G.T. Bynum

G.T. Bynum
Born	George Theron Bynum IV
Birthplace	Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, healthcare executive
Title	Vice President of Community and Government Affairs, Saint Francis Health System
Known for	40th Mayor of Tulsa (2016–2024)

George Theron "G.T." Bynum IV is an American politician and civic leader who served as the 40th mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 2016 to December 2024. A Republican, Bynum came from a multi-generational Tulsa political family and became one of the city's most consequential modern mayors. During his tenure, he attracted some of the largest employers ever to establish operations in Tulsa, oversaw a significant expansion of the city's parks system, and led efforts to confront the city's history of racial violence, including advancing the investigation into mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. His time in office also coincided with major national upheavals, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide reckoning over police violence and racial justice in 2020, both of which placed Tulsa and its mayor in the national spotlight. After completing his final term, Bynum joined Saint Francis Health System as its vice president of community and government affairs.

Early Life

G.T. Bynum was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a family with deep roots in the city's political life. He is a fourth-generation Tulsa civic leader; his family's involvement in Tulsa governance stretches back multiple generations, a lineage that shaped his own trajectory into public service. The Bynum family's long history in Tulsa meant that G.T. Bynum grew up with an intimate familiarity with the city's institutions, neighborhoods, and the persistent challenges—including racial inequality—that defined its social landscape.

Bynum's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all played roles in Tulsa civic life, establishing the family as one of the city's most prominent political dynasties. This heritage gave Bynum both a platform and a sense of obligation toward the city. Growing up in Tulsa during the late twentieth century, he witnessed the city grapple with economic shifts, demographic changes, and the long shadow of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, an event that had been largely suppressed in public memory for decades.

Bynum entered local politics at a relatively young age. Before becoming mayor, he served on the Tulsa City Council, where he developed experience in municipal governance and built relationships across the city's political and civic communities. His council service provided him with a detailed understanding of Tulsa's budget, infrastructure needs, and the complex dynamics of urban governance in a mid-sized American city.

Career

Tulsa City Council

Prior to his mayoral tenure, Bynum served as a member of the Tulsa City Council. His time on the council allowed him to develop policy positions on issues including public safety, economic development, and city infrastructure. The council experience also positioned him as a known quantity among Tulsa voters and civic organizations, laying the groundwork for his eventual mayoral campaign.

Mayor of Tulsa

Bynum was first elected mayor of Tulsa in 2016 and took office that year. He would go on to serve two terms, stepping down in December 2024. His administration was characterized by efforts in economic development, parks expansion, public safety reform, and confronting the city's racial history.

Economic Development

One of the defining features of Bynum's tenure was his administration's success in attracting major employers to Tulsa. According to Governing magazine, Bynum attracted the largest employers ever to establish operations in the city, a record that represented a significant shift in Tulsa's economic trajectory. These economic development achievements were a centerpiece of Bynum's legacy and were highlighted in his final State of the City address in November 2024.

Bynum's approach to economic development focused on positioning Tulsa as an attractive destination for businesses and workers. His administration's efforts coincided with a broader national trend of companies seeking locations outside traditional coastal metropolitan areas, and Tulsa benefited from initiatives designed to draw both employers and remote workers to the city.

Parks and Public Spaces

Bynum oversaw a dramatic expansion of Tulsa's parks system during his time in office. The expansion of green spaces and recreational facilities was one of the accomplishments he emphasized in his public addresses and was cited by Governing as a notable aspect of his mayoral record. The investment in parks was part of a broader strategy to improve quality of life in Tulsa and make the city more competitive in attracting and retaining residents.

Racial Equity and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Perhaps the most historically significant aspect of Bynum's mayoralty was his administration's efforts to confront Tulsa's racist past, particularly regarding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The massacre, in which a white mob destroyed the prosperous African American neighborhood of Greenwood and killed an estimated 100 to 300 Black residents, had been largely suppressed in Tulsa's official memory for much of the twentieth century.

Bynum helped the city confront this history, including supporting efforts to investigate potential mass graves from the massacre. In an interview with Public Radio Tulsa as he prepared to leave office, Bynum reflected on the struggle for racial equity as one of the most impactful aspects of his tenure.

These efforts, however, were not without controversy. As a white Republican mayor in a city with deep racial divisions, Bynum faced criticism from multiple directions. Some members of the Black community and racial justice advocates argued that his administration's efforts did not go far enough, while others praised him for taking steps that previous city leaders had avoided. The tension was particularly acute in the summer of 2020, when the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Tulsa, with its own fraught racial history, became a focal point for these tensions.

COVID-19 Pandemic and National Politics

The year 2020 brought an extraordinary convergence of crises to Tulsa and placed Bynum in the national spotlight. The COVID-19 pandemic strained the city's public health infrastructure and economy, requiring the mayor to make difficult decisions about restrictions, public safety, and resource allocation.

Compounding the challenge, Tulsa became a flashpoint in national politics when President Donald Trump chose the city as the site for his first campaign rally since the onset of the pandemic, scheduled for June 2020. The rally, held at the BOK Center, drew intense national scrutiny and criticism due to public health concerns and the symbolism of holding a political event in Tulsa near the anniversary of the Race Massacre. Bynum found himself navigating the competing pressures of the presidential campaign, the pandemic, and the ongoing national uproar over police abuse, all while managing a city with raw and unresolved racial tensions.

