TULSA, Okla. — Outgoing Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum gave his farewell State of the City Address on Thursday, Nov. 14.

Bynum highlighted his accomplishments after eight years in office.

Bynum said he is pleased to see how the city has changed for the better.

In 2016, G.T. Bynum was elected as the 40th Mayor of the City of Tulsa after serving on the city council eight years prior.

He’s proud of his accomplishments, from launching The New Tulsans Initiative to giving immigrants better opportunities.

Mayor Bynum also created the New Beyond Apology Commission.

It’s geared toward restoring north Tulsa and helping more people succeed following the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Bynum said one of his proudest accomplishments is renewing high expectations for Tulsans.

“I can remember when I was running eight years ago, people would laugh that I said that we ought to be working as a region to compete with cities like Auston, Denver, and Chicago. Nobody laughs at that anymore,” said Mayor Bynum. “People expect us not to compete with them, but to win.”

Cherokee Nation’s Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said working alongside Mayor Bynum has been amazing and it felt good to have someone support the tribes within Oklahoma.

“He’s been an advocate for a lot of tribal support. Making sure that people understand what tribal sovereignty is and making sure that in a post-McGirt world, we can continue to work together. I think there’s a lot of work still yet to do,” said Warner.

As his time in office ends, Bynum said he will always be grateful to have followed in his grandfather’s footsteps as the Mayor of Tulsa.

He said he’s excited to see what Mayor-elect Monroe Nichols does in the future.

“I’m thankful that we have a mayor coming in who’s very much committed to continuing and building upon the work that we’ve done in the last eight years,” said Bynum.

Bynum will be starting a new career while staying here in Tulsa as St. Francis Health System’s Vice President of Community and Government Affairs.

Mayor-elect Nichols will be sworn in on Dec. 2.