Mayor David Holt

On Fridays during the school year (as the schedule allows), I visit a public elementary school in Oklahoma City and read “Goodnight OKC.” I am working my way through all of the elementary schools in our city limits, and this month marks eight years of this journey. Thanks to Junior League’s donation, I leave the book behind. Today was Schwartz Elementary in Mid-Del Public Schools in South OKC! Go Stallions! #1OKC

I just voted early in South OKC! This is a NEW early voting location and there was NO LINE! It’s at 6801 S. Anderson Road and it’s open today (Friday) till 6 p.m. It will be open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is for Oklahoma City voters who reside in Oklahoma County. The other Oklahoma City early voting location for Oklahoma County residents is at 4201 N. Lincoln. For Oklahoma City voters who reside in Canadian County, there is an early voting location at 1701 S. Czech Hall Road. Some listings will say Yukon but that is actually in Oklahoma City. For Oklahoma City voters who reside in Cleveland County, there is an early voting location at 13301 S. Penn in South OKC. All of these locations are open today (Friday) till 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Of course, your usual voting location will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. VOTE, OKC!

In 2022, the voters of Oklahoma City Public Schools approved nearly $1 billion in desperately-needed infrastructure. The vote also delivered a higher level of ongoing funding to bring OKCPS infrastructure support to the same level as OKC’s suburban school districts. I stood alongside OKCPS leadership, the Greater OKC Chamber and other community leaders to vigorously advocate for our city’s kids. It was a hard-fought campaign against funded opposition, and it was definitely the closest recent election in our city. We needed over 60% for passage and we got 63%. A new Capitol Hill High School represented nearly $120 million of the plan. This would replace a 98-year-old building that had seen better days. Today, we officially cut the ribbon on that beautiful new school. This will be a place where our kids will love to learn. It was a great day for our kids, our city, the Capitol Hill community and South OKC! #1OKC

In 1891, James Perrine bought this land at the corner of Robinson & Park for $2,150. In 1927, his widow Ruby Perrine constructed the Perrine Building. For 99 years, across multiple owners and renovations, it has avoided the wrecking ball. And in the early 1960s, it was the site of civil rights sit-ins led by Clara Luper. Today, Gardner Tanenbaum is taking this venerable building into a new chapter under the name “The Robinson.” We’re grateful to everyone who is making this renovation possible and giving this historic building renewed life!

Our boot looks mighty pretty at night…

If you’re going to the Thunder game tonight, and you own a Jalen Williams #8 jersey, I’d suggest that this evening would be a good night to wear it.

This city lives and dies with our Thunder. We support them on the court, as representatives of our city off the court, and as people that feel as familiar to us as our friends and neighbors. They’re our guys. It’s been a thrill for all of us to have JDub back on the court this season. His terrible injury tonight came just a minute or so after he had us all out of our seats for one of his signature moments. We’ll now have to hang on to that moment for awhile. Our whole city will have JDub in our thoughts and prayers as he deals with this adversity and as he makes his way through his recovery. We are also thinking of his teammates Cason Wallace and Jaylin Williams, who also left the game tonight with injuries. I took these pictures tonight. We can’t wait till the day @jdubwttp levitates above the court again with ease. We’ll be there to cheer his return, however long it takes.

Honored to receive the Public Servant Man of the Year Award from Phi Delta Kappa! And I had a great time at the Crowning Our Kings Gala tonight!

Loved joining Jabee to meet some of our city’s youngest entrepreneurs today! #1OKC

TERMINOLOGY UPDATE - As you know, we are hosting two sports and seven events of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in Oklahoma City. Six of those events are in one sport that has been known for many years as Canoe Slalom. However, while meeting this summer in Oklahoma City, the governing body for that sport voted to change its name to Slalom Paddle. That change has already been incorporated into materials you may see relative to the 2028 Games. This name change better appreciates the reality that the sport involves both canoes and kayaks. We are a paddlesport capital of the world and we will forever be the home of the 2028 Slalom Paddle events, so I thought I should share this update with you so that we can all adjust accordingly.

A productive day in San Diego for myself and about a hundred Oklahoma City leaders! First, at UC San Diego’s downtown facility, I joined my friend and Mayor Todd Gloria (current President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors) for a bipartisan discussion about civic trust for a packed house of San Diegans. And then this week, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has been conducting its annual intercity trip, bringing a hundred of our city’s leaders to San Diego. I interviewed Mayor Gloria for the OKC group at Balboa Park. These intercity trips have often left a long-term legacy in OKC. I can recall many takeaways through the years, including from our visit to the Charlotte whitewater facility twenty years ago, which helped us make a major decision that has now brought us two sports and seven events of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The 2025 Larry O’Brien Trophy spent much of last season running around town. But I can now share that the Thunder have created a home for Oklahoma City’s 2025 NBA Championship Trophy. The Trophy and its new home will debut at tonight’s home opener on the 100 level of the arena concourse. The newly-created display is pictured below. This will be the Trophy’s home until the opening of Continental Coliseum in two years. You can view the Trophy at all Thunder home games (so don’t worry if there’s a line tonight). Thunder Up!

We are excited to announce a new nonstop destination for OKC Will Rogers International Airport! Starting March 28, 2027, United Airlines will commence nonstop service to San Francisco (SFO)! This connects OKC to a dynamic metro, the center of our nation’s tech economy, and a gateway to international destinations. This follows recent announcements of seasonal weekend service via Southwest Airlines to San Diego, Tampa and Baltimore. OKC’s nonstops are now up to 29 destinations, a testament to our city’s continued growth and our team at the airport. As you may have seen a couple of weeks ago when we rolled out the long-term master plan for Will Rogers, we are continuing to invest and we have every intention of continuing this momentum.

Nice rundown in today’s Oklahoman on the productions currently underway in OKC in our ever-growing film industry. Right now, we are hosting multiple productions starring Jason Momoa, Miles Teller, Kiefer Sutherland, Kelsey Grammer and Abigail Breslin, among others.

1-0

Since 1932, the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) has provided counsel to New Orleans leaders and the public about local policy decisions in one of America’s most interesting and unique cities. Since 1996, BGR has hosted an annual luncheon to bring a speaker of interest to New Orleans. Past speakers have included Judy Woodruff, Walter Isaacson, Arne Duncan and many more. I was honored this week to serve as BGR’s 2026 speaker. I shared Oklahoma City’s story and nine takeaways with a room of over 700 that included Mayor Helena Moreno and many of the city’s leaders. Coverage from The Times-Picayune / Advocate: nola.com/news/business/oklah… My remarks (as prepared for delivery): facebook.com/share/18VpM8cL6…