Mayor of Tulsa Seeking Reelection
Points to Job Creation, Common-Sense Management

 

By KEVIN CANFIELD
Tulsa World

 

TULSA—Standing in the lobby of a newly constructed bank headquarters in south Tulsa, Mayor Dewey Bartlett touted his record of job creation and common-sense management late last month as he announced his campaign for reelection.
“It’s great to look around here at 61st and Yale and see construction, growth and progress,” Mayor Bartlett said during a news conference at American Bank & Trust Co. “It is happening all over town. This is just one good example.”
The mayor joins Kathy Taylor, the former mayor whom he succeeded, and former City Councilor Bill Christiansen as announced candidates for the city’s highest elected office.
Mayor Bartlett and Mr. Christiansen are Republicans. Mrs. Taylor, a Democrat, made her formal announcement at ONEOK Field the day following Mayor Bartlett’s announcement.
The mayor reminded about 40 supporters that when he took office in Dec. 2009, that the city was running out of cash, laying off workers, turning off expressway lights and grounding police helicopters.
“We turned Tulsa around by managing our city with the conservative, common-sense solutions that Tulsans have always been proud of,” he said.
Mayor Bartlett said nearly 15,000 more people are working than when he took office.
During the last campaign, “we announced that our job was to become the job-gettingest city in America,” Mayor Bartlett said.
“We are not there, but we have made remarkable progress. Three years ago, our city was losing jobs left and right.”
The city has had three consecutive police academies since Jan. 2011, and has a fourth under way, for a total of 143 new officers, the mayor pointed out.
In addition, he said, two fire department academies have graduated 72 firefighters, with another 30 to begin training next month.
“We must never….I mean it….we must never again be faced with laying off employees and hampering our core city services,” the mayor declared.
Mayor Bartlett said the likelihood of that occurring again has been diminished with the creation of a $2 million sinking fund.
More savings are expected in the next five years, Mayor Bartlett said, with the city projected to save $25 million through implementation of the KPMG efficiency study his administration commissioned.
The mayor said another key to turning the city around has been the support of the community and its determination to move forward.
“Now, we are reaping the benefit of that attitude,” Mayor Bartlett said. “We must stay the course. We must now have the consistency in the management and leadership of our city so that we can continue the great progress we have made.”
The mayor was surrounded by his family when he announced his reelection campaign.
His wife, Victoria Bartlett, stood by his side at the lectern. Behind him were his son, Dewey Bartlett III, 25; his daughters, Ann Bennett, 23, and Andrea Brown, 32; and Mrs. Brown’s husband, Brad Brown.
Speaking after the news conference, the mayor said that, after consulting with his family, the decision to run for reelection was an easy one.
All three of his children have chosen to build their lives in the city, he said.
“Family wins, and the family said, ‘Let’s go!’ So, we’re going to do it.”