Oklahoma City mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mick Cornett spoke Monday at OU's Headington College, addressing state budget issues and how to change education in Oklahoma.
Cornett, who has been the mayor of Oklahoma City since 2004, highlighted his successes as mayor and said he saw Oklahoma's budget crisis as a reason to run for governor. He criticized the use of one-time and emergency funding sources to fill shortfalls in the state budget.
"I wouldn't be in this situation," Cornett said, referring to the state's persistent budget deficit. "The first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole is you stop digging."
Earlier this month, Gov. Mary Fallin vetoed most of a budget bill passed by the state legislature in a special session, saying it did not represent a long-term solution to the state's budget woes. The measure would have caused a $60 million budget cut.
In the statement announcing her veto, Fallin said Oklahoma is projected to have a $600 million shortfall next year.
In response to questions about education in the state, Cornett, who taught at OU before starting his political career, said he wants higher education to do a better job of educating adults.
"It's time for this state to realize education doesn't ever stop," Cornett said.
Cornett also said he wants teachers to be paid at a regional average. An October 2017 survey by an OU professor showed money was the primary concern of teachers who left the state.
The event was held in the dining hall at Headington College, one of OU's new residential colleges, as part of the colleges' "Lunch and Learn" initiative. Rep. Tom Cole held a similar event earlier this semester.
Cornett announced in May that he was planning to run for governor in 2018, when Mary Fallin will be term-limited. Several other candidates, including Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, have announced their candidacies for the state's highest office.
