City Of Oklahoma City: Mayor David Holt Begins Second Term

Oklahoma City OK

04 May, 2022

1:51 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City: May 1, 2022 Mayor David Holt begins his second term this week and has invited all residents to tune into social media channels at 2 p.m. Monday to watch his ceremonial oath of office. The first full day of Mayor Holt's new term is Tuesday. He was originally elected as Oklahoma City's 36th Mayor in 2018 and was re-elected with 60 percent of the vote on February 8, 2022 (no runoff was held). He is the eighth longest-serving mayor in Oklahoma City history. The ceremony airing Monday afternoon originates from the First Americans Museum and includes a performance by OKC native and Grammy Award winner Sandi Patty singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth." The brief ceremony also includes an invocation by The Reverend Joseph Alsay, Rector of St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church, Mayor Holt's home church. Mayor Holt's ceremonial oath of office is administered by Dr. Feroz Bashari, one of Oklahoma City's newest residents. Dr. Bashari and his family arrived in Oklahoma City on February 16 as refugees from Afghanistan, where Dr. Bashari was a prominent government spokesperson. The ceremony can be watched at 2 p.m. Monday on Oklahoma City and Mayor Holt's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. The video will be accessible from the City of Oklahoma City's YouTube page. Excerpt from Mayor Holt's remarks: Four years ago, we had no idea what was ahead of us. But I had some priorities in mind. They included a continued focus on core services, like public safety, streets and transit. They included further investments in our quality of life, through the continuation of MAPS. And most of all, I wanted to address our city's challenges and opportunities as One OKC, incorporating the diversity of our city into our decision-making like never before. Even though we didn't know what was to come, our priorities and our approach served us well through some challenging times. We have continued to invest in our core services. We passed MAPS 4, ensuring that our city's progress will continue with $1 billion of new investment into 16 projects. We opened amazing MAPS 3 projects, like the convention center, Scissortail Park and the Streetcar. We opened this First Americans Museum, certainly a point of pride for me, our city's first Native American Mayor. We saved lives by working together to do the right things at the right time during a global pandemic. And we're working every day to ensure that everyone in our city is part of our city's story and its success. Today, we have an incredible foundation upon which to build, a soaring economy, historically low unemployment, and unprecedented population growth. We're the sixth-fastest growing large city in the United States and we're now the 22nd-largest city in the country. That means we're no longer a mid-sized upstart. We're a big city, and we're getting bigger and more diverse every day. And so it's more important than ever that we work together, that we set aside the things that might divide us and find common purpose, regardless of what we look like, how we worship, our political party registration, or where we live in the city. This unity has been the secret to our success for a long time in OKC. We have developed a unique political culture here, and we have used it to work together and get things done time and time again. This is the Oklahoma City Way, and I know we'll continue to do things that way as we seize the opportunities our success brings. I'll have more to say in the months ahead and in my State of the City address this summer about the specific challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. But I think you already know that the next four years, the next decade, will bring our city exciting opportunities we never could have imagined 20, 30, 40 years ago. Indeed, many residents have been dedicated to this city's progress for 20, 30, 40 years. But the bright future I speak of will belong to all residents, and it won't matter – it can't matter - whether you've been here 40 years or 40 days. We have more newcomers in this city than ever before. On average, almost 30 new people move inside our city limits every single day. They come from across the state, across the nation, and across the world. Newcomers bring entrepreneurship, new ideas, and new energy. For my oath, I wanted to remind myself and all of us that this city's future belongs to every resident. However long or however short this city has been your home, it is your home and you are welcome here. And so today, I have asked one of our newest residents to administer my ceremonial oath of office. Dr. Feroz Bashari was a prominent spokesperson for the Afghanistan government, and a key liaison between that government and ours. His wife Maria and their five children left on one of the final planes out of Kabul in 2021. They came to the United States as refugees. They chose Oklahoma City as their home, arriving here on February 16th, eight days after my re-election. I certainly hope they stay a very long time. Dr. Bashari's participation here today reminds us that Oklahoma City is truly a diverse, global city, and it further reminds us of the important role that all newcomers must play. Mayoral oath of office: I, David Holt, do solemnly swear that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, and that I will not, knowingly, receive, directly or indirectly, any money or other valuable thing, for the performance or nonperformance of any act or duty pertaining to my office, other than the compensation allowed by law; I further swear that I will faithfully discharge my duties as Mayor of The City of Oklahoma City and as Trustee of the Oklahoma City Airport Trust, the Oklahoma City Environmental Assistance Trust, the Oklahoma City Municipal Facilities Authority, the Oklahoma City Public Property Authority, the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust, the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, the Emergency Medical Services Authority, the Lake Atoka Reservation Association, and the McGee Creek Authority to the best of my ability. This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author's own.