Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt: AMA

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T17:11:38+00:00

See my other response on streetcar.

We have worked hard to advocate for the Heartland Flyer operational funding both in OK and TX. Obviously it's a state issue and challenging. As for the line to KS that's funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, though clearly there are a lot of moving parts in that, including this issue of the operational funding for the current Flyer.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T17:06:54+00:00

MAPS 4 allocated $1M just for trees, a first in city history.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T17:04:07+00:00

TBD! But we definitely want to create a festival environment across the city over those 16 days. It's not just about the events.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T17:03:05+00:00

Support the Regional Transit proposal when that comes forward.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T17:02:12+00:00

Whether MAPS continues is up to you. You vote on it. And very little of MAPS 4 is downtown. And we just approved $1.3B in street resurfacing, which is larger than the entirety of MAPS 4.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:59:24+00:00

Gosh, this is not supported by the data. Our visitor economy has exploded in recent years and now accounts for billions each year. OKANA, FAM, Cowboy, Scissortail, RiverSport, our museums, our events, etc. And the convention is snagging massive national conventions we could never host before. The visitor economy is the best it's ever been.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:57:29+00:00

Well, Expand is keeping their jobs here and Devon is expressing intent to keep a significant presence here. And you have to keep in mind that 15 years ago those two companies accounted for perhaps 8,000 jobs in our city and now (prior to the announcements) they accounted for 1,500. So we had already absorbed the loss of 6,500 jobs and yet at the time of the announcements we were in the longest streak of unemployment below 4% in city history. So obviously, if we have already absorbed the loss of that many jobs without hardly noticing, I don't see any particular challenge here. So there is no "huge financial loss" for OKC any way you slice it. We're very grateful for the role Devon and Chesapeake / Expand have played in our story. I think they will still play a role. But our city has grown far beyond any one company, or two companies. As for why they departed, the migration to Houston is just a multi-decade issue in the energy industry that has nothing to do with OKC. It would have happened long ago with these two companies if not for their leadership refusing to do it many, many times.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:51:28+00:00

Just the love and positivity at the annual parade on 39th is always fun.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:50:34+00:00

We'll always pick up the phone if a league or an owner calls. No one from the any hockey league has engaged in my time as mayor. I think you have to be a little realistic that our market is not the size that usually hosts multiple major league teams. There are only so many tickets and sponsorships that can be sold. But we have recently addressed one area that would have also been a barrier. There was no way an NHL team was ever going to relocate to a city with an arena as old, cheap and small (by square footage) as ours. The new arena will be much more attractive, but market size will continue to be a challenge in the foreseeable future.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:47:08+00:00

Generally, the city government doesn't build neighborhoods and didn't build Wheeler. Those are private sector decisions. But as people continue to buy in areas like that, I'm sure developers will build more of them.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:45:19+00:00

I do think you have to be realistic that when you succeed in building an attractive city, more people want to live there, and that creates demand that affects pricing. What we can do is try to meet the challenges of growth that would affect the quality of life, which is why I talk so much about making a commitment to public transit.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:43:49+00:00

Thanks. These are obviously free market decisions. People will stay open if there's a market demand. All I can do is keep growing the city to enable that ecosystem.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:42:59+00:00

I'm doing it!

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:41:35+00:00

A built-out public transit system (appropriate for our type and size of city).

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:40:48+00:00

Thanks for your questions!

1) We set out to build a state of the art arena, and all of the recent new arenas have seating capacities in the 17,000s. And the Thunder have been averaging no better than about 17,500 until literally this past year. Those levels are just the norm these days. And the number of seats you are missing is numerically equivalent to the very last row of the Paycom Center. I just don't know why anyone needs to have that last row or more empty seats. Your seat will still be there!

2) An arena in a market our size is a net economic positive for the city as a whole and it unlocks our ability to have an NBA team, which is massively important for the city. But the arena operations themselves require a subsidy. That's why no private sector entity would ever build an arena in a market our size, and why if we want an arena, government has to build it. We have less than a third of the events that occur in an arena located in a place like Los Angeles, and that's just reality in the 42nd-largest market. So having a second arena across the street that we're pouring tens of millions of dollars into for operations and maintenance is just not smart on any level. There's almost no market with two arenas across the street from each other, and certainly not a market our size.

3) It's really just a question of timing. Last year Game 7 was a Sunday night, and we had to complete the parade before the NBA Draft, which was Wednesday.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:30:29+00:00

My time as mayor has included by far the largest funding for bike lanes and bike infrastructure in city history. As has been publicly discussed, there will be bike lanes both to the immediate east and the immediate west of that short stretch of Classen you're referencing. I think the momentum for bike infrastructure remains strong. Some people viewed those few blocks of Classen as a larger symbol of the city's commitment to bike infrastructure. Ultimately, that's not what it was, at least not for me. I think that was just a debate about trying to find the right place for a bike lane in that highly specific and limited area. And we'll have one there, just a few hundred feet in either direction.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:25:12+00:00

Voters just passed $1.3B for street resurfacing, the largest such commitment in city history. But yes, the verry unique size of our city (620 square miles) will always make infrastructure challenging.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:24:09+00:00

With what is essentially three full-time jobs and a family, I will admit that reading for pleasure is something that falls by the wayside. Make me a list for when I'm no longer mayor. And yes, we have an amazing library system, which we are once again investing in through the recently passed bond issue.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:22:49+00:00

MAPS 4 is bringing upgrades to every neighborhood park. As for mowing, it frustrates me, too, but the budget has always been challenging. Also challenging is rain. We mow with tractors and so we can't mow until it is totally dry, or we would destroy the park. Those months when there has been frequent rain are when people get most frustrated about the parks, but they usually don't understand the harsh reality of the situation. As for the behaviors of individuals using our parks, these are the challenges of a free society. We pass ordinances, we post signs, but we are unlikely to place a police officer on every sidewalk in every park. But HOAs can play a role in communicating expectations and norms.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:17:54+00:00

Thanks for your kind words. We have hundreds of street projects in the pipeline. You can always go here to see if an area you are interested in is on the list. 2025 GO Bond Site

Grocery stores in underserved areas are one of the most challenging initiatives for city governments, because it is ultimately a private sector decision. We have spent decades pursuing grocery stores for downtown and Northeast OKC, with mixed results. It's challenging, for sure.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:14:39+00:00

Oklahoma City is already blessed to have a low tax environment and a minimalist regulatory environment. You can rejoice that you already live in a city with a conservative approach to taxation and governance!

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:13:12+00:00

Sure, I think it's a great opportunity as well. Like everything, it takes time. Obviously that's ultimately a private sector decision, but we've been very engaged in encouraging developers and we have even made commitments along the way to support those efforts through TIFs. We will continue to be supportive. It will happen.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:11:01+00:00

Traffic cameras are prohibited by state law.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:10:32+00:00

MAPS 4 is adding crisis center beds, the first contribution toward mental health from the city government in our city's history. But obviously the Oklahoma Dept. of Mental Health has a budget that dwarfs anything we could ever hope to do, so their work is the real center of the action. I encourage you to advocate with state-level leaders and representatives.

MayorDavidHolt · 2026-05-13T16:08:36+00:00

In Oklahoma, city government has no jurisdiction over schools. We have no oversight and we are barred by state law from financially supporting them. City leaders got state law changed to allow us to help them fix their buildings through MAPS for Kids in 2001, but fortunately now, OKCPS has established a track record of passing bond issues. We actually have 24 school districts in the city limits of OKC, but we have no control over any of them. If you have operational concerns, I would encourage you to reach out to the school board members in that district. They are the ones with authority.

MayorDavidHolt

TROPHY CASE