Kathy Taylor
Encyclopedia
Kathryn L. Taylor was elected the 38th Mayor of Tulsa
, Oklahoma
on April 4, 2006, in the city's largest voter turnout
for a mayoral election. She defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Bill Lafortune to become Tulsa's second female mayor, after Susan Savage first filled the post in 1992. Taylor previously lived in Florida with her husband Bill Lobeck, CEO of Vanguard Automotive Group
. Taylor served as Oklahoma's Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
in Governor
Brad Henry
's administration from 2003 to 2006. She resigned from that post in order to run for Mayor.
As Mayor, Taylor oversaw the completion of Tulsa's "Vision 2025
" projects including the BOK Center
. Taylor also pushed a successful $450 million street bond issue and construction of a new downtown baseball park. She supervised the move of Tulsa's city hall
. On June 4, 2009, Taylor abruptly announced that she would not seek re-election. On September 30, 2009 Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry
announced that Taylor would become his top education adviser after her term as mayor ended on December 7. Taylor subsequently led Oklahoma's two unsuccessful applications for federal program funds in the "Race to the Top
" competition.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on April 4, 2006, in the city's largest voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
for a mayoral election. She defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Bill Lafortune to become Tulsa's second female mayor, after Susan Savage first filled the post in 1992. Taylor previously lived in Florida with her husband Bill Lobeck, CEO of Vanguard Automotive Group
Vanguard Automotive Group
Vanguard Automotive Group is a company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Vanguard purchased ANC Rental, owner of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car. The company has a fleet of nearly 300,000 vehicles, mainly from Ford and Chrysler, and operates over 1,500 locations. In 2007 Enterprise agreed to...
. Taylor served as Oklahoma's Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
Oklahoma Department of Commerce
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. The Department is responsible for the supporting local communities, stimulating growth of the existing businesses, attracting new business, and promoting the...
in Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Brad Henry
Brad Henry
Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
's administration from 2003 to 2006. She resigned from that post in order to run for Mayor.
As Mayor, Taylor oversaw the completion of Tulsa's "Vision 2025
Vision 2025
Vision 2025 was a series of four propositions to increase Tulsa County's sales tax rate by $0.01 in order to fund capital improvements and provide economic development incentives....
" projects including the BOK Center
BOK Center
The BOK Center, or Bank of Oklahoma Center, is a 19,100-seat multi-purpose arena and a primary indoor sports and event venue in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. Designed to accommodate arena football, hockey, basketball, concerts, and similar events, the facility was built at a cost of $178 million...
. Taylor also pushed a successful $450 million street bond issue and construction of a new downtown baseball park. She supervised the move of Tulsa's city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
. On June 4, 2009, Taylor abruptly announced that she would not seek re-election. On September 30, 2009 Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry
Brad Henry
Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
announced that Taylor would become his top education adviser after her term as mayor ended on December 7. Taylor subsequently led Oklahoma's two unsuccessful applications for federal program funds in the "Race to the Top
Race to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...
" competition.