Kathy Taylor (politician)

Kathy Taylor
38th Mayor of Tulsa
In office April 10, 2006 – December 6, 2009
Preceded by	Bill LaFortune
Succeeded by	Dewey Bartlett
Personal details
Born	(1955-09-29) September 29, 1955 (age 68)[citation needed]
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Bill Lobeck
Residence	Tulsa, Oklahoma
Alma mater	University of Oklahoma

Kathryn Louise Taylor (born September 29, 1955 ^{[citation needed]}) was elected the 38th mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 4, 2006, in the city's largest voter turnout for a mayoral election.^[1] She defeated Republican incumbent Mayor Bill Lafortune to become Tulsa's second female mayor.

Early life and Career[edit]

Taylor grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and graduated from John Marshall High School. Taylor earned her bachelor's degree as well as her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma.

Taylor worked as an attorney for a private firm in Oklahoma City from 1981 until 1988. She then moved to Tulsa in 1989 and became vice president and general counsel of Thrifty Car Rental. Taylor eventually bought National Car Rental from General Motors. She and her husband eventually sold the company and started the Lobeck Taylor Foundation. Taylor was appointed in 2003 by Governor Brad Henry to serve as Secretary of Commerce, Tourism, and Workforce Development.

Mayor of Tulsa[edit]

As Mayor, Taylor oversaw the completion of Tulsa's "Vision 2025" projects including the development of the BOK Center. Taylor also pushed a $450 million street bond issue and the construction of a new downtown baseball park, ONEOK Field.

She oversaw the move of Tulsa's city hall which was a shift that brought more energy and business to Downtown Tulsa.

As Mayor of Tulsa, she led Tulsa through the worst recession in 70 years, developed a funding package that ensured the retention of Tulsa’s largest employer, American Airlines, preventing a loss of over 5,000 jobs and managed negotiations for 5 collective bargaining agreements.

Mayor Taylor also led the response to the most significant ice storm in Oklahoma history, with more than 75 percent of Tulsan's without power. She led the efforts to secure support for at-risk citizens, restoring power and procuring reimbursement by FEMA.

On June 4, 2009, Taylor announced that she would not seek re-election^[2]. 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.^[3] Taylor was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame in 2011.

In January 2013, Taylor announced that she would run again for her old job as mayor of Tulsa in the 2013 election.^[4][5] In the mayoral primary election on June 11, 2013, in which the city used a new non-partisan election system for the first time, Taylor finished first with 42.1% of the vote, ahead of her successor Dewey F. Bartlett Jr., who had 34.2%. She and Bartlett met in a runoff election on November 12, 2013,^[6][7] and Bartlett prevailed, receiving about 55% of the vote.^[8]

Subsequent career[edit]

Chief of Education Strategy and Innovation[edit]

Upon exiting the office of Mayor of Tulsa, Taylor served as Chief of Education Strategy and Innovation in the cabinet of Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.^{[citation needed]}

Dean of Collins College of Business, University of Tulsa[edit]

May 9, 2021 Kathy Taylor was appointed interim dean of the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa. President Brad Carson made this effective July 1, 2021. On October 14 of the same year the appointment was formalized as permanent.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• 2013 Campaign website
• Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Project -- OSU Library