Mayor Focuses On Lingering Challenges For Tulsans In State Of The City Address

After COVID-19 forced Mayor GT Bynum's state of the city address online last year, the Mayor was back in front of a big crowd Thursday afternoon.

“Today, we are back together," he said.

His annual state of the city address focused on the city's progress and the challenges Tulsans have faced. Challenges, Bynum says everyone's experienced the past couple of years.

"We have experienced a century's share of calamity in just two years,” said Bynum.

From flooding in 2019 to a global pandemic in 2020, Bynum says there were even more challenges in between. Like civil unrest, a cyber-attack, record low oil prices, and a polar vortex that caused the most severe winter damage in Tulsa since 2007.

Bynum says despite all of this, he's proud of how the city responded.

“We have not been distracted or discouraged,” said Bynum. “The cranes are in the air."

Bynum says the city's economy continues to grow.

With new skyscrapers going up and new businesses moving to Tulsa. 

"There has never been, at least in my lifetime a more exciting time to serve our city," he said. 

Bynum also praised the Tulsa Health Department and their response to COVID-19 and recognized progress in hiring even more police officers, including raising starting pay for new hires. Bynum says while there are a lot of positives and job openings, Tulsa also faces a problem similar to other cities nationwide.

"We do not have enough people applying for jobs that are open,” he said. “I have yet to meet a major employer in Tulsa who isn't facing challenges around finding people to fill vacancies and the city of Tulsa is no exception to that."

The Mayor also talked about the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre this year.

In his speech, Bynum said that the city will continue to be committed to shedding light on its painful past.