Oklahoma

Mayor David Holt installed as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors

Published

5 months ago

July 12, 2025

Press Room

Mayor David Holt installed as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt began his term as president of the United States Conference of Mayors.
Holt is believed to be the first Native American to serve in this role.
The Conference of Mayors allows city leaders to share ideas and learn from each other’s successes and failures.

In addition to serving as mayor of Oklahoma City and as the dean of Oklahoma City University School of Law, David Holt added another hat to his wardrobe, now serving as the president of the United States Conference of Mayors.

His tenure as the organization’s 83^rd president began the same day the Oklahoma City Thunder won its first NBA championship. He’s the second OKC mayor to serve in that capacity.

Holt’s term runs until June 2026, and he is believed to be the first Native American to serve in the role, according to a city news release. Former Mayor Mick Cornett served as the organization’s president in 2016-17 and hosted the annual meeting in Oklahoma City in 2010 when Holt served as Cornett’s chief of staff.

Beyond the logistics of running a nearly century old organization, it’s an opportunity to learn from other cities and have other cities learn from OKC, Holt told The Oklahoman. He said he has found a lot of value in the organization. Another benefit is friendship and camaraderie with other mayors.

“I think part of our story in the last 30 years has been mayors who are willing to market the city and represent the city and that ultimately is just part of the strategy,” he told The Oklahoman. “I often say that people don’t visit, live in or invest in cities they’ve never heard of, so there’s a lot of ways that we as a community get our name out there.”

MAPS projects have been an inspiration for other cities

Holt said cities are able to learn from each other and cited Oklahoma City’s MAPS projects. It’s now one of the most well-known initiatives in urban circles, Holt said.

He said cities have been inspired by different aspects of MAPS — Little Rock, Arkansas, and Louisville, Kentucky, have attempted to implement the program or something similar, but both efforts have failed. Holt said they didn’t really have the opportunity to try to implement it.

“The best ideas that work around the country are certainly those that we will try to emulate in Oklahoma City and it’s a perfect example of the old phrase that the cities and states are the laboratories of democracy,” Holt said. “Sometimes we’ll let others do the experimentation first, and then we’ll pick it up.”

Holt said an example of that is watching Indianapolis’ sports strategy. The city carved out a space for themselves as the amateur sports capital of the world and eventually they became home to the NCAA, Holt said.

“Just that idea that you could sort of define yourself around a certain category of sports and that that would elevate your whole city, I think was intriguing,” he said. “Obviously as it’s turned out with us, we’re sort of all over the place. We have used the NBA and used softball and now use paddle sports to elevate ourselves in so many different ways.”

Another benefit of watching other cities try something for the first time is not making the same mistakes as they did, Holt added. Between Cornett’s involvement with the Conference of Mayors and now Holt, that’s almost a quarter of a century of high-level engagement.

As president, Holt is responsible for several duties including weighing in on timely topics, such as releasing a statement about the floods in Texas. Other duties include convening and presiding over meetings, weighing in on local issues, attending meetings on a variety of topics such as housing and homelessness and other administrative responsibilities.

Formed in 1932, the conference is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more, according to a city news release.

Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director, said the conference is fortunate to lean on Holt’s leadership in a time of opportunity and need for America’s cities.

“He champions the value of local leadership, and he embraces the power this conference has to unite so many voices to improve the lives of the people of America’s cities. I know his colleagues are grateful to have him steering the ship,” Cochran said.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Contemporary to host free ‘Polar Party’ event with winter activities

Published

11 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Contemporary to host free ‘Polar Party’ event with winter activities

OKLAHOMA CITY –

Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center is inviting families, children and community members to participate in its monthly Second Saturday program.

Organizers say Second Saturday is a free afternoon of hands-on art-making and gallery exploration held on the second Saturday of each month.

Families can enjoy guided activities, family-friendly gallery chats and take-home art experiences designed for all ages. Materials are provided at no cost, and no advance registration is required.

Periodically, the center expands the event into Second Saturday XL, which is a larger celebration featuring multiple art stations, performances and seasonal programming across the Oklahoma Contemporary campus.

The upcoming Second Saturday XL: Polar Party is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, from 1 p.m. 5 p.m.

Guests can take part in winter-themed projects, including wreath making, cookie decorating and snow-globe crafting, along with music, treats and additional family activities throughout the center.

See the full lineup of activities here.

All programming is free and open to the public.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair resigns due to personal reasons

Published

23 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair resigns due to personal reasons

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma Democratic Party has announced a new Chair following Representative John Waldron’s resignation due to personal reasons.

Waldron serves as the Representative for Oklahoma House District 77 and announced his resignation on Monday.

“It is with sincere consideration that I announce my resignation as Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party for personal reasons,” Waldron said. “With the legislative session coming up and pressing family commitments, I am handing over the reins to my capable partners on the executive committee. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in revitalizing our party statewide over the past six months and I’m confident that work will continue under Erin Brewer’s leadership. Put simply, I’ve been pushing myself too hard, working four jobs very intensively this year. I lost my mother in October and my son is a junior in high school. I need to focus on my family and my own health. Thanks for understanding.”

The Oklahoma Democratic Party Vice Chair Erin Brewer has assumed the role of Chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. According to the Oklahoma Democrats, Brewer is hitting the ground running and continuing to bring her strong track record of relentless organizing, policy expertise, and ability to mobilize resources and voters to the table.

Brewer said she is ready to continue Waldron’s work and keep up the momentum.

“Over the last six months, Oklahoma Democrats have knocked thousands of doors, cheered as 100 candidates have stepped up to run for office, rebuilt our county party operations, earned the trust of donors large and small, and elevated our visibility and brand statewide,” Chair Erin Brewer said. “We are ready to maintain and expand this momentum into 2026. I am beyond grateful to the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and supporters.”

The Oklahoma Democratic Party said it is confident in the ongoing partnership of its elected officials, staff, local Democratic organizations, and State Central Committee, stating:

“We will continue to make progress toward our goal of flipping seats in 2026. It is as important as ever that we remain singularly focused on our mission to engage, connect, and organize in order to elect more Democrats across Oklahoma.”

The party said it is thankful for Waldron and what he did for the party during his time as chair:

“We are beyond grateful for his service to our state and party, particularly his commitment to building a strong slate of candidates for 2026.

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Oklahoma

Idaho Falls pilot killed in Oklahoma helicopter crash – East Idaho News

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

Press Room

Idaho Falls pilot killed in Oklahoma helicopter crash – East Idaho News

MAYES COUNTY, Oklahoma — An Idaho Falls man died in a helicopter crash Friday in Oklahoma.

Emanuele Tsikoudakis, 56, was piloting the helicopter when it crashed nose-first into the ground near County Road East 550 and County Road 4355 in Mayes County, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

According to an OHP report, two people were working on pulling lines around 9 a.m. with the helicopter overhead guiding them so they would not catch a wire. The people told investigators the helicopter was hovering overhead when it suddenly flipped over backwards and dove straight to the ground, Fox 23 News reports.

Tsikoudakis was the only person in the helicopter. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The FAA and NTSB is investigating the crash.