Profiles in Power highlights public officials nationwide who are improving their communities through their dedication, enthusiasm, creativity and experience.
This week’s profile is David Holt, mayor of Oklahoma City.
Public career highlights and education: David Holt was elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 2018 with 78% of the vote and re-elected in 2022 with the highest number of votes for a mayoral candidate since 1959. He is the city’s first Native American mayor and the youngest mayor in a century. He was a state senator from 2010 to 2018 and served as chief of staff to the Oklahoma City mayor from 2006 to 2010. He holds a bachelor’s of arts from the George Washington University and a law degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law.
What I like best about public service: My professional life has always centered around public service because I am motivated by the opportunity to leave things better than I found them. That is what I find rewarding. I think public service is also fun because no two days are alike, and you can really focus on the topics you find interesting.
The best advice I’ve received: Keep your options open as long as you possibly can.
People might be interested to know that: As a child, I was in productions of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park for a decade.
One thing I wish more people knew about city government: The municipal level of government is the most impactful and important level of government, and people should pay a lot more attention to it than the partisan silliness that might be happening at the state or federal levels. Cities are where things really happen, and mayors are the American political leaders who get things done.
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