Government of Tulsa, Oklahoma
The City of Tulsa has a mayor-council form of government. This form of government has been in place since 1989, at which time Tulsa converted from a city commission form of government. The mayor is elected by the entire population and each of the 9 Councilors are elected from districts based on population.
Tulsa is the county seat for Tulsa County. Within the boundaries of the city and surrounding county are tribal lands belonging to and governed by various Native American nations.
Elected officials
Mayor
The present mayor of Tulsa is Mayor GT Bynum, a Republican. [1]The mayor is responsible for the day to day operations of the city and preparing a budget. The mayor names the police and fire chiefs.
Another former Tulsa mayor, Jim Inhofe, now represents Oklahoma in the United States Senate.
City Auditor
The current auditor of Tulsa is Cathy Criswell. The auditor is elected independently of the City Council and Mayor to insure the auditor can act in an objective manner. Criswell was elected in 2013. The city auditor serves a term of two years.
Councilors
The Chairman of the Tulsa City Council rotates between parties and members.
| Name | District | Party |
|---|---|---|
| Vanessa Hall-Harper | District 1 | D |
| Jeannie Cue | District 2 | R |
| David Patrick | District 3 | D |
| Blake Ewing | District 4 | R |
| Karen Gilbert | District 5 | R |
| Connie Dodson | District 6 | R |
| Anna America | District 7 | R |
| Phil Lakin, Jr. | District 8 | R |
| Ben Kimbro | District 9 | R[2] |
City Hall
Until 2007, City Hall was located in the civic center, a sector of downtown that included most governmental services, including the Federal Courthouse, Tulsa County Courthouse, Tulsa City-County Library, and The Convention Center. In 2007 Mayor Kathy Taylor proposed to move City Hall from its civic center location to One Technology Center, on the northwest corner of Second Street and Cincinnati. Taylor argued that a recent study showed the move would save $15.2 million over a 10-year period. Most of the savings would come from the new energy efficient building.[3] The move then allowed the former City Hall property to be redeveloped into a new Aloft Hotel,[4] to support the BOK Center. The conversion was completed in 2013.[5]
On July 12, 2007, the Tulsa City Council voted 8-1 to move the City Hall to One Technology Center.[6]
History
Tulsa's first city office building was a two-story brick building constructed in 1906 at 211 West Second Street. Primarily intended as a fire station, it included administrative offices and a police station. The city jail was in the basement.[7] The city quickly outgrew that facility and began renting office space in the privately owned Reeder Building.
In 1917, Tulsa government offices moved into a much larger facility at Fourth and Cincinnati, formally called the Municipal Building to house city services. This served the city until the 1960s, when the Civic Center building was opened.[8] The Municipal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C on July 18, 1975. Its NRIS number is 75001574.[9]
References
- ↑ http://www.newson6.com/story/32330974/gt-bynum-defeats-incumbent-bartlett-for-tulsa-mayor
- ↑ http://www.tulsacouncil.org/councilors/district-9.aspx
- ↑ P.J. Lassek (2007-06-13). "Mayor: City Hall move is crucial". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ↑ http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=455&articleid=20121129_455_WK17_ULNShm742424
- ↑ Lowrie, Lacey. "Get A Preview Of New Downtown Hotel In Old Tulsa City Hall Building." News on 6. April 11, 2013. Accessed July 5, 2015.
- ↑ P.J. Lassek (2007-07-13). "City Hall move OK'd, with conditions". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 2007-08-11. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- ↑ Tulsa County GenWeb site. "A Chronological history of Tulsa, 1836 - 1950."
- ↑ Tulsa Gal Website, "The Many Homes of City Hall."February 19, 2010
- ↑ Tulsa Preservation Commission. "Tulsa Municipal Building."
External links
- City of Tulsa
- Tulsa City Council
- "Tulsa". U.S. City Open Data Census. UK: Open Knowledge Foundation.