Mick Cornett became Oklahoma City's 35th mayor on March 2, 2004. Cornett was re-elected on March 7, 2006 with over 87 percent of the vote, the highest percentage in Oklahoma City history. When first elected at age 45, Cornett was the City's youngest mayor since 1959.
Contact the Mayor200 N Walker, 3rd Floor
|
 |
| Mayor Cornett with President Bush in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, January, 2008. (White House photo) |
 |
| Mayor Cornett joins Vice President Dick Cheney and members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation on April 19, 2007 in observing a moment of silence in memory of Murrah Building bombing victims. (White House photo) |
 |
| Mayor Cornett, NBA Commissioner David Stern and SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett address the media at the Skirvin Hilton, following the NBA Relocation Committee's visit to Oklahoma City on March 25, 2008. |
 |
| Mayor Cornett and Taco Bell President Greg Creed announce Taco Bell's support of the Mayor's anti-obesity initiative in Oklahoma City in April, 2008. |
 |
| Mayor Cornett at the groundbreaking for U.S. Grant High School. The Mayor has made education one of his two top priorities, and the "MAPS for Kids" program a cornerstone of his administration. |
 |
| Mayor Cornett and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum on May 11, 2007 (photo courtesy the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum). |
 |
| Mayor Cornett with former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 2006 at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. (OCPA photo) |
 |
| Mayor Cornett meets with President Bush's "homeless czar" Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, in May, 2007 in Oklahoma City. |
 |
Mayor Cornett with New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets forward/guard Desmond Mason. The Mayor was the driving force in bringing the Hornets to Oklahoma City. Also pictured: City Manager Jim Couch, Chief of Staff to the Mayor David F. Holt, and Executive Assistant to the Mayor Gayleen Keeton. |
 |
| Mayor Cornett and wife Lisa in the Oklahoma Centennial Parade in Oklahoma City on October 14, 2007. |
 |
| Mayor Cornett testifies before a U.S. House subcommittee in April, 2007. |
Cornett has quickly developed into a statewide and national spokesperson on municipal issues. He is frequently asked to speak to Congress and the White House on behalf of cities across the nation.
In 2007, he was elected as a Trustee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the highest governing body in that organization. He had previously served on the Advisory Board. Cornett is also the national President of the organization representing Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO). In June, 2007, Mayor Cornett made the exciting announcement that Oklahoma City had secured the 2010 Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Standing for efficient government and responsible leadership, Mayor Cornett has worked to promote an inclusive and optimistic vision of Oklahoma City, one driven by bold ideas. Cornett's humble nature, intense work ethic and optimistic attitude have become emblematic of a city that, as Cornett says, "works hard and dreams big."
As mayor of America's 29th-largest city, Cornett has focused on two fundamental priorities - education and jobs. At the top of his list has been the implementation of MAPS for Kids, which continues to keep its promise to renovate or rebuild every single building in the Oklahoma City Public Schools system, while also providing capital funding to the 23 other school districts that serve Oklahoma City. In 2007, the U.S. Conference of Mayors awarded Cornett the "City Livability Outstanding Achievement Award" for those efforts. Later that year, Mayor Cornett led the charge to pass another initiative addressing school infrastructure in the inner city.
Since Cornett's arrival in the Mayor's Office, the City has continued an economic renaissance, strengthened by significant and rapid growth, and marked by thrilling accomplishments that seem to arrive almost every day.
Over 65,000 new jobs have been created in Greater Oklahoma City since Mayor Cornett took office, led by the arrival of Dell Computers on the Oklahoma River in 2004. The arrival of the NBA in 2005, the permanent attainment of major league status in 2008, and the announcement of the new Devon Tower that same year have all underscored Oklahoma City's emergence as a world-class city.
In addition, Cornett successfully spearheaded initiatives to improve the State Fair facilities in 2004, our City streets in 2007, and the Ford Center in 2008. Cornett's efforts to use sports as an economic development tool won him the Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award from Oklahoma City University in 2006 and the Ray Soldan Media Award from the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association in 2008.
On December 31, 2007, Cornett put Oklahoma City on a diet (www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com), a movement to change the culture of obesity in Oklahoma City. For those efforts, the Oklahoma State Medical Association awarded him the "Prevention in Practice" award in 2008.
For all of this success, Cornett is quick to credit the vision of his predecessors, the hard work of the City Council, the City Manager, the staff of the City, and the people of Oklahoma City. Because of them, Oklahoma City is proudly becoming a model of progress for the nation.
By nearly every measure, and on nearly every front, Oklahoma City is booming like never before, and no one is happier about that, or more anxious to share the credit, than Mayor Mick Cornett.
Cornett represents the fourth generation of his family to make their home in Oklahoma. Cornett was born and raised in Oklahoma City, the son of a postman and a school teacher.
He graduated from Putnam City High School, where he was honored as the most outstanding student in government. He went on to the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a degree in journalism, and graduated on the Dean's Honor Roll.
Cornett then embarked on his career in broadcast journalism. He spent 20 years in local television, first in sports and later in news. He served as a reporter, anchor and manager, and simultaneously worked as a newspaper columnist and sports play-by-play announcer.
As a news anchor, he covered City Hall from 1997 to 1999, where he gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of city government in our daily lives, and to our city's future growth.
In 1999, Cornett left local television and started his own video production business, which he still operates today. He also returned to the University of Oklahoma as a journalism professor.
In 2001, Cornett entered politics by challenging a two-term incumbent on the City Council, and won his seat by the largest margin over a sitting incumbent in City history. He served on the City Council until being overwhelmingly elected mayor in 2004.
Mick and his wife Lisa began dating when they were high school sophomores and have been together ever since. They have raised three sons-Michael, Casey and Tristan.
For more information on Mayor Cornett's current policies, read his 2008 State of the City Address here.