Mick Cornett
Encyclopedia
Mick Cornett is the current Mayor of Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
, United States
. He also serves on notable positions including the national President
of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO), and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He was also Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Urban Economic Affairs Committee until 2007.
Cornett, a Republican
, was elected to the Oklahoma City Council in 2001. He became the Mayor of Oklahoma City on 2 March 2004. He was re-elected to a second term on 7 March 2006 by a 87.6% margin, the largest in city history. In 2010, he became only the fourth mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to a third term, defeating Steve Hunt by gaining 58% of the vote. In 2009, he was named one of the top 10 most powerful Oklahomans by the Oklahoma City Friday newspaper, ranking ahead of the state's two U.S. Senators. In 2010, he was named the Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine
and placed second, behind the Mayor of Mexico City, in the London-based City Mayors Foundation’s “World Mayor Award.”
Cornett received an MBA, specializing in management, entrepreneurship and leadership, from NYU Stern School of Business in July 2011.
Cornett is a native of Oklahoma City and graduate of Putnam City High School and the University of Oklahoma. He has three sons: Mike, Casey and Tristan.
degree in TV news and has worked in news and sports as a reporter, anchor, and manager in Oklahoma City. As a reporter, he covered city politics from 1997 to 1999. In 1999 he started his own video production company, Mick Cornett Video Productions, specializing in jobs for the corporate and legal sectors. Cornett is the co-host of The Verdict, a local Oklahoma City television show where they discuss legal and social issues. Cornett served as an Executive Vice President of Ackerman McQueen from 2009–2011, during which the Oklahoma Ad Club named him 2010's "Ad Man of the Year."
, Uptown
, MidTown
, Capital Hill
, the Oklahoma Health Center, the Eastside
, and numerous others have all experienced an economic revitalization during his tenure.
Downtown
has experienced a continued renaissance (since 1993) under Cornett's leadership, earning Oklahoma City the moniker Renaissance City from tourists and local residents. Among many successful ventures, the historic Skirvin hotel was renovated and reopened under the Hilton banner in February 2007 after nearly two decades of abandonment. The hotel is considered to be the finest in the state.
Oklahoma City's growth under Cornett is in another way evidenced by its population growth. In June 2007, the U.S. Census announced its estimate that Oklahoma City had grown in city
population to over 547,000 residents; over 1.26 percent between July 2005 and July 2006. Since the official Census in 2000, Oklahoma City had grown over eight percent according to the Census Bureau, making it the 12th-fastest growing large city (over 500,000 in population) in the United States.
Other recent initiatives have also included his chairmanship of the Core to Shore committee of city leaders, and continued job growth in greater Oklahoma City
. Led by almost 2,000 jobs that Dell
brought to Oklahoma City, the greater Oklahoma City area gained over 72,000 new jobs in Cornett's first five years in office.
forced the New Orleans Hornets to relocate in 2005. Cornett's behind-the-scenes work prior to Katrina put Oklahoma City in position to become the temporary home. For two full seasons, the team played no less than 35 games annually at the Ford Center.
On December 20, 2007, Cornett announced an initiative to renovate Ford Center in hopes of securing an NBA team. The initiative went to the voters of Oklahoma City on March 4, 2008 and passed by a 62% margin. On July 2, 2008, it became official that the NBA's SuperSonics franchise, headed by local businessman Clayton Bennett
, were relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008-2009 season.
, Las Vegas
, Miami, Boston
, Chicago
, and Denver. The meeting occurred in Oklahoma City June 11–14, 2010.
to promote the initiative on January 17, 2008. He also teamed up with Taco Bell
and local restaurants to promote healthy menu choices. This initiative also garned Cornett an invitation to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2010 State of the Union address.
Also in 2010, he was named runner-up of the World Mayor
prize, and also the recipient of the World Mayor Project's 2010 World Mayor Commendation, in recognition of the economic and civic progress of Oklahoma City.
vacated by Ernest Istook
. On August 22, 2006, he faced Lt. Governor Mary Fallin
in a GOP run-off election. Fallin won, and was elected to Congress in the general election.
Following Fallin's decision to run for governor
in 2010, Cornett was widely considered a possible candidate for the seat, but decided to run for re-election as mayor.