The New York Times described Bynum as being "on the defensive" during this period, facing criticism from constituents and national observers alike over his handling of the overlapping crises. The situation illustrated the unique pressures facing mayors of mid-sized American cities who found themselves at the intersection of local governance and national political dynamics.

Immigration

In his reflections upon leaving office, Bynum also addressed immigration as one of the significant issues of his tenure. In his interview with Public Radio Tulsa, he discussed the impact of immigration on Tulsa and where he believed the city was heading on this and other policy areas. Tulsa, like many American cities, experienced demographic shifts during Bynum's time in office, and the mayor's approach to immigration policy and its local implications was part of his broader governance record.

Final State of the City Address

In November 2024, Bynum delivered his final State of the City address, in which he touted the accomplishments of his administration one last time before stepping down the following month. Public Radio Tulsa identified five key takeaways from the address, which covered the range of his administration's priorities and achievements. The address served as a capstone to eight years in office and provided Bynum's own assessment of his legacy as Tulsa's mayor.

Post-Mayoral Career

Saint Francis Health System

In June 2024, it was announced that Bynum would join Saint Francis Health System as its vice president of community and government affairs following the conclusion of his mayoral term. Bynum described the opportunity as an "opportunity of a lifetime." The announcement was covered by multiple Tulsa-area news outlets, including FOX23, KJRH, and News On 6.

Saint Francis Health System is one of the largest healthcare providers in the Tulsa metropolitan area, and Bynum's role as vice president of community and government affairs was seen as a natural extension of his experience in civic leadership and government relations. The position allowed him to remain engaged in Tulsa's civic life while transitioning out of elected office.

Political Commentary

After leaving office, Bynum remained a prominent voice in Oklahoma political discussions. In January 2025, he commented publicly on the upcoming 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial primary election, predicting that it would be a "bloodbath" on the Republican side. His remarks reflected his continued engagement with state-level Republican politics and his willingness to offer candid assessments of the political landscape.

Personal Life

Bynum is a lifelong resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and comes from a family with four generations of involvement in the city's civic and political life. His deep family roots in Tulsa have been a recurring theme in coverage of his career, distinguishing him from many contemporary American politicians who are transplants to the cities they govern.

Details of Bynum's private life beyond his political career have been limited in public reporting. His public persona has been closely tied to his identity as a Tulsan and his family's legacy of public service in the city.

Recognition

In 2024, Governing magazine named G.T. Bynum one of its Public Officials of the Year, a recognition that highlighted his contributions to Tulsa's economic development, parks expansion, and his efforts to confront the city's racist history. The magazine's profile described how a "fourth generation mayor reshaped his hometown," emphasizing the scope of transformation Tulsa underwent during his tenure.

The Governing recognition placed Bynum among a select group of state and local officials deemed to have made exceptional contributions to public governance during the year. The honor reflected both the tangible achievements of his administration—such as the economic development milestones and parks expansion—and the more intangible but historically significant work of advancing racial reconciliation in a city scarred by one of the worst acts of racial violence in American history.

Bynum's tenure also drew national media attention on multiple occasions. The New York Times profiled him in August 2020 during the convergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential campaign rally in Tulsa, and the national reckoning over racial justice, describing the pressures and contradictions facing a white Republican mayor in a city with deep racial wounds. Public Radio Tulsa provided extensive coverage of his administration throughout his tenure, including in-depth interviews and analysis of his policy record.

Legacy

G.T. Bynum's legacy as mayor of Tulsa is defined by several interlocking themes: economic growth, investment in public spaces, and a willingness to confront difficult aspects of the city's racial history. As a fourth-generation Tulsa civic leader, he brought an unusual depth of personal connection to the city, and his administration's achievements reflected both continuity with the city's establishment traditions and a departure from the historical silence around the 1921 Race Massacre.

On the economic front, Bynum's success in attracting major employers represented a significant milestone for Tulsa, which had long sought to diversify its economy beyond the energy sector. The expansion of the parks system contributed to broader quality-of-life improvements that city leaders hoped would make Tulsa more competitive in attracting talent and investment.

His handling of the racial equity agenda was perhaps the most complex element of his legacy. By supporting the investigation of mass graves from the 1921 massacre and taking public steps toward acknowledgment and reconciliation, Bynum went further than many of his predecessors. At the same time, the tensions that surfaced during 2020—around police violence, the Trump rally, and the pandemic—highlighted the limits of what any single municipal administration could accomplish in addressing systemic racial inequality.

Bynum's transition to the private sector at Saint Francis Health System signaled a continued commitment to civic engagement in Tulsa, albeit outside of elected office. His commentary on state-level Republican politics after leaving office suggested that he intended to remain an active voice in Oklahoma's political landscape.

As Tulsa continues to evolve, Bynum's two terms as mayor are likely to be assessed in the context of the city's broader transformation—a period in which economic development, public investment, and historical reckoning converged under the leadership of a mayor whose family name had been synonymous with Tulsa governance for nearly a century.