Mick Cornett is the current Mayor of the American city 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 on 2001. He became the Mayor of Oklahoma City on 2 March2004. He was re-elected to a second term on 7 March2006 by a 87.6% margin, the largest in city history.
Credits and accomplishments
Cornett is widely credited with bringing the National Basketball Association to Oklahoma City when Hurricane Katrina 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 billionaire Clay Bennett, were relocating to Oklahoma City for the 2008-2009 season.
Cornett has publicly declared his number one priority has been the implementation of MAPS for Kids. Recent initiatives have also included his introduction of a potential MAPS 3, his chairmanship of the Core to Shore committee of city leaders, and continued job growth in greater Oklahoma City. Led by more than 4,000 jobs that Dell is in the process of hiring, greater Oklahoma City has gained over 65,000 new jobs thus far during Cornett's term in office.
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 District, 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 on 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.
Cornett earned a journalism 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. He had reported on the Oklahoma City's first major professional franchise, the Oklahoma Wranglers of the Arena Football League, from 2000-2001. Today Cornett is the co-host of The Verdict, a local Oklahoma City television show where they discuss legal and social issues.