In 2008, Cornett was scheduled to address the Republican National Convention
in St. Paul, Minnesota, but his speech was canceled when reaction to Hurricane Gustav suspended the convention.
In 2010, Cornett's Chief of Staff, David Holt (politician)
, was elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
On Nov. 15th, 2011, Cornett voted to make sexual orientation a protected class in city employment opportunities.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He also serves on notable positions including the national President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO), and also serves on the Board of Trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He was also Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Urban Economic Affairs Committee until 2007.
Cornett, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, was elected to the Oklahoma City Council in 2001. He became the Mayor of Oklahoma City on 2 March 2004. He was re-elected to a second term on 7 March 2006 by a 87.6% margin, the largest in city history. In 2010, he became only the fourth mayor in Oklahoma City history to be elected to a third term, defeating Steve Hunt by gaining 58% of the vote. In 2009, he was named one of the top 10 most powerful Oklahomans by the Oklahoma City Friday newspaper, ranking ahead of the state's two U.S. Senators. In 2010, he was named the Public Official of the Year by Governing Magazine
Governing Magazine
Governing is a national monthly magazine, edited and published since 1987 in Washington, D.C., whose subject area is state and local government in the United States. The magazine covers policy, politics and the management of government enterprises...
and placed second, behind the Mayor of Mexico City, in the London-based City Mayors Foundation’s “World Mayor Award.”
Cornett received an MBA, specializing in management, entrepreneurship and leadership, from NYU Stern School of Business in July 2011.
Cornett is a native of Oklahoma City and graduate of Putnam City High School and the University of Oklahoma. He has three sons: Mike, Casey and Tristan.
Accomplishments in media and advertising
Cornett earned a journalismJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
degree in TV news and has worked in news and sports as a reporter, anchor, and manager in Oklahoma City. As a reporter, he covered city politics from 1997 to 1999. In 1999 he started his own video production company, Mick Cornett Video Productions, specializing in jobs for the corporate and legal sectors. Cornett is the co-host of The Verdict, a local Oklahoma City television show where they discuss legal and social issues. Cornett served as an Executive Vice President of Ackerman McQueen from 2009–2011, during which the Oklahoma Ad Club named him 2010's "Ad Man of the Year."
Economic growth
Cornett is a proponent for progressive issues/initiatives such as rapid and mass transit, economic diversification, urban renaissance, and civic beautification. Neighborhoods such as Asia DistrictAsia District
Oklahoma City's Asia District, also known as the Asian District, is the center of Asian culture and International cuisine and commerce in the state of Oklahoma...
, Uptown
Uptown Oklahoma City
Uptown is the area near the mid 23rd Street of Oklahoma City due east of Asia District. It includes Oklahoma City University and numerous ethnic shops and gritty venues. Among them, Tower theatre is currently being remodeled to become a large scale venue with new storefronts...
, MidTown
Midtown Oklahoma City
Midtown is located due North West of downtown Oklahoma City surrounded by Automobile Alley to the east and Asia District to the North. It is home to St. Anthony's Hospital and smaller communities like Plaza District and Church Row...
, Capital Hill
Capitol Hill, Oklahoma City
Capitol Hill is a neighborhood of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was originally a separate city that was established in 1905, merging with its larger neighbor in 1911...
, the Oklahoma Health Center, the Eastside
Eastside, Oklahoma City
The Eastside is home to the U.S. state of Oklahoma's largest African American community. It is located roughly East of Walker Avenue and North of 4th Street in the near North East quadrant of Oklahoma City....
, and numerous others have all experienced an economic revitalization during his tenure.
Downtown
Downtown Oklahoma City
Downtown Oklahoma City is located at the geographic center of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and is the principal business district of the city. With 115 city blocks and around of office space, downtown Oklahoma City also is the economic, financial, and entertainment center of the city...
has experienced a continued renaissance (since 1993) under Cornett's leadership, earning Oklahoma City the moniker Renaissance City from tourists and local residents. Among many successful ventures, the historic Skirvin hotel was renovated and reopened under the Hilton banner in February 2007 after nearly two decades of abandonment. The hotel is considered to be the finest in the state.
