G. T. Bynum

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G. T. Bynum
Tulsa
City Councillor for the 9th district
In office
2008–2016
Preceded byCason Carter
Succeeded byBen Kimbro
Personal details
Born
George Theron Bynum IV

(1977-08-28) August 28, 1977 (age 46)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseSusan Bynum
RelationsRobert LaFortune (grandfather)
Bill LaFortune (uncle)
Children2
EducationVillanova University (BS)

George Theron Bynum IV (born August 28, 1977) is an American politician and lobbyist who has served as the

City Council, representing the ninth district in 2008 as a Republican
and served four terms before running for mayor in 2016.

Bynum was born and raised in Tulsa. He is the fourth member of his family to serve as mayor after

Robert Newton Bynum
.

Early life and education

George Theron Bynum IV was born on August 28, 1977, to Suzanne LaFortune and George T. Bynum III. He was the first grandchild of

Robert LaFortune and George T. Bynum Jr.[1] The Bynum family first moved to Tulsa in 1885 with Robert Newton Bynum serving as the city's second mayor. His son, G.T. Bynum Sr., would found G.T. Bynum Co., an oil field equipment firm.[2]

A native of

student body president in 1999.[4]

Career

Bynum worked as a staffer for United States senators Don Nickles from 2000 to 2005 and Tom Coburn from 2005 through 2006. In 2006, he returned to Tulsa to work for a real estate auction company, Williams & Williams.[5] In May 2007, he was promoted to director of corporate communications and public affairs for Williams and Williams.[6] He was laid off in 2009, along with a third of the Williams & Williams employees. In 2009, he and a partner, Stuart McCalman, opened a lobbying firm, Capitol Ventures Government Relations, working on behalf of municipalities and businesses.[5] Bynum has been described as a political moderate.[7]

City council

In 2008, Bynum filed to run for office in District 9 to succeed the retiring city councilor Cason Carter.[8] He won election to a two-year term and was re-elected three times.[5] In 2011, his colleagues appointed him council chairman. He served as chairman through 2012.[9]

Mayor of Tulsa

Bynum ran for mayor of Tulsa in 2016, and defeated

runoff election.[10][11] He was inaugurated as mayor on December 5, 2016.[12] Bynum ran for reelection in 2020 and won outright, again avoiding a runoff election.[13][14] He is the third-youngest person to serve as mayor of Tulsa.[12] Bynum has said that he will not run for a third term for mayor in 2024.[15]

Though the Tulsa Health Department urged Bynum to postpone

June 20, 2020 rally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bynum said that he would not use his emergency powers to stop the rally from happening.[16]

In addition to his work as a staffer and politician, Bynum is the founder of The Greater Tulsa PAC; a

Tulsa City Council. Jacob Heisten, a registered Republican and former aide to Senator Jim Inhofe, is listed as the PAC's chairman.[17]

In June 2023, severe storms hit parts of Oklahoma that involved hurricane-force winds and tornadic activity that knocked out power for days for more than 100,000 energy customers, mostly in Tulsa, during a severe heat waves which left at least 3 people dead.[18][19] Bynum requested Governor Kevin Stitt to declare a state of emergency, but Stitt was in Paris and unable to declare an emergency from outside the state.[20] Lieutenant Governor

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat was informed he was the acting Governor, he declared the state of emergency.[22][23] Stitt visited the city six days after the storm and met with Bynum.[24]

Bynum authorized city attorneys to appeal the

municipal court.[25]

Personal life

Bynum and his wife have two children. His second child was born two weeks before he was laid off in 2009.[5]

Robert Newton Bynum, who served as mayor from 1899 to 1900.[5]

See also

References

  1. Newspapers.com
    .
  2. Newspapers.com
    .
  3. ^ Habib, Nour (October 18, 2015). "Midwest Augustinians celebrating 75th anniversary with Tulsa event: Special event will take place at their school, Cascia Hall". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  4. ^ Rothfeld, Michael (September 14, 1999). "School Board Candidate In Political Fray At 21 The Gop Tapped Eric Brown For The Coatesville Seat. It's A Natural Next Step For This Villanova Senior". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e Wade, Jarrel (May 22, 2016). "Who is G.T. Bynum? A man with deep family roots in Tulsa politics". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  6. Newspapers.com
    .
  7. ^ Murphy, Sean (August 22, 2020). "Moderate Tulsa mayor faces fierce political crosscurrents". Associated Press. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  8. ^ Lassek, P. J. (January 6, 2008). "All but one councilor seek return". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Barber, Brian (November 23, 2012). "Tulsa Council Chairman G.T. Bynum at end of his post: With his chairmanship winding down, he reflects on his record". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  10. ^ Wade, Jarrel (June 28, 2016). "Voters elect G.T. Bynum as next mayor". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "GT Bynum Defeats Incumbent Bartlett For Tulsa Mayor". KOTV-DT. June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Matt Trotter, "Bynum, Councilors, Auditor Sworn in at City Inauguration", KWGS, December 5, 2016.
  13. KJRH. September 28, 2021. Archived
    from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  14. ^ "OK Election Results". results.okelections.us. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Mayor G.T. Bynum's 'GT PAC' has some city councilors wondering what he's up to, and what's his beef". Tulsa World. September 29, 2021. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  16. ^ "Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum says he won't attempt to block Trump rally". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  17. ^ "Bynum's new political action committee to support 'Pro-Tulsa Candidates' in 2022 City Council races". Tulsa World. September 28, 2021. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  18. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  19. KOCO
    . Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Osborne, Deon (June 20, 2023). "Gov. Stitt delays declaring state of emergency: Process or politics?". The Black Wall Street Times. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  21. KJRH
    . June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  22. KOKH. Retrieved June 23, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  23. Public Radio Tulsa
    . Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  24. KJRH
    . June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
  25. ^ Killman, Curtis (June 30, 2023). "City of Tulsa to appeal ticket ruling to U.S. Supreme Court, Mayor Bynum says". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 2, 2023.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Tulsa
2016–present 		Incumbent
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