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PrintJeff Martin’s official endorsement for mayor: YOU!
For a better city, Tulsa needs more community action and involvement.
“Have no fear of change as such and, on the other hand, do not like it merely for its own sake.”
This is a quote by Robert Moses. I know what you’re thinking: Who the hell is Robert Moses? Robert Moses was the larger-than-life figure who served as “master builder” for New York City for the middle part of the 20th century. He is widely credited with creating the modern look of New York City and is hated forever by some for pushing the Dodgers out of Brooklyn. But this isn’t a column about baseball. And it’s not a column about New York. Yet I just can’t get Robert Moses out of my head.
While you read this, Mayor Kathy Taylor is just a couple of months away from becoming the former mayor of Tulsa. And there is a line of familiar names and new kids on the block waiting for their moment in the sun.
Since 2006, when Taylor was elected, downtown Tulsa has gone through its most vibrant period of growth in the past 50 years. Is this all due to the efforts of Mayor Taylor? Of course not. The political machine doesn’t work that fast. In terms of sheer expediency, it’s more like a wood-burning stove than a microwave. Things get cooked; it just takes a little longer. And when I say a little longer, I mean a lot longer!
But there is no doubt that Taylor has taken a serious interest in the growth of downtown. Was this a case of opportunism at its finest? Perhaps. But even the most skilled opportunist cannot succeed without significant preparation.
But I want to get back to Moses for a moment. It’s amazing to me that one man could change a city as large as New York in such a profound and lasting way. Even today, in Manhattan, it would be hard to walk a block without seeing (whether you know it or not) something that Moses influenced. In this time of transition for Tulsa — and you can be sure that’s what this is — our leaders will have that rare opportunity to tie themselves to the change that’s occurring and have a relevance that goes far beyond one or two terms. Taylor could have been that person.
Now, that all sounds great, but it’s not as easy as just getting elected. Bold choices must be made. Even if we were to get some iron-willed, over-the-top, Huey P. Long-type of mayor, it will be difficult for that one person to have a significant imprint on this city. And not just because of the circus that is the Tulsa City Council. But, now that I think about it, that is one reason.
So don’t pin your hopes and dreams on the lapel of one man or woman. Pin them on yourself and get to work.
Have you ever attended a city council meeting? Have you ever written a letter or e-mail to a local politician? If the answer is “yes,” do more. If the answer is “no,” get going.
I can’t say much to those who are indifferent to politics, but I am guessing you wouldn’t have gotten this far into the article if you didn’t care.
There is one school of thought that suggests we may have reached a point where downtown has so much going on, so much momentum, that it can’t be stopped. But don’t be fooled — it can just as easily die on the vine.
When the BOK Center opened last year, a friend of mine half-jokingly suggested that it would probably be a church in five years or less. From what I can tell, that isn’t going to be the case. But it does speak to the doubts that people still hold about the future of downtown.
So on Sept. 8, when you head to the polls to vote in the mayoral primary, don’t worry too much about whether this person is better than that person. If you want a better city, it’s up to you.
Sometimes I wish I didn’t care about things like this. It seems that every time I get optimistic about some politician, something happens to contradict my hopes. But the one thing I can always count on is you. You might not come around to these issues as fast as I’d like, but you’ll get there. You split hairs and polarize yourself with partisan rhetoric, but a middle ground is usually found. So this year, in this important moment for the future of our city, YOU GET MY VOTE!
