A Mayor's Legacy: Economic Growth, Historical Reckoning

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G.T. Bynum is leaving the family business. The outgoing mayor of Tulsa, Okla., is the fourth member of his family to lead the city. The former city councilmember became mayor in 2016. During his tenure, he implemented a data-driven approach to real-time policing while focusing on redressing racial disparity and fostering economic vitality. That vision and his pragmatic approach to turning around a struggling city earned him recognition as a Public Official of the Year, a designation from Governing magazine.


In this episode, Governing Senior WriterJared Brey joins the podcast to extract lessons from Bynum’s time in office and examine what’s next for the mayor and his city.

Show Notes

 Here are the top 5 takeaways from this episode:

1. Economic Revitalization and Growth: Bynum played a pivotal role in Tulsa’s economic development by attracting new employers like Amazon and encouraging remote workers to return to the city, contributing to its economic rejuvenation.
2. Acknowledging Racial History: Bynum openly recognized the Tulsa Race Massacre, which had long been overlooked, and led efforts to search for and identify victims. While it may not have resulted in full reconciliation, his actions brought greater attention to Tulsa’s historical racial violence.
3. Navigating Racial Inequality: Bynum faced challenges in addressing racial inequality and police reform, especially during the protests of 2020. His leadership during these times was scrutinized, and some criticized him for not taking stronger action on police reform.
4. Nonpartisan Leadership: As a Republican, Bynum prided himself on governing in a nonpartisan manner, seeking to unite different political groups and focusing on common goals rather than ideological divides. His reputation for nonpartisanship was a defining feature of his leadership.
5. Future Path and Legacy: Bynum will leave office to join the private sector, specifically Saint Francis Health System, though he has left the door open for potential future public service. He is credited with positioning Tulsa for future growth, fostering a vision where young people could see opportunities to build in the city.

Related Links to stories referenced in the episode:

• Public Officials of the Year: Overview
• How a Fourth-Generation Mayor Reshaped His Hometown (Bynum POY profile)

Our editors used ChatGPT 4.0 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes. The main image for this story was created using DALL-E 3.