Mick Cornett was the the mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, between 2004-2018. He was the first mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to four terms and remains the longest-serving mayor among the 50 largest cities in America. Cornett was cited as one of the most honoured... Read more
Mick Cornett was the the mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, between 2004-2018. He was the first mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to four terms and remains the longest-serving mayor among the 50 largest cities in America. Cornett was cited as one of the most honoured mayors in the history of the United States. An international panel named him as the No.2 mayor in the world during his service. Furthermore, Newsweek magazine referred to him as one of the ‘Five Most Innovative Mayors in the United States’, among many other notable titles in magazines such as Politico and Governing.
One of Cornett’s most notable achievements as Mayor was transforming Oklahoma City into a place where its serious obesity issue could no longer thrive. Cornett set about rebuilding the city around the pedestrian rather than the car. Examining the city’s culture and infrastructure, he reshaped roads and neighbourhoods and put the entire city on a diet by creating a website encouraging citizens to register and track their weight loss. Awareness of the campaign took off, and whilst obesity is still an issue in Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett has turned it into a talking point.
Cornett left office with the City having produced 100,000 new jobs and over 9,600 new businesses.
Cornett’s other achievements as Mayor include the successful lobbying that resulted in Oklahoma City’s first major league sports team, the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association, and the passage of MAPS 3, a $777 million quality-of-life infrastructure programme for Oklahoma City.
Mick Cornett is a proponent for progressive initiatives such as rapid and mass transit, economic diversification, urban renaissance, and civic beautification. Neighborhoods such as Asia District, Uptown, MidTown, Capitol Hill, the Eastside, and others have experienced an economic revitalisation during his tenure.
He also served as President of The United States Conference of Mayors between 2016-2017 and served as national President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO). U.S. Conference of Mayors. He served as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Urban Economic Affairs Committee until 2007.
Mick Cornett has appeared over 200 times on American television, and his TED Talk on Oklahoma City has been viewed approximately 1.5million times to date.