Union Station is an architectural gem that survived an era of demolition in Oklahoma City. But though it survived, it found itself on the wrong side of the highway and hidden behind various newer structures. A generation of residents basically forgot that it existed. A decade ago, the relocation of the highway and the removal of those intervening structures for the creation of Scissortail Park allowed for the revival of Union Station in our local culture. However, it was merely something pretty to look at and not something you could use. Since we established the amount of the surplus tax collection for MAPS 3 in 2020, we’ve been working towards a full renovation that will allow Union Station to be an active participant in the life of the park that surrounds it. Today, the City Council added some TIF funds as well to close out the necessary budget for the project. We look forward to getting started soon!

A great new piece of public art in one of America’s great public art cities… This piece donated by the Chickasaw Nation and adjacent to First Americans Museum is “Spirit of Community, Come Brother - Join Us” by Mike Larsen.

Oklahoma City University & OCU Law are honored to host Sovereignty Symposium today and tomorrow at OKANA Resort! Sovereignty Symposium is in its 38th year and is a vital gathering for our tribal communities. This morning, we had the opportunity to celebrate Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and his lifetime of service.

The new Census data for Oklahoma City has been released, and our city population is now officially 719,849. We are the 21st-largest city in the United States. Also of note, our OKC metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which includes our neighboring suburban cities, has surpassed 1.5 million people for the first time in our history, with an official total of 1,512,813. Back to the topic of our city population of 719,849: To reach this new total, Oklahoma City added 6,104 residents from 2024 to 2025. This makes us one of the fastest-growing cities among the top 50. Among the top 50 U.S. cities, here are the 12 cities that added the most people from 2024 to 2025. OKC is 12th in growth among the top 50 cities, and if you don’t see a city listed here, you know that they added fewer new residents than Oklahoma City (or in many cases, actually lost residents). Charlotte - added 20,731 residents Fort Worth - added 19,512 San Antonio - added 14,359 Seattle - added 11,572 Houston - added 11,515 Nashville - added 9,244 Atlanta - added 8,350 Jacksonville - added 8,319 Columbus - added 7,696 Raleigh - added 7,289 Miami - added 6,393 Oklahoma City - added 6,104 Growth presents challenges, and we’ll be talking in the next year about how we meet the transportation challenges of growth. But growth is also validation that we are continuing to build a city where people want to live. And if you were here already, you’re among the lucky ones.

All this man has done in the last 12 months is help bring OKC its first-ever championship and NYC its first championship in half a century. Congrats to back-to-back champion Dillon Jones!

You’re the champion till the next team raises the trophy, and that moment has arrived. On behalf of the people of Oklahoma City, congratulations to the New York Knicks and the people of New York City. You are the NBA champs! (To be clear, I’m never retiring my championship apparel)

As I have firmly believed since 1981, I can finally confirm that He-Man lives in Oklahoma City. (scenes from the new film “Masters of the Universe”)

USCM would like to thank Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt for his dedicated leadership as president over the past year. The Conference deeply appreciates all the work he’s done to create a lasting impact on our organization. #Mayors2026

Great lunch with Mrs. Holt at Zamzam Mediterranean Grill in Automobile Alley!

Mayor Guy Liebmann, the 36th Mayor of Oklahoma City, has passed away at the age of 90. Though Mayor was his highest title, forever making him a part of our city’s history, Guy was not elected to the role and held it for only four months. It was as a Ward 8 Councilman and State Representative where Guy truly left his mark. Guy Liebmann served on the Council for a decade and in the State Legislature for eight years. He was also a proud Marine. We are grateful for his decades of service across multiple levels of government. I send our deepest condolences to his wife Judy and his entire family. I have directed that our city’s flags be placed at half-staff on the day of Mayor Liebmann’s memorial service, June 29th.

I was honored to help cut the ribbon on the new Oklahoma National Guard Museum, a $40 million state project that tells an important story in our nation’s history. The men and women of the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard and the 45th Infantry have honorably represented our state around the world and at home, and the story goes back over 130 years. The heroism of the 45th Infantry (also known as the Thunderbirds) is particularly remarkable. That narrative includes the day in 1945 when the 45th liberated 30,000 prisoners at Dachau concentration camp outside Munich. Thank you to the state leaders and donors who made this possible. I encourage everyone to visit this beautiful new facility in Oklahoma City! okngmuseum.com

Robert’s got your new issue of Curbside Chronicle… #1OKC

Tinker Air Force Base is the largest single employer in OKC’s city limits and is massively important to our city’s economy and our identity. I enjoyed meeting at City Hall with our relatively new Commander of the Air Force Sustainment Center, Air Force Materiel Command - Lt. Gen. Jennifer Hammerstedt. Lt. Gen. Hammerstedt joined our community in late 2025 and leads approximately 40,000 Airmen.

Today we broke ground on the Boulevard Place development, adjacent to the Omni Hotel and facing Oklahoma City Boulevard. Boulevard Place will bring over 260 new housing units downtown. These developments in the downtown core can be challenging, and that’s why this was a true public-private partnership. The most significant contribution was the use of our city’s housing fund approved by the voters to provide units that are more affordable to those who qualify. This is a prominent parcel in downtown and we’re thrilled to see dirt moving! Congrats and thanks to developer Tim Strange and his partners for this exciting development!

The United States Conference of Mayors prepared this very nice (and brief) video that they showed at our Annual Meeting in Long Beach this weekend. It covers my year as President, in case you’re interested in the work we’ve been doing on the national (and international) level this past year…

Today, Governor Bill Anoatubby announced he is retiring from elected office after four decades at the helm of the Chickasaw Nation. He and his team have built the Chickasaw Nation into one of the most impactful entities in Oklahoma, and theirs is one of the greatest tribal success stories in U.S. history. And thanks to Governor Anoatubby’s vision, the Chickasaw Nation is also one of Oklahoma City’s most important partners. Governor Anoatubby’s leadership story is one we will study, and he will be remembered as one of our state’s greatest leaders. On a personal level, I am grateful for his friendship. On behalf of the people of OKC, I thank him for all that he has done for our community, and I wish him all the best in this next chapter.

My year as the 83rd President of the United States Conference of Mayors has come to its end. And even though a great many important things also happened this past year in our city, at my law school, and in my family, there was still miraculously enough time for a consequential year speaking for our nation’s mayors. The role took me around the world and to virtually every media outlet. Some of the work was highly internal (I was proud to write our first bylaws and update our Constitution), but much of it was quite public. I was thrilled to organize and host content for our DC meeting and our Annual Meeting in Long Beach, as well as leadership meetings in OKC and Los Angeles. Perhaps the most lasting legacies will be our work lobbying Congress for a housing bill, the international partnerships we have forged, and the creation of the Oklahoma City Declaration, our statement signed by over 230 mayors in support of pluralism, compromise and civility, and in opposition to political violence and other symptoms of democratic decay. Thank you to everyone who made this year possible! It was an incredible honor to serve and to represent our nation’s greatest public servants.