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A Mayor’s Legacy: Economic Growth, Historical Reckoning

From revitalizing the economy to confronting his city’s racial past, Tulsa, Okla., Mayor G.T. Bynum leaves office having created a focus on unity and progress. He is the fourth member of his family to serve as mayor.

TFIC Tulsa REVISED 2.png
The podcast cover image for this The Future in Context (TFIC) episode shows an AI-generated, political cartoon depicting the Tulsa of a century ago to the left and the city of today on the right. (DALL-E)
Listen to this episode on the player below or subscribe for free on YouTube or the podcast app of your choice — Apple PodcastsSpotifyAudacy and Audible.



G.T. Bynum is leaving the family business. The outgoing mayor of Tulsa, Okla., is the fourth member of his family to lead the city. The former city councilmember became mayor in 2016. During his tenure, he implemented a data-driven approach to real-time policing while focusing on redressing racial disparity and fostering economic vitality. That vision and his pragmatic approach to turning around a struggling city earned him recognition as a Public Official of the Year, a designation from Governing magazine (the sister publication of Government Technology*).

In this episode, Governing Senior WriterJared Brey joins the podcast to extract lessons from Bynum’s time in office and examine what’s next for the mayor and his city.

SHOW NOTES


 Here are the top 5 takeaways from this episode:
  1. Economic Revitalization and Growth: Bynum played a pivotal role in Tulsa’s economic development by attracting new employers like Amazon and encouraging remote workers to return to the city, contributing to its economic rejuvenation.
  2. Acknowledging Racial History: Bynum openly recognized the Tulsa Race Massacre, which had long been overlooked, and led efforts to search for and identify victims. While it may not have resulted in full reconciliation, his actions brought greater attention to Tulsa’s historical racial violence.
  3. Navigating Racial Inequality: Bynum faced challenges in addressing racial inequality and police reform, especially during the protests of 2020. His leadership during these times was scrutinized, and some criticized him for not taking stronger action on police reform.
  4. Nonpartisan Leadership: As a Republican, Bynum prided himself on governing in a nonpartisan manner, seeking to unite different political groups and focusing on common goals rather than ideological divides. His reputation for nonpartisanship was a defining feature of his leadership.
  5. Future Path and Legacy: Bynum will leave office to join the private sector, specifically Saint Francis Health System, though he has left the door open for potential future public service. He is credited with positioning Tulsa for future growth, fostering a vision where young people could see opportunities to build in the city.

Related Links to stories referenced in the episode:

Our editors used ChatGPT 4.0 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes. The main image for this story was created using DALL-E 3. 

*Government Technology and Governing are both divisions of e.Republic.
Paul W. Taylor is the Senior Editor of e.Republic Editorial and of its flagship titles - Government Technology and Governing.
Ashley Silver is a staff writer for <i>Government Technology. </i>She holds an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Montevallo and a graduate degree in public relations from Kent State University. Silver is also a published author with a wide range of experience in editing, communications and public relations.