Oklahoma City is regularly visited by representatives and officials from other cities throughout the country who want to understand the secret of our success here. The MAPS program, now in its 25th year, has transformed our city in significant and tangible ways. This program, which allows for major capital improved projects to be funded without debt, is admired by cities nationwide. Recently, Oklahoma City was ranked the best-run city with a population over 500,000 for the se

This week, downtown employees, residents and the public attended a kickoff party to celebrate the recent enhancements and reopening of Kerr Park. The improvements were made possible through Downtown OKC Partnership, a Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant and numerous partners and stakeholders. These enhancements add placemaking elements to make the park more people-centric. Placemaking is a topic that I write about frequently. That is because it is so important to

August marks the beginning of the school year in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City Public Schools started at the beginning of the month, while other schools in the area are still welcoming students to their first day of school. One of the annual back-to-school rites is completing the school supply list. For students, it’s often pencils, paper, crayons and maybe even a new backpack or lunchbox. For teachers, the list is much longer and more expensive, and includes classroom tools, suppl

There is an innovative new economic development tool that encourages investments in underserved areas of the community designated as Opportunity Zones. The obvious benefit for investors is tax breaks. The bigger benefit – and exciting potential – is fostering private and philanthropic investment to create positive change and economic opportunity in our city. Opportunity Zones are part of the 2017 Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. By taking capital gains from current holdings and