soonerguru]

Nice editorial by the DOK. The irony is that Shadid is the candidate with a lot of wealth (enough to bankroll his own campaign), and Cornett is more of a middle-class guy. Cornett is certainly not the rich guy.

[king183]

Man, after returning from a long absence in order to be a condescending jerk to other posters in the forum, I wonder why Mike Marsh doesn't influence a single person with his posts and opinions.

[David]

He's influencing me, but probably not in the way he's hoping to.

[Patrick]

Being a sportscaster definitely prepares one to be Mayor!

Teaches you how to deal with the media and general public, which is the main job of the mayor of OKC.

[Midtowner]

Man, after returning from a long absence in order to be a condescending jerk to other posters in the forum, I wonder why Mike Marsh doesn't influence a single person with his posts and opinions.

If he'd stick around and just be a condescending jerk all the time, maybe he'd get more traction?

[Patrick]

With all your self proclaimed brilliance I would think you could read better. I said that the mayor is taking credit for hiring additional Police Officers, I also said that the class of additional officers has not been hired yet. Both are facts. And by the way, he wasn't a top tier sportscaster. A weekend guy if I remember, a definite B teamer.

Hmmmm......I think you're wrong here. From what I remember, Mick was the sports director for KOCO (similar to Dean Blevins's current position on KWTV). And he was more than just a sportscaster or sports director. He was also a reporter and anchor at different points. I could be wrong, but I thought he was in the journalism business for some 20 years before moving on to his position as owner of Mick Cornett Productions.

[LordGerald]

Being a sportscaster definitely prepares one to be Mayor!

And being a bricklayer prepares you to be a firefighter...

[Midtowner]

I'm not sure why it's even relevant to talk about what qualifies him to be mayor. How about nearly a decade of actually being the mayor?