“It was important that I focused on running the city during this tough economy rather than campaigning,” she said during media interviews before her speech to the Tulsa Metro Chamber, adding that the action allowed her to make some tough decisions with the budget.

“There’s some people who wish I’d run again and some who are glad I’m not,” she said. Taylor, who donated to Democrat Tom Adelson’s mayoral campaign, said she will not be issuing any official endorsements this election season.

“I think it’s up to the citizens,” she said. “What I encourage is for citizens to go out and vote.”

But Taylor did offer some advice for whoever becomes the next mayor.

“Get ready for some long hours, prepare your family and make sure that you savor every moment you have with the citizens,” she

Taylor encouraged whoever takes over the office to focus on implementing the PlaniTulsa comprehensive plan and building a public understanding of the city’s budget challenges.

During the question-and-answer portion of the event, Taylor said a regional government, through consolidation of city and county functions, is where Tulsa needs to head.

“With layers of government, there’s some unnecessary bureaucracy,” she said.

Taylor pledged she will make every effort for the transition between her administration and the new mayor’s to be a smooth one. The general election is Nov. 10, with the swearing-in ceremony Dec. 7.

“Anything the new mayor wants, whether it’s information or to sit with me in my office every day, I’m ready to offer that,” she said.

Taylor continued to be coy about her plans after leaving office. A trip with her husband along Route 66 is her first priority.

Taylor did not rule out seeking a future public office. During the Q&A portion of her speech, she said she would not be running for Congress but side-stepped a question about whether she will run for the U.S Senate.

“I’m going to work on a firm plan for my future in November and December,” she said. “What I’ve learned in this job is that I can build roads and ballparks but what really matters to the future of our city is education. That’s what really creates permanent change.”

At Monday’s final baseball game at the Drillers’ ballpark, Taylor said she was booed but also was cheered.

“Everyone has a difference of opinion and they are certainly entitled to that,” she said. “When you’re in public office, you have to be thick-skinned.”

Her 20-minute speech capped off what she considers the high points of her administration, including the construction of the new downtown ballpark, the move of City Hall, the opening of the BOK Center and the passage of the streets package.

Taylor also cited the crackdown on gang activity, meth labs and crime.

“Together we have moved Tulsa forward,” she said during the speech. “Together we have kept this great city growing.”

Taylor used the opportunity to put some pressure on the City Council to accept a $3.5 million federal stimulus grant to hire 18 more police officers, even though it requires a financial commitment from the cash-strapped city.

“I know there is disagreement on hiring these officers, but when Washington, D.C., wants to send some of our tax money back to Tulsa to keep our citizens safe, I would like to take it,” she said.

Despite the fact that the new City Hall is projected to cost an extra $1.2 million to operate this fiscal year due in part to a lack of non-city tenants, Taylor touted the relocation as a good thing.

“We’ll get through this tough real estate market and Tulsa will shine with a City Hall that reflects the new kind of energy we have awakened together,” she said.

In her first state of the city speech in 2006, Taylor said, she encouraged the public to become mentors to children.

In her last one, that mayor encouraged people to donate and get involved in their local food pantries.

“We can celebrate our amazing city, but we can’t turn our heads to basic needs,” she said.

When the Tulsa World’s editorial cartoonist portrayed her as the Queen, Taylor said, she worried about it hurting her family.

“Me — I just straightened my tiara,” she said, bringing out a sparking tiara and placing it on her head to laughter from the crowd.

World staff writer P.J. Lassek contributed to this story.