Who or What Motivates You the Most?

Gratitude for those who came before me and a desire to use the gifts they and God gave me to continue their service for others.

What Challenge Taught You the Most About Yourself, and What Did You Learn?

As mayor, I had the opportunity to manage most of the disasters that can befall a city (tornadoes, flooding, a global pandemic, a polar vortex, rioting, murders, a derecho, a cyberattack, etc.). Through those, I learned that I don’t panic. I have the ability to stay calm and think rationally through options to protect the people in my care—and then to make reasoned decisions in their best interest regardless of the consequences for me personally.

What Is Something You Look Forward to Each Day?

Jerry Seinfeld talks about the opposite of quality time: garbage time! These are the mundane, everyday moments with people you love—like eating together or watching TV or just sitting around and shooting the breeze—that lack the heightened expectations of planned “quality time.” These are when true connections happen. The best times in my life are garbage time with my wife and our kids!

What Advice Would You Give to Your Younger Self?

“Most people wildly overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, and woefully underestimate what they can accomplish in a year—let alone a decade.” — Ultra-endurance athlete and author Rich Roll.

My work to build the new Zink Lake took 16 years before we opened it. I worked on the new Gilcrease Museum for 11 years before leaving office. This year, we will publish a book I’ve been working on for 14 years. It took eight years of learning city government on the City Council before I felt prepared to run for mayor. Worthwhile things take time, but you can achieve them if you remain focused through the years.