El Reno Mayor White Provides Strong Leadership During Challenging Times
A few years ago, El Reno Mayor Matt White googled his hometown and scanned through the images that came up on the first few pages of the search engine website. What he found were mostly photos of damage created by two recent tornadoes that had made national news.
“The image of El Reno was of destruction,” White said. “I wanted to change that.”
During the same Google image exercise, White searched “Oklahoma City” and found plenty of postcard-esque photos of children and families taking photos in front of a giant sculpture made out of the letters “OKC.”
“I wanted something like that,” said White, who reached out to an area artist and developed a 10-foot-tall Route 66 sculpture to place along a part of the historic highway that runs through downtown El Reno.
Earlier this year the sculpture was unveiled and quickly became an iconic spot to take photos.
“It’s something simple, but it’s changing our image,” said White, who was sitting inside the sign, demonstrating how some people pose for photos.
A fourth generation El Reno citizen, White said his work as mayor is built on the love he has for his hometown, population 19,000. The self described “classic El Reno guy” was elected to his fifth term in November and said he credits the victory to his ability to connect with El Reno residents who span the gamut from rough-and-tumble farmers to corporate titans working in downtown Oklahoma City, which is 25 miles east.
It’s that dual rural and urban feel that White says makes El Reno such a unique town - and makes his job unique, as well.
“I can put a piece of wheat in my mouth and apply for a grant for a rural project, and I can turn right around and put on a business suit and apply for an urban program and talk to prospective businesses,” White said. “We are very fortunate to have a diverse location like this.”
‘The disaster after the disaster’
White’s fight to overcome his town’s reputation as a storm-battered community comes after two significant tornadoes over the last several years. In 2013, a tornado recorded as the widest in history killed eight people. On May 25, another major tornado killed two and injured dozens more, after hitting a mobile home community and motel.
White was on the scene with first responders immediately after the tornado passed, grabbing gloves from a nearby oilfield truck to help dig through rubble at the motel.
“It was all hands on deck but everyone has to determine what their role is,” White said. “The mayor is more of a figurehead role and it is also my job to make sure everyone else has what they need to do their jobs.”
White became the city’s chief spokesman, addressing local and national media multiple times a day.
White also led the city in the creation of a website to collect monetary donations for the victims, something he learned to do after the 2013 tornado.
“After the (2013) tornado we received some national coverage and people were sending all types of donations, like toys, bathroom supplies, water, all types of stuff. I called it the disaster after the disaster because we were inundated with stuff we had to find a place for,” White said.
Creating an online portal for money to be donated allowed people to contribute without clogging the city with crates of supplies and the need to rent storage facilities. Almost $400,000 was raised to help victims.
“The main thing is to have a plan of what you are going to do,” White said. “We learned a lot from the first storm and kind of knew what to do.”
The post-tornado checklist is lengthy for a mayor, which includes coordinating debris cleanup, working with building inspectors to review damaged structures and communicating with lawmakers about the importance of state and federal government support.
“What really helps is having a trained and experienced staff,” White said. “But it’s also the fact that the people who work for the City of El Reno care about the city, and that makes a big difference after something like that.”
Reelection fight
Adding to a challenging 2019 was a reelection campaign that White called the toughest he’s experienced since first becoming mayor in 2007. Despite being outspent by a significant margin, White won reelection by 9 percentage points over his nearest competitor, a relatively comfortable margin.
“When you are in office for a long time you make a lot of decisions and you make some people mad,” White said. “But you just have to remind people what you have done.”
White acknowledged he can be a nontraditional public figure at times, something the El Reno Tribune newspaper called an asset when endorsing his reelection.
“Things get done when a leader is willing to color outside the lines,” the newspaper said.
The newspaper credited White’s boldness for a string of recent successes, including a new Interstate 40 offramp on Radio Road, which also brought a new Love’s Travel Stop that has become a major sales tax contributor.
“Today you would be more than hardpressed to find another community in the nation the size of El Reno with four interstate access points,” the newspaper said. “Without White, Radio Road doesn’t happen.”
When it comes to projects big and small, White said the challenge is always making sure residents have access to accurate information, something that has become harder in the age of social media.
“I like to say I remember being mayor pre-Facebook. It really has changed the way people communicate, the way they talk to leaders, and you have to evolve with it,” White said.
White also credits his accessibility to citizens for his reelection.
“We are at every event,” said White, who also works as an auctioneer. “I have done every charity auction and every church auction. We always donate money. None of that is to get elected, but it’s because we care about this community and I think people know that.”
Three months before his reelection, White was named Mayor of the Year by the Oklahoma Municipal League, an honor White said reflects the overall success of El Reno, not just his own work.
“El Reno is on a good path right now,” White said. “I think people are starting to discover that.”
“El Reno has a unique identity. It is still a smaller community and during the (high school) football playoffs will still have a trail of people going to the games. We are also a short drive to a Thunder game or the cultural spots in Oklahoma City.
“My biggest mission is to help maintain our identity as a community. I think that’s one of the most important jobs of a mayor.”