In the second exclusive interview with candidates for mayor, Tulsa Today spoke with former-Councilor Bill Christiansen at his business offices at Riverside Airport.  Christiansen has served for ten years on the City Council under four mayors and now seeks the top job for the City of Tulsa.

Question:  What was the inspiration for you to run for Mayor?

Question:  What was the inspiration for you to run for Mayor?

Christiansen:  Being on the City Council for ten years and experiencing a myriad of different events and situations where I felt; golly, if I was lucky enough to be mayor, I would do things differently.

Question:  Would you change the relationship between the Council and the mayor’s office?

Christiansen:  Not at all.  I think that if you have a person in the mayor’s office that is a leader that can build relationships in a positive way like I did on the Council then it is a good system.  But if the person in the mayor’s office thinks they are the boss of the city and not the leader of the city then the mayor/council form of government that we have in Tulsa today can get bogged down.  If the guy or gal in the mayor’s office handles it properly and builds good relationships with the nine councilors – obviously, not everyone will agree all the time, but if you are respectful and communicate well, I believe it works.
Continue reading →

In the race for Mayor of Tulsa, Dewey Bartlett is the incumbent having served for over three years.  In this exclusive Tulsa Today interview, Bartlett discusses the job, the city, and the first so-called “non-partisan” race in Tulsa’s history.

Question: Mayor Bartlett, would you describe the state of the City when you took office.

Question: Mayor Bartlett, would you describe the state of the City when you took office.

Bartlett: The big event the first day, December 7, at 11:00 am was when City Finance Director Mike Kier told me that the budget projections (twice previously revised downward) were off in the final tally by about $2 million.   The check for sales taxes arrived that day from the State of Oklahoma.  At the rate the City of Tulsa was spending money, we would be out of cash and unable to pay the salaries of employees by March.  To make it to the end of the fiscal year we would have to cut our expenses by $10 million – which meant significant layoffs.

My first thought: he was joking.  He wasn’t.  I called my staff for a meeting and Kier made the presentation again and, when he was done, the entire room was shocked silent.

Continue reading →

Bring out the long knives; it is now officially a politically active campaign season in Tulsa.

Mayor Dewey Bartlett, former-Mayor Kathy Taylor, former-City Councilor Bill Christiansen, perennial candidate Lawrence Kirkpatrick and political newcomer Jerry DeWayne Branch will all compete for a term as Mayor of the City of Tulsa in the first nonpartisan election of our history.

Continue reading →

Tulsa County will re-open the north entrance to the Courthouse tomorrow, March 28, 2013, marking the completion of Phase I improvements to the Tulsa County Courthouse Complex.  The entrance has been under renovation since the opening of the new east entrance in late 2012.  The improvements where funded by the 4-to-Fix-the-County II capital improvements program, which was approved by Tulsa County voters in 2005.

Continue reading →

Businessman, entrepreneur and former State Representative Ron Peters has announced to run as the Republican candidate for the Tulsa County Commission District #3 seat being vacated by retiring Commissioner Fred Perry.  Peters.

A lifetime member of the Tulsa community, believes strong and decisive leadership is essential in maintaining the history and tradition that
defines a lifestyle Tulsa County residents expect.

Continue reading →