The Placemaker
GOVERNING magazine has named Oklahoma City Mayor and CEOs for Cities partner Mick Cornett 2010 Mayor of the Year.
Calling him “The Placemaker,” the magazine refers to the mayor’s now-famous crusade against obesity in a city that was increasingly named among the country’s fattest. In addition to losing 40 pounds himself, Mayor Cornett launched a website that has tracked the collective loss of 600,000 pounds by 43,000 Oklahoma City residents since 2006.
The notoriety from and success of such a powerfully simple response has generated the political will to do the harder work. That is, making over Oklahoma City with nearly $800 million of investments in new sidewalks, streetcars and bike lanes designed to transform it from one of the least walkable US cities to one with a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented core. It is one of the stories I tell most frequently about the power of light-touch innovations to transform cities.
We look forward to hearing more from at the Oklahoma City Brain Trust in February.
A profile of Mayor Cornett will appear in GOVERNING’s November issue, but you can also read the full interview online.
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