Partisan Rhetoric Is for Losers | G.T. Bynum | TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue

Intense partisanship allows politicians to win elections based on division, and when that happens the citizens lose. Fortunately, there is a growing movement that is focused on using evidence and data to pursue goals that unite us - and it has taken root in the fastest-growing part of our country, our cities.

In this inspiring and entertaining talk, Tulsa's newly elected Republican Mayor tells how he beat his opponent, a two-term incumbent, by choosing data over rhetoric and shares how politicians of both parties are beginning to join this movement.

G.T. Bynum was sworn in as the 40th Mayor of Tulsa on December 5, 2016. Prior to his election as Mayor, Bynum served for 8 years on the Tulsa City Council. In that time, he was elected as the youngest City Council Chairman in Tulsa history.

Throughout his time in Tulsa city government, Mayor Bynum has focused on fiscal restraint, public safety, and infrastructure. He led the successful effort to enact the largest streets improvement package in the City's history, authored legislation creating the first municipal rainy day fund in Oklahoma, and coordinated efforts to establish the first municipal veterans treatment court in the United States.

Mayor Bynum and his wife, Susan, are the proud parents of Robert and Annabel - the sixth generation of Bynums to call Tulsa home. He previously worked in the United States Senate for Senators Don Nickles and Tom Coburn.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx