Bond package will help city, says mayor

Barely more than 10 percent of eligible voters went to the polls for this week's Oklahoma City Public Schools bond election, but Mayor Mick Cornett said approval of the bond package indicates that the city is moving forward.

The four bond proposals, worth $248.3 million, will be used to pay for improvements in school facilities, technology, transportation and security.

In addition to helping schools, Cornett said the approval will benefit the city as a whole.

"It does sing loudly about how united we are as a community, and I think it'd be very appropriate right now for our economic development people to compare our support for our inner-city school system with what other (cities do),” he said. "I think that can make a difference for us long-term.

Cornett also said he was overwhelmed by how well the bond issues did. Each passed with about 80 percent of the votes.

Who voted no?

Not everyone supported the school bonds.

"I was one of the people that voted no. As a homeowner, I voted against it,” said Robert Mulcahy, an author and retired FBI special agent. "How many people did the board of education get to vote? To me it looks like a rigged deal to start with. They've got over 11,000 people that work for the school district.”

Each of the four propositions passed with 11,000 to 11,200 votes in favor and about 3,000 votes against.

That means 10.8 percent of eligible voters, or about 14,200 people, cast votes in the special election, said Doug Sanderson, secretary of the county's election board.

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