By Mick Cornett
“Let’s be honest for a moment, Oklahoma is not okay – we’re struggling.”
That’s the first line of our new commercial, and I’ll be very transparent: it was not easy for me to say. I love this state, and the last thing I want to do is communicate a negative message to anyone.
But as I’ve travelled across our great state, the challenges we are facing are apparent to nearly every Oklahoman. We need to get our fiscal house in order. Our economy is over-reliant on the oil and gas industry, and we need to diversify and get it growing. We need to improve education to ensure the next generation has the opportunity to thrive.
State government is a mess, but people aren’t ready to give up. They’re ready for the right person to lead them through it.
We can’t fix it all overnight, but we can fix it.
As the Mayor of Oklahoma City, we did business differently than they do at the State Capitol. I oversaw 14-straight, on-time balanced budgets. We had a 15% rainy day fund, and we had the highest possible bond rating a municipality is allowed to have.
Our pro-growth policies lead to the creation of more than 100,000 jobs in the metro area and the creation of more than 10,000 businesses, giving us, consistently, one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Another recent tabulation show that Oklahoma City’s local economy is among the most diversified in the entire country.
That’s the same standard I will bring to the table if you elect me your next Governor. Can you imagine if state government had been working that efficiently for the better part of the last decade?
Instead, the state has had years of budget shortfalls and an economy that no one would accuse of being diversified. Credit rating agencies downgraded the state credit rating a couple years ago, and last year, they threatened to do it again.
We did make a great stride forward during the last legislative session. We gave teachers a pay raise. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good first step. Now, we need to grow our economy so we can continue to make the needed investments in education.
I’ve been called the most conservative big city mayor in the country. But our state doesn’t need somebody who just talks conservative, we need someone who will produce.
That’s what we did in Oklahoma City when I was Mayor, and that’s exactly what we’ll do again for the entire state. I’ll work hard for you, your family, and your community no matter what part of the state you call home.
I’d be honored to have your vote for the Republican Primary Runoff Election on August 28th, and together, we can build a better state for all 4 million citizens.
Mick Cornett is the former mayor of Oklahoma City and currently a Republican candidate for governor.
