A bitter global recession. Unemployment reaching 7.1 percent at home. Wind, rain and cold conditions on election day. Opposition led by the heroic people who protect us.
Like my college basketball coach used to say, “find a way to win.”
The third edition of MAPS found a way with 54 percent of the winning vote. It was a team effort, with voter turnout topping 30 percent – a high number for a municipal election.
So why was it so important to pass MAPS?
The MAPS brand has defined the last fifteen years of progress in our community and a vote against this MAPS would have slowed down recent momentum. Critics argued that money should be used for public safety, a valid request. Unfortunately for them, MAPS has never been about catching up, it has been about leapfrogging the competition.
Show me another community investing like this? It doesn’t exist.
Voters chose to look past current shortfalls and ahead to vote for game-changing projects that will impact a generation of residents. It was visionary, flawed in some respects, but worthy of our trust. The public relations, marketing, messaging and advertising was spot on. Kudos to the Chamber team who ran the effort.
Where did the opposition led by police and fire unions go wrong?
Opposition didn’t get their message out and they didn’t have enough money (outspent approx. 5:1). City officials tried to negotiate to meet their demands, but offers were rebuked. One observation, from a public relations pro at Saxum who supported, is that the union (perhaps inadvertently) woke up a business and Chamber community that may have taken MAPS passage for granted. The organized opposition actually united the “yes” coalition. Also, the union didn’t tell the truth in their messaging that did get out. They tried to promote the easy-to-sell “tax increase” message – false because the tax is already on the tax rolls and voters have liked the results from MAPS. They argued against the need for a new convention center (an admitted tough sell, but absolutely needed), but no one heard.
Passing this MAPS was about trust and momentum. Voters trusted city leaders, almost all of whom endorsed the initiative regardless of party affiliation. Secondly, the momentum of Oklahoma City is well documented and the perception that a “no” vote would harm our image as a growing, prosperous was accurate and a great message to play.
Now, we have a lot more unanswered questions:
1. Will unions get their additional police and fire through a use tax?
2. Will we pick a better position for the convention center that doesn’t take it further away from Bricktown?
3. Will Mayor Cornett go down as the greatest mayor in city history?
4. Will Oklahoma City continue to be one of the best examples of a growing American city?
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
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4 comments:
I thought MAPS3 could be better for the citizens. Others thought it was this or nothing ever again. Enriching the interests that work against us seems ... counterproductive. Working for a better option seemed ... smarter.
Well said! As a professional who recently returned to OKC in 2007 after living and working in DC, I can honestly say that had MAPS1 not passed my family and I never would have relocated to OKC. The progress made the past 15 years due to this initiative has been amazing to see both in person and from a far. I am truly excited to see what kind of city we will be leaving behind for our children and the generatins to come. BH
As I sat in an elementary school gym last night for a Christmas play, I was thankful that none of those children will ever know what Oklahoma City was like before MAPS. It wasn't so long ago that downtown became a ghost town after 5 p.m., looking like a set from "I am Legend."
Our civic leaders have consistently done what they said they would do. To have turned back now would have been sad.
i was a huge supporter of MAPS3. but, i must say, spending at a 5:1 ratio and the opposition still turning out 35,000 NO votes is cause to pause. my goodness. doesn't this deserve some analysis? the tide of public opinion has at least shifted to some degree (this is the second election in which i was stunned by the opposition's vitriol) and i hope somebody will at least identify the top 3 issues. if we don't understand the opposition they will continue to advance the front line in smaller battles, leaving us vulnerable when the next big opportunity comes along. and, there will be another big opportunity. i always think of aesop's fable of the mouse and the lion. the lion found no use for the mouse - until it was able to gnaw in half the rope that trapped him.
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