Tulsa Now Questionnaire

Tulsa Now Questionnaire<= /b>

1. “For the first time= in 30 years, Tulsa will be creating a New Comprehensive Plan. What do you think are the key issu= es that need to be addressed in a new Comp Plan?”

The key i= ssue that must be addressed is ‘What does Tulsa want to be; what is it’s Vision? The difficulty in planning is winno= wing down so much input and information from citizens, consultants, and planners= to create a vision..Next is the hard part. Politici= ans/city councilors today and in the future have to be committed to supporting and implementing the plan, and keep it from being continually changed through lobbying of specials interest groups; people who didn’t know there wa= s a plan.

“What kind of downt= own do you envision for Tulsa? What = kind of downtown do you think we need in order to compete effectively with other cities?” The pro= blem is growth in the suburbs may cause business, especially with better paying jobs, to relocate north and south, leaving downtown in its current vacuum. Every planner, consultant, etc. has an opinion. I thought the River plan was great, and we should have been on our way. Following is ‘out of the box’ thinking. (You won’t read this fr= om campaign managers who answer most of these letters).

3. “What steps can Tulsa take to stop the sales tax = drain from the city to suburban municipalities?” You can’t stop people from spending money where they want. What’s the cause of our predicament? Everyone knows it’s the flight to the ‘bur= bs’ to get away from crime and a deteriorating infrastructure. Tulsa has to address the root cause of = the problem, and this is always a politically incorrect subject. Politicians ha= ve no sense of urgency to accomplish this. It takes their time and attention to effectuate change. If you ‘build it’, will they come? What if y= ou don’t? You have to sell something, and that is a place where there= 217;s ‘some action’.

4. “30% of Tulsans don= ’t drive (the young, the elderly, the disabled, those who can’t afford a car, and those who prefer to walk or bike). What can we, as a city, do to make= Tulsa more walkable?= What role should mass transit play in Tulsa’s future?” Every possible idea and funding so= lution has been tried with transportation. Maybe the problem is too big. In questi= on one, we outlined a vision for a downtown area built around activity. Say you develop a downtown people moving system unlike anywhere else that would move people from 18^th& Main to= the Brady district. Then, tie this into a District Transportation system, which ties into a suburban system. Create greenbelts like you see in some California areas= , where there is a park every mile or so. The effort here is to develop a walking a= nd people moving system. The problem to solve is weather.

5. “The current city c= ouncil passed a resolution requiring police officers to check the immigration stat= us of ‘all suspected illegal aliens.’ Do you support or oppose this reso= lution and why?” Absolu= tely OPPOSE! This is simply the most pompous form of self-serving, mean-spirited, politi= cal grandstanding by politicians to ‘pander to’ the Populist moveme= nt to bash Hispanics in order to gain votes! First, this is a federal governme= nt problem. Second, the human damage is irreparable. Third, we need immigrants= . ‘We Baby Boomers’ are making our ‘Bucket List’. Politicians k= now that their actions will be overturned by the Justice system because it ALRE= ADY has-in Harrisburg, = PA. That didn’t turn out too goo= d for Harrisburg, as legal immigrants left, leaving businesses, job openings that can’t be filled, and no one to buy ‘starter homes’ We hav= e a manpower shortage now for construction and manufacturing jobs.

“What should the Ci= ty of Tulsa do to help support historic preservation efforts, both in neighborhoo= ds and downtown? Do you think ‘old’ buildings are important to our future? Why/why not?&#= 8221; Tough question= . The City of Tulsa<= /st1:City> should participate in identifying what is really important, and take steps = to preserve it. After that, neighborhoods have their own agenda. It’s ti= me for change. The BOK Center and the Will= iams Communication center really send a message. Downtown could actually be one = of the most modern cities in this country, since we have so much open space downtown that could be developed right now. Look what’s happening in = the developing countries-modern.

7. “If an anonymous do= nor wanted to give each council district $5 million to be spent in any way, how would you spend it?” First, go around to every school in the district insure they have first rate bathrooms. The daughters went to public schools in District 9, and when I w= ent to basketball games, I always made it a point to check the bathrooms. It te= lls you a lot about whether we really care or not, as well as the behavior of t= he students.

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P. Kates