Honestly, I think Blake would make a great councilor. He's a great cheerleader for all that is good in Tulsa, but I'm worried about him spreading himself too thin. He would certainly be more visible than Maria has been and express more innovation. I'm really not quite sure why Maria ran for D-4 again unless she was simply pissed that Gomez beat her the last time they met in the general as she's been entirely ineffective and one thing I've heard from many D-4 constituents is: "Do we have a councilor in our district?" That's sad. The only visible moment I do recall for her was when she tried to manipulate the RFQ for the fire station off Cherry St.
Conan, I don't know who you are or what you have against Maria, but the people you talk to clearly don't have any idea what's going on at City Hall. How could you know about that silly incident with the fire station, and not know what else Maria has done in your district? Here is just a short list of things she has done:
1. Spearhead the passage of form based codes for the Pearl District. Despite his occasional expressions of support, Gomez never did what it would take to pass FBC. Maria promised to push for adoption in the Pearl District, and has done that. She has worked closely with the Pearl District to overcome obstacles & ensure its success.
2. PlaniTulsa--Maria worked on this from the beginning. Much of the persuading & politicking went on behind the scenes, but I promise you that Maria was instrumental in assuring its passage. If it weren't for her commitment to & support of the Plan, I doubt it would have ever passed through council. She continues to play a key role, serving on the committee for the zoning code update, for example.
3. The Lift Program--Mayor Bartlett tried to cut this program, leaving hundreds of disabled & elderly people without any form of transportation. Maria fought & persuaded other city councilor members about its critical need in the city. As a result, many grandparents & parents in this city can remain living independently.
4. Cherry Street Market--admittedly, this was first considered by Gomez, but it was Maria that worked to close down 15th street so that the market could expand. Some people questioned whether you could ever convince Tulsans to close down a major thoroughfare, but Maria's leadership enabled it.
5. Amend the zoning code to better protect historic neighborhoods. People in Yorktown & Swan lake feel under attack by a certain developer who doesn't believe that HP zoning should apply to him. After tearing down several houses, the homeowners were simply asking for some reassurance that those former historic houses wouldn't be turned into parking lots. Despite going up against some very big-hitters, Maria fought to provide that assurance. And now we at least have some limited protection (she fought for further assurance, but lost).
Those are just a few things--I could also mention her work to preserve the number of police & firefighters, her work with Bynum to prohibited the city from discrimination based on sexual orientation, and her current work to have the parking reconfigured on Cherry Street. She constantly attends neighborhood meetings, helping them with issues big & small, not to mention downtown property owners, as well as other business owners.
Of course, you can disagree with her decisions, but to say she hasn't done anything is just ignoring her record.
I find it very ironic that you hear so often that the Council is over stepping their bounds, that they are power hungry & unwilling to bow to the "strong mayor" form of government. But then you hear people also saying that so-in-so councilor never does anything. Seriously, what would you want Maria to do that is consistent with the strong-mayor form of government? You say she isn't visible--do you really want a councilor who is constantly seeking the spotlight, like certain councilors (or potential councilors)?
Most people know that I am a big fan of Maria's. But I hope you will at least seriously consider what I have said. To be honest, I don't always agree with her decisions. But I support her because I believe that her decisions are based solely on what she feels is consistent with what her constituents want, and what is best for her district. I believe that she truly listens to average citizens.
And lets be honest--those neighbors of yours that don't know who their city councilor is probably have no idea who their state rep, senator, labor commissioner, School Board Rep, etc... is either.
