May 3, 2010

April 22 is the 121st anniversary of Oklahoma City’s founding by a land run. Mayor Mick Cornett made a wager perhaps more audacious than the one made by those 10,000 settlers on April 22, 1889. He bet Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, even with the Thunder down 2-0 in their seven-game series with the world champion Lakers, that Oklahoma City’s NBA team would win the series. The losing mayor will don the jersey of the winning team when the nation’s mayors descend upon Oklahoma City June 11-15 for the Annual Meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors.

“I know that the Lakers are a legendary NBA franchise, but the Thunder’s performances in L.A. this week have demonstrated that like the citizens of this city, this team is not going to lay down,” said Cornett.

 Exactly 121 years ago on April 22, Oklahoma City was founded by a land run conducted by the federal government. The population of Oklahoma City went from zero to 10,000 on that one day. Today, the population of the metropolitan area is over 1.2 million, and the city is the newest entrant to the ranks of America’s major league cities.

Oklahoma City permanently joined those ranks in 2008 when the Oklahoma City Thunder tipped-off its inaugural season at the Ford Center. In just two seasons, the Thunder has emerged as one of the most exciting teams in the NBA, led by NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant and NBA Coach of the Year Scott Brooks.

The Annual Conference of Mayors has never been held in Oklahoma before, and according to the host committee, it is expected to be the most important gathering of American political leaders ever staged in that state. Cornett, who secured the meeting, will serve as Host Mayor, and also serves as a Trustee of the Conference of Mayors. Villaraigosa, who hosted the Annual Conference in 2007, serves as Vice President of the organization.