The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Remember back in 2007 when Dewey Bartlett Jr co-chaired the "Complete Our Streets" task force?
(Dewey doesn't.)

Recommendation #2:
"28% of Tulsans do not have access to a vehicle, so when thinking of Tulsa streets, this Task Force has taken into account cycling, jogging, walking and more mass transit forms of transportation needs."
http://www.cityoftulsa.org/COTlegacy/documents/COSREPORT_1.pdf (http://www.cityoftulsa.org/COTlegacy/documents/COSREPORT_1.pdf)

Remember back in 2012 when Dewey signed the Complete Streets Resolution?  
(Dewey doesn't.)

What was it?
"A resolution in support of a policy to create a comprehensive, integrated, and interconnected multi-modal network of complete streets for the City of Tulsa that supports sustainable development and balances the needs of all users... to provide accommodation for walking, bicycling, other non-motorized forms of transit..."
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/cs/policy/cs-ok-tulsa-resolution.pdf (http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/cs/policy/cs-ok-tulsa-resolution.pdf)

What does Dewey have to say about these things now?  A little Q&A article in the Tulsa World was illuminating:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/elections/tulsa-mayoral-race-q-a/article_cf86729a-e844-5f87-b836-caf65b68f683.html (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/elections/tulsa-mayoral-race-q-a/article_cf86729a-e844-5f87-b836-caf65b68f683.html)

What steps would you take to improve public transportation in Tulsa?
Bartlett: The first step towards improvement regarding any form of transportation in Tulsa is fixing our roads. Unfortunately, the city of Tulsa ignored street maintenance for many years and our streets fell into disrepair. My administration made fixing our streets a priority and I am very proud of the progress we made. We will not only continue to repair the roads in Tulsa but we will also dedicate resources to maintaining our streets.

How important is the "walkability" and appearance of downtown and how would you improve those aspects of the area?
Bartlett: When you run a city, you have to prioritize resources. As mayor, I recognize that the dollars we budget ultimately belong to the taxpayers, which is why I believe in spending those dollars wisely and efficiently. I am much more concerned with investing in public safety and streets than I am in things like "walkability." I will continue to focus on the things that matter most in my second term as mayor.

I'm getting really tired of Bartlett's inaction and backsliding on PlaniTulsa.

In case you were wondering about Taylor's answers to the same questions...

What steps would you take to improve public transportation in Tulsa?
Taylor: Improve Our Tulsa provides funding for the Peoria BRT bus corridor, a great first step. We need creative financing with public-private partnerships — working with businesses that have specific workforce transit needs, or partnering with Tulsa-area universities and their 40,000 local college students. We also need to ensure we are incorporating transit in planning, so that when we build or rehabilitate roads, we do it in a way that can accommodate future transit needs.

How important is the "walkability" and appearance of downtown and how would you improve those aspects of the area?
Taylor: Very important. The work of PlanItTulsa needs to become BuildItTulsa and the recommendations on a walkable city (which makes us healthier in the process) need to be considered in all public improvement projects. The gateways to our city need to be prioritized so Tulsa's "front doors" are always welcoming to Tulsans and visitors. Launching an "Adopt a Spot" program similar to Up With Trees for our gateways would be the beginning.

unfortunately he's speaking to the typical Tulsa voter:
anti downtown, anti-river, our roads need more money. our stores aren't big boxy enough....

It's pretty obvious from just those two sample questions Dooey is a dolt, while Kathy does have vision.

Sure, both candidates have their warts, but Tulsa sure looks a whole lot different than it would have without the stewardship and vision of Mayor Taylor.

I was asking one of our shop guys why he moved back to Tulsa from Las Vegas recently.  Aside from the obvious suck factor of having to actually have to live in Vegas, he made the comment that Tulsa's livability factor is on par with places like Austin now.  He's blown away with how far the Brady/Blue Dome has come and specifically mentioned Guthrie Green as one of the places he really appreciates.

A whole lot of people who hated the stadium district idea 5-6 years ago are now enjoying the fruits of that initiative.

Unfortunately, Dewey is clueless.  Yes, young people need jobs, but that's not all they want.  They want a vibrant, cool, interesting place to live.  Believe it or not, they don't give a crap about the roads.  More and more of them don't even want cars.  They do care about walkability and sustainability. They seek out the kind of place that attracts other young people.  They want a large dating pool, not just a day job at a call center.  They want activities and opportunity and diversity and nightlife and entertainment.  This is why younger folks pack up the car and move to greener pastures.  They don't necessarily wait for a job, they just head to the destination.

Quality of life/amenities is also among the top criteria that companies consider when deciding where to relocate.  Imagine that. Companies know a thing or two about what it takes to attract and retain smart, educated workers.  Isn't our goal to attract and retain smart, educated citizens?

Tulsa is just starting to have some things that make it a destination. Much of that growth can be tied directly to Taylor's leadership.  She planted seeds that are germinating, especially downtown.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.  Taylor was in office when the gem of Vision2025 (the BOK Center) opened.  Who was it that did the real legwork?  That was Bill LaFortune.  I disagreed with him on a number of things, but he got that right.  Taylor was the beneficiary of LaFortune's work.

Hold up Hoss

Bill got it going, but he hired an architect who over-designed the arena and it went over budget. Kathy got sponsorship dollars and made changes so it didn't turn out like the museum in OKC.

I'm just saying it wasn't Taylor's "vjsion"  as much as it was Lafortune's.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Four more years of Dooey means Plani-Tulsa just became that much more of a memory.  And I've still got that damn time capsule in the back lot at my shop.

Save time digging it up

Look at it this way - we have four more years of cell-phones-a-fire.

That was the first thing that came to mind when he made his acceptance speach...well second, the first was actually "Dewfus" at his inarticulate speach that he obviously had not planned in advance.

Trying to say he didn’t believe that poll that showed him with an 11 point lead?  Maybe he just smoked a Dewby before he went on stage. 

he sure looked like a Smoothead...wait....what?

I guess we could Dew this all day.

I believe we would see PlaniTulsa start to become a reality with Taylor as mayor.  Maybe Dewey will come around with people like Blake Ewing and GT Bynum promoting it on the council. 

Walkability and higher education should be right up there with public safety, economic development and transportation (not just roads but mass transit, trails and bike lanes) as top priorities.