201 N.E. 23rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
NEWS RELEASE
Date: March 11, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kelly Danner, (405) 528-7515 / (800) 324-6651
State mayors announce ‘If I Were Mayor’ essay contest winners
The Mayors Council of Oklahoma (MCO) and the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) announced today the winners of their ‘If I Were Mayor’ essay contest. Eighth grade students were invited to participate in the statewide contest by describing what they would do as mayor to make their city or town a better place to live. The goal of the contest is to promote a better understanding of municipal government and how it plays a role in all our lives. Entries were judged based upon originality and appropriateness to the theme and whether or not the essay showed an understanding of the mayor’s position.
First place went to Case Hampton, Grove Middle School; Abbie Wright, MacArthur Middle School in Lawton came in second and third place was a tie between Madison Rubio, St. Phillip Neri Catholic School, Midwest City and Bethany Easterling, Mustang South Middle School. The presentation of the awards will be held at 11:30 a.m. during the MCO/OML Day at the Capitol on Monday, March 21, in the House Chambers at the State Capitol.
Mr. Hampton would have open ears, open eyes, and be approachable by all if he were mayor. Having open ears would enable him to answer the community’s questions and hear their suggestions. Making Lawton a more business-friendly city to help the economy would be one of the goals for second-place winner Ms. Wright. By attracting more businesses, the city could raise the amounts of jobs available to their citizens. Ms. Rubino would set a goal of having the most inviting city in the country. One way she would do this is by making recycling a city priority. Enforcing current city ordinances and working more closely with the schools, churches and civic organizations to keep Mustang a great place to live would be some of the goals of Ms. Easterling.
The essay contest was held in conjunction with Municipal Government Week, a statewide event conducted by the Mayors Council of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Municipal League, which celebrates city and town governments in Oklahoma.
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OML is a statewide, non-profit corporation currently composed of 465 member cities and towns. The mission of the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) is to provide services and programs required by municipal officials to assist them in better serving their citizens, and to act as the representative of Oklahoma municipalities in interactions requiring a united voice. Since 1913, the League has served as the individual and collective voice of local officials on the state and national level. In addition, the League acts as a clearinghouse to offer services which individual cities and towns do not have the time, money, or expertise to provide alone.
The Mayors Council of Oklahoma (MCO) unites Oklahoma mayors with the goal of creating effective leaders and providing a voice for collective action statewide. MCO informs, equips, and inspires Oklahoma mayors to better serve their local communities and build the State of Oklahoma.