Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett Hopes To Be US Secretary Of Transportation

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he's pursuing the Secretary of Transportation position in the Trump Administration.

Speaking at his final "State of the City" address before the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Bartlett said it would be a home run and that it would utilize his experience in aviation and the oil and gas industry.

Bartlett endorsed Donald Trump for president in May during an appearance on 6 In The Morning.

5/7/2016 Related Story: Tulsa Mayor Says He Supports Trump For President

Bartlett also highlighted his "One Tulsa" agenda. He praised Tulsans for responding peacefully to two high profile police shootings of black men. Bartlett said "situations that have shattered communities in other cities, actually pulled Tulsa closer together." 

“This is how Tulsa responds to difficult situations,” Bartlett said. “We meet crisis head on, we confront the issues with solutions and dialogue and we address them. We do this in many ways and many places but we do it as One Tulsa."

He noted Tulsa Police are testing body worn cameras.

Bartlett noted the efforts to put water in the river, to complete the Gilcrease Expressway and create a dedicated funding stream for public safety.

Bartlett noted two efforts still incomplete: an agreement he said was close to establish a public inebriate center and a statewide effort he's pushed to diversify how the state collects sales tax - specifically taxing internet sales that are now conducted tax free.

Bartlett highlighted a financial streamlining effort he started at the beginning of his administration - when Tulsa was having trouble making payroll and laid off police officers following a recession.

He noted the privatization of several City of Tulsa assets, including Tulsa International Airport, Tulsa Zoo and Gilcrease Museum, as the correct strategy to help make them more efficient.

Bartlett, who was last elected in 2013, will end his term on December 5th.

Bartlett said "I hand over to new leadership to carry on, to persevere and to make intelligent decisions for all of Tulsa.  We all want Tulsa simply be Tulsa.  Tulsa must continue embracing and promoting our well known entrepreneurial approach to job creation, to philanthropy, governance and educational career building."

Bartlett said he expects a decision in the next few weeks about whether the U.S. Air Force will base new F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in Tulsa. Bartlett and several other regional leaders, as well as the Oklahoma National Guard, are hoping the Air Force chooses Tulsa's 138th Fighter Wing to transition to the jets. The 138th currently flies F-16s.

7/30/2015 Related Story: Task Force Wants F-35 Wing Based At Tulsa

The mayor said his next job could be in Washington as he is lobbying to be the next Secretary of Transportation.

 "I think that would be a very good job for me; would be good for the country and good for our region," he said.

Bartlett supported President-Elect Trump, and, besides two terms on the Turnpike Authority, has experience with all sorts of transportation issues.

"And in the City we've had several major bond taxing packages regarding streets, public safety, the airport, and I was on the Airport Authority and all of these things - I have a tremendous amount of experience in understanding all that from the city perspective," Bartlett said.