Oklahoma City's growth under Cornett is in another way evidenced by its population growth. In June 2007, the U.S. Census announced its estimate that Oklahoma City had grown in city
Central City
In city planning, a Central City is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area, of which the other smaller cities and towns of the metropolitan area are suburbs. A central city is usually the first settlement established in an urban region before the outlying districts came...
population to over 547,000 residents; over 1.26 percent between July 2005 and July 2006. Since the official Census in 2000, Oklahoma City had grown over eight percent according to the Census Bureau, making it the 12th-fastest growing large city (over 500,000 in population) in the United States.
Other recent initiatives have also included his chairmanship of the Core to Shore committee of city leaders, and continued job growth in greater Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City metropolitan area
-Metro-area suburbs and exurbs:The following communities are suburbs and exurbs of Oklahoma City with populations of at least 1,000 found within the bounds of State Highway 33 to the north, State Highway 18 and US-177 to the east, State Highway 39 and State Highway 9 to the south, and US-81 to the...
. Led by almost 2,000 jobs that Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
brought to Oklahoma City, the greater Oklahoma City area gained over 72,000 new jobs in Cornett's first five years in office.
MAPS 3
In December 2009, Cornett led the way to successful voter passage of the MAPS 3 initiative, which includes eight quality-of-life capital projects to be constructed in Oklahoma City over the last decade.MAPS for Kids
One of Cornett top priorities has been the implementation of MAPS for Kids. That initiative is responsible for rebuilding over renovating every single building in the innercity school district.NBA teams
Cornett is widely credited with bringing the National Basketball Association to Oklahoma City when Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
forced the New Orleans Hornets to relocate in 2005. Cornett's behind-the-scenes work prior to Katrina put Oklahoma City in position to become the temporary home. For two full seasons, the team played no less than 35 games annually at the Ford Center.
On December 20, 2007, Cornett announced an initiative to renovate Ford Center in hopes of securing an NBA team. The initiative went to the voters of Oklahoma City on March 4, 2008 and passed by a 62% margin. On July 2, 2008, it became official that the NBA's SuperSonics franchise, headed by local businessman Clayton Bennett
Clayton Bennett
Clayton "Clay" Ike' Bennett is an American businessman and chairman of the Professional Basketball Club LLC, the ownership group of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise that was formerly the Seattle SuperSonics...
, were relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008-2009 season.
2010 Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors
In June 2007, Cornett announced that Oklahoma City had secured the 2010 Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Previous hosts have included other prominent major cities such as Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Miami, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and Denver. The meeting occurred in Oklahoma City June 11–14, 2010.
"This City Is Going On A Diet"
On December 31, 2007, Cornett put Oklahoma City on a "diet," launching the web site, www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. He appeared on The Ellen Degeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
to promote the initiative on January 17, 2008. He also teamed up with Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
and local restaurants to promote healthy menu choices. This initiative also garned Cornett an invitation to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at the 2010 State of the Union address.
National Awards
In 2010, Governing Magazine named Cornett "Public Official of the Year" and put him on the cover.Also in 2010, he was named runner-up of the World Mayor
World Mayor
World Mayor is a biennial award organized by The City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of cities, nationally and internationally...
prize, and also the recipient of the World Mayor Project's 2010 World Mayor Commendation, in recognition of the economic and civic progress of Oklahoma City.
Other Political Activities
On 11 May 2006, Cornett announced that he would be running to fill the seat in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
vacated by Ernest Istook
Ernest Istook
Ernest James Istook Jr. is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House...
. On August 22, 2006, he faced Lt. Governor Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin is the 27th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She was a U.S. Representative for from 2007 until 2011....
in a GOP run-off election. Fallin won, and was elected to Congress in the general election.
Following Fallin's decision to run for governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
in 2010, Cornett was widely considered a possible candidate for the seat, but decided to run for re-election as mayor.
In 2008, Cornett was scheduled to address the Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
in St. Paul, Minnesota, but his speech was canceled when reaction to Hurricane Gustav suspended the convention.
In 2010, Cornett's Chief of Staff, David Holt (politician)
David Holt (politician)
David Holt is an American politician who serves as Oklahoma State Senator from the 30th district, which includes portions of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, The Village, Oklahoma, Bethany, Oklahoma, and Warr Acres, Oklahoma.-Personal life:...
, was elected to the Oklahoma Senate.
On Nov. 15th, 2011, Cornett voted to make sexual orientation a protected class in city employment opportunities.