Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett plugs city's success at Republican National Convention

Speaking on the first full day of convention business, the mayor also boasted that the city hosted the wedding of Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan and his wife, Oklahoma native Janna Little Ryan.

“It's becoming more and more unusual for our best and brightest to leave the state, but in this case, we're glad it's worked out the way it has,” Cornett said.

Referring to the series of sales tax initiatives passed in the city to fund a range of improvements, Cornett said the city decided to invest in itself.

“We built quality-of-life amenities that have transformed our city into a dynamic home for smart young people and enterprising businesses,” he said.

“Oklahoma City was recently named as the most entrepreneurial city in the country, with the most startups per capita.

“Interestingly, we have not done this by creating large amounts of debt. We did something unique for many of our infrastructure packages: We paid cash.”

Cornett, 54, has been mayor of the state's capital since 2004. He was speaking here Tuesday on behalf of Republican mayors.