The public meetings to help create a new comprehensive plan for Tulsa begin this week. It's been labeled PLANiTULSA and two public meetings are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday (Sept. 22 and 23) at the new BOK Center downtown.
This is a great opportunity for all Tulsans to get together and help decide what they want for the city and where they want to head in the future.
In a perfect world, such meetings would be attended by progressive and civic-minded citizens with good ideas to improve the city. And that might well be the case during these meetings. I certainly hope so.
But, pardon my cynicism, the mood lately seems to be anything but progressive or civic-minded. In fact, it can be downright mean.
Take for instance, the recently formed group, Who Owns Tulsa? This group formed when a neighborhood became up in arms over a proposed housing development for homeless and mentally challenged Tulsans. The group has held up construction on a much-needed and perfectly legal project.
The group claims that the project would endanger their neighborhood and drive down the market value of their properties. Often left out of the argument is the fact that the neighborhood is separated from the project by a major expressway, that the property is zoned for such facilities and that there is almost no residential properties within blocks.
The group is one of several that claim that Tulsa is being run by a wealthy clique and that the "common person" has no say in what happens in the city. Its Web site even claims that the little guy has no representation or say-so in city government.
Is that so? What about the City Council. Each councilor was elected by district. Do they not represent the little guy? If they don't, then the citizens can elect someone else. Does this group expect a giant town hall meeting on every vote and every decision made concerning the destiny of Tulsa?
The attitude that every time a wealthy person wants to do something for the city that they have some personal gain in mind is pure nonsense. Does a wealthy philanthropist have something to gain from, say, the BOK Center or a new downtown baseball park? Of course. But so does every citizen in the city and county. If any part of the city flourishes, then all citizens reap the rewards.
The new city comprehensive plan is important. It will set the course for the city for years to come. Let's hope that the reasonable, progressive, civic-minded people show up. I know they are out there, but they often are shouted down by the naysayers and troublemakers.
Let's get Tulsa back on the right track.
