Public servants include any local, state, or federal government employee of a government organization. Firefighters, police officers, public health officials, librarians, teachers, and volunteers for the Peace Corps all fall in the public sector.

Recently I interviewed a Pastor in another City that is running for office and he explained that win or lose, he was going to serve the Public. I immediately thought of Mayor David Holt when I heard the words Public Servant. When I think of David, I don't see him through the lens of race, political party affiliation, liberal, or conservative. I see him as this guy who loves the people of OKC, loves having a positive impact on the community, and first and foremost a guy that is truly a family man!

Let me take you back to my first encounter with David! It was about sixteen months ago, late at night on social media I got a message back from David and from that, I had the honor of interviewing him for a Season of Thanks video. 2020 was wrapping up and as you know, that year was not the year any of us imagined it to be. I was very surprised to land this interview. What happened next blew me away, I interviewed David over Zoom and what I discovered was that here was a man who was truly thankful for any successes he had found, but also a man who was more thankful for the successes his city had found.

Covid-19 and the political climate combined with race issues resulted in a city and a country that was on fire. Every day seemed to have been worse than the day before. Here in OKC, we had a Mayor and a Governor that didn't see eye to eye on how to protect the citizens against this epidemic that was taking more and more lives every day.

The safety of the community became a political issue with lies and conspiracy theories popping up everywhere. In the middle of all of this was a first-term Mayor who was running the city much like he ran his home life. Seeking wisdom and understanding, then looking for solutions to problems, and finally searching for ways to execute in a manner that was in the best interest of everyone.

Shortly after my interview with David, a white police officer shot and killed an African American man. David then addressed the city with a calm, honest, and community-uniting address.

Since that moment I have had the honor to speak with David on numerous occasions over Facebook. Usually late in the evening after he had taken care of Mayor, Family, and Business obligations. A few weeks ago I finally got to meet David in person. It felt like I was catching up with an old friend.

Out of respect, I should have referred to him as Mayor David Holt throughout this article. I should have mentioned that he is a Republican. But once you meet him and start to get to know him, you will only see him as David, a guy who lives the definition of a Public Servant!

Raquel McCloskey Frazier

It occurs to me that many people don't fully realize what the Mayor of a city does in their role. Of course, this varies by state, but in Oklahoma, the mayor of a city has a very limited role. I am hearing candidates and others talk about things such as abortion rights, federal funding, criminal reform, and other issues that are straight-up state issues under the control of the legislature and governor. 

Although this is supposed to be a non-partisan role, the last five years have created a schism in our country where it seems nothing can be non-partisan anymore. So we have two far-right conservatives and one far-left liberal running to unseat Mayor David Holt. Holt is a full-fledged Republican and I'm a very proud Democrat. In his first term, I can think of exactly two times I have been disappointed with him individually. But I can think of dozens of times where I am very proud of him:  his leadership, his openness to listen to all sides, the appointments he's made, his support of education and local businesses, the improvements he's championed around homelessness, the task force he created to deal with the issues in the OKCPD, and many more. 

None of the other candidates begin to match Holt's skills in all of these areas. None of them can represent the city as the Chief  Brand Ambassador anywhere near as well, and it appears to me none of them want to. They are single-issue candidates without the breadth of knowledge and depth of experience we need. 

I hope you'll join me in voting to re-elect David Holt tomorrow. I promise you'll be in and out of your polling place in less time than it took you to read this post.

“Why I’m voting for Mayor David Holt” by Mrs. Lois Felder”

J.D. Baker

Andy Fugate for OK House 94

Oklahoma down-ballot races are non-partisan. But I was happy to step across the aisle to cast my in-person, absentee vote for Mayor David Holt. 

Do we agree on everything? No. Of course not. But the good Mayor has a clear vision for Oklahoma City and has worked hard to reach out and share that vision. He has built bridges and earned the trust of the people. He builds coalitions and consensus. He does that by listening to understand. We desperately need more of that. 

Good luck, Mr. Mayor. You’ve earned the opportunity to return.