Oklahoma City benefits from inspiring leadership

On that day in 1987, Ron Norick took office as mayor of Oklahoma City. It wasn't necessarily apparent then, but that moment can now be remembered as the dawn of the Oklahoma City renaissance.

Today, Oklahoma City stands as one of America's most vibrant cities, with economic, population and cultural growth that outpaces the nation. This status would have been mostly unthinkable in 1987.

We've all contributed to our city's rebirth, but mayoral leadership has defined it. The era of the “three mayors” — Ron Norick, Kirk Humphreys and Mick Cornett — began this month, a quarter century ago.

In the first 50 years of Oklahoma City's history, 25 different mayors passed through the doors of City Hall. Just by virtue of having only three mayors over the past 25 years, we've enjoyed the benefits of stability. Only four mayors in Oklahoma City's history have served as many as three terms. Norick and Cornett are two of them. It's also of no small significance that the city's two longest-serving city managers — Don Bown and Jim Couch — have served during this 25-year-run. Nor is it insignificant that the city council has also enjoyed remarkable continuity. But this renaissance has resulted from more than just stability.

All three mayors have shared critical leadership qualities. They all loved Oklahoma City with a passion and had an optimistic vision for its future. Norick envisioned a city with a high quality of life where others saw a dull wasteland. Humphreys envisioned a city with a top-notch education system where others saw a lost cause. Cornett envisioned a big league city with world-class amenities where others still saw a small town.