This week's Urban Tulsa Weekly column is an analysis of the result of the mayoral election, a defeat for Bill LaFortune that was four years in the making. How did he go from having broad and enthusiastic support in 2002 to having no significant base of support in 2006? Special attention is given to the role that the local Republican Party organization might have played in keeping LaFortune connected to the GOP grassroots.
(I don't normally write my own headlines, but I submitted this one, and it was used. I think it's pretty apt.)
The rest of the current issue has a whole bunch of articles by city reporter Ginger Shepherd: on the mayoral transition, the high-rise sprinkler requirement, home security, syphilis, and the PAC's new ticketing system. Pick up an issue today at fine establishments citywide.
UPDATE: If the term Laodicea isn't familiar to you, read this.
Comments (4)
Very good articles.
If our new Mayor Kathy Taylor reads the U.S. News and World magazine, our son, Christopher
won the AXA Achievements State of Oklahoma
competition.
Chris is listed in the current magazine as a Tulsa winner who is also the state of Oklahoma
AXA
Achievement winner.
Posted by susan | April 13, 2006 11:47 AM
Posted on April 13, 2006 11:47
simply put, much of the anti lafortune sentiment was out of frustration over missed opportunities. the real question is, who out there on the political landscape is willing to step in to the "lafortune breech"? if one does, will he be taken seriously by those who jumped on and then got run over by the lafortune bandwagon. fool me once........... and all that jazz.
i think that the biggest single damage site of the lafortune mayorhood, the lasting legacy, is the mistrust of future reformers. how will outside the midtown beltway believers, those who would raise tulsa to new hieghts ever raise money to take on the power structure? lafortune didn't just blow up his term as mayor, he blew up future reform chances at the grass roots. his mia culpa on kfaq was a start, but the way it will be believed is if he comes out with an interview in the near future and apologizes to his supporters, current and former. he has no campaign to win now, but he has a campaign still to be waged. that of the repair of reform.
Posted by sbtulsa | April 13, 2006 4:20 PM
Posted on April 13, 2006 16:20
As far as has been reported, Sam Roop made the highest salary on LaFortune's staff at about $101,000.00.
What exactly is Baker's experience in government Kathy Taylor is so impressed with to make him "acting Mayor" when she is away? Fire Chief experience? Baker wasn't exactly the point guy on the City Council for brilliance so what's up with that?
Marks-Jimerson supposedly worked two jobs -- one full time for Lafortune at $42,996 and one full time at TCC.
J. Lane's salary is $87,086 as director of film and music -- is that job a must at that pay rate? Lane could be reassigned -- I hope
Mayor Taylor puts city dollars to real needs.
Mayor Taylor needs to see the applicants of I.T. Director in the 2003 - 2005 resume file. If any H.R. Director would have looked through that -- Sam's name would not have been at the top -- but then again Sam was over the H.R. area..... I also hope the City of Tulsa won't be hiring hackers or hobbyists as Directors of I.T. After the Sam Roop pay of $101,000 -- didn't the t.w. report he attended some time in college and then turn around as a City Councilor and expect to
land a no-bid contract with the City of Tulsa with his new company he was forming (maybe just himself as the only employee at the time?)
Did Sam Roop actually ever have any experience in the corporate world working in the areas he was in charge of before being giving the $101,000 salary?
It will be interesting to see how Kathy Taylor chooses her new staff.
Tom Baker, the new "temporary" mayor in times of Taylor's absence ...I hope she doesn't plan on spending a lot of time in Florida or elsewhere.
He was not a good District 4 city councilor.
Posted by susan | April 14, 2006 4:41 PM
Posted on April 14, 2006 16:41
The UTW headline "LaFortune in Laodicea" sort of lost me.
Maybe if I was a good Biblical Scholar, I'd have a hint. Google and Wikipedia weren't much help.
I admit it. My Classical education was paltry, too. Evidently, there were many ancient cities named Laodicea, at least 7 conservatively, maybe 9 if you're generous.
Could that possibly be Michael's theme?
......ahem:
LaFortune was ALL OVER THE PLACE.
Posted by Bob | April 17, 2006 2:11 PM
Posted on April 17, 2006 14:11