Tulsa, Oklahoma

==Government==
{{Main|Government of Tulsa, Oklahoma}}
{{See also|List of mayors of Tulsa, Oklahoma}}
[[File:One Technology Center.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Tulsa City Hall serves as the base for most city government functions.]]

A [[mayor-council government]] has been in place in Tulsa since 1989, when the city converted from a [[city commission government]] deemed wasteful and less efficient.<ref name="About the Tulsa City Council">{{cite web | url=http://www.tulsacouncil.org/about_cc.php | title=About the Tulsa City Council | publisher=The Tulsa City Council| access-date=April 17, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070706152350/http://www.tulsacouncil.org/about_cc.php |archive-date = July 6, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the change, Tulsa mayors have been given more power in accordance with a [[Mayor–council government#Strong-mayor form|strong mayoral system]] and have greater control of a more consolidated array of governmental branches.<ref name="About the Tulsa City Council" /> [[Plurality voting system|Plurality voting]] is used to elect mayors, who serve a term in office of four years. The present mayor of Tulsa is Republican [[G. T. Bynum]], who won the 2016 mayoral election and took office on December 5, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/elections/voters-elect-g-t-bynum-as-next-mayor/article_a557b1c5-eeff-54ae-baa9-cfa835a56186.html|title=Voters elect G.T. Bynum as next mayor|first=JARREL|last=WADE|work=tulsaworld.com|date=June 28, 2016 }}</ref> Another Tulsa political figure, [[Jim Inhofe]], who represented Oklahoma in the [[United States Senate]] for 30 years, served as the mayor of Tulsa early in his political career.<ref>{{cite news | date=May 4, 2007 | url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/common/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleID=070428_238_A1_hVPma51656| title=Vice President Visits Tulsa: Cheney, Inhofe blast Democrats' plan for Iraq | first=Randy | last=Krehbiel | newspaper=Tulsa World | access-date=May 6, 2007}}</ref>

A city councilor from each of the city's nine council districts is elected every two years, each serving a term of two years. Councilors are elected from their own respective districts based on a plurality voting system, and serve on the Tulsa City Council. As a whole, the council acts as the legislative body of the city government, which aims to pass laws, approve the city budget, and manage efficiency in the city government. In accordance with the mayor-council form of government, the Tulsa City Council and the office of the Mayor coordinate in city government operations. A third body of the government, the city auditor, is elected independently of the city council and mayor to ensure that the auditor can act in an objective manner. The auditor is elected for a term of two years.<ref name="About the Tulsa City Council" /> Phil Wood, a Democrat, held the position for 21 years before being defeated by Republican Preston Doerflinger in the 2009 election.<ref>{{cite news | title=Wood concedes race for city auditor to Doerflinger | date=November 10, 2009 | url = http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=262&articleid=20091110_262_0_CityAu813364 | work = [[Tulsa World]] | access-date = November 11, 2009}}</ref> The city serves as the seat of county government for Tulsa County, and lies mostly within [[Oklahoma's 1st congressional district]], with its far northwestern areas in southern Osage County in [[Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district]]. Municipal and state laws are enforced in Tulsa by the [[Tulsa Police Department]], an organization of 781 officers {{as of|2012|lc=y}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20121222_11_A21_CUTLIN147722 |title=39 new Tulsa police officers bring department to full force |newspaper=Tulsa World |date=December 22, 2012 |access-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newson6.com/story/20405101/new-tulsa-police-officers-ready-to-serve |title=New Tulsa Police Officers Ready To Serve  |publisher=NewsOn6.com |access-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref>