Michael Bates for City Council
Tulsa District 4

PRESS RELEASES

January 4, 2002

MICHAEL BATES FOR CITY COUNCIL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Friday, January 4, 2002

The campaign of Michael Bates, President of the Midtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, and the only announced candidate for Tulsa City Council District 4, will begin door-to-door campaigning this weekend. Mr. Bates and a group of supporters will be out talking to voters in the neighborhoods, regardless of the weather. 

In response to reports of others considering the race, Mr. Bates said, “My supporters and I are already working hard to win this race, and with the support of grass-roots neighborhood leaders throughout District 4 and around Tulsa, we are confident that I will be the next City Councilor from this district, no matter who else enters the race.  District 4 residents want a Councilor who will be a strong voice for our neighborhoods, a responsibility I’ve already undertaken as President of the Midtown Coalition.  We will be out every day between now and March 12, regardless of the weather, listening to the concerns of Midtown residents and talking about what we hope to accomplish for Tulsa’s future. If others do enter the race, I hope they will join me in pledging to conduct a positive campaign, focused on the issues.”

Campaign activities have been ongoing since November of last year, organizing the campaign, meeting with neighborhood associations, speaking to neighborhood, business, and political leaders.  A successful fundraiser was held on December 6, and the campaign fund has achieved its short-term financial goals, mainly from small contributions, with more contributions coming in each week.

On December 13, Michael Bates officially announced his candidacy at the Village at Central Park, a new urban townhouse development just east of downtown. (Mr. Bates served on the urban development committee that selected the Village Builders to develop the area.)  Over thirty friends and supporters were in attendance, including State Rep. John Sullivan, the Republican nominee for U. S. Congress, who has endorsed Mr. Bates’s candidacy.

Mr. Bates, President of the Midtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, is supported by a grassroots movement of neighborhood leaders from around District 4, including Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Here are just a few of the neighborhood leaders endorsing his candidacy:

Maria Barnes, President, Kendall-Whittier Neighborhood Association, and Vice President of the Midtown Coalition

Margaret Perrault, board member, Mayo Meadow Neighborhood Association, and Treasurer of the Midtown Coalition

Scott Swearingen, past President, Renaissance Neighborhood Association, and founder and board member of the Midtown Coalition

Don Burdick, Government Affairs Chairman, Central Park Condominiums

Nell Bradshaw, Executive Secretary, Yorktown Neighborhood Association

Darla Carey, President, Turner Park Neighborhood Association

David Davis, past President, Kendall Neighborhood Homeowners and Tenants Association

Kristine Dixon, past President, Riverview Neighborhood Association

Connie Desai, board member, Maple Ridge Homeowners Association

Fred Graves, past Secretary, Florence Park Neighborhood Association

Jamie Jamieson, developer, the Village at Central Park, member of the 6th Street Infill Task Force

Johnna Thurston, North Maple Ridge representative, COA subcommittee, Tulsa Preservation Commission, and former Treasurer of the Midtown Coalition

William Weinrich, President, Sunrise Terrace Neighborhood Association

Mr. Bates has also received endorsements from neighborhood leaders beyond District 4, including Nancy Apgar, past president, Brookside Neighborhood Association, and Carolyn Harter, past president, East Tulsa Mingo Valley Coalition.

(Please note that these are personal endorsements, and do not necessarily represent the endorsement of the organization that a neighborhood leader serves. Titles and organization names are provided for identification purposes.)

More information about Michael Bates and his campaign is available at http://www.michaelbatesforcitycouncil.com. The campaign’s e-mail address is info@michaelbatesforcitycouncil.com. You may contact Mr. Bates at 951-3574.  Campaign chairman Don Burdick may be reached at 230-4673.

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December 13, 2001

MICHAEL BATES FOR CITY COUNCIL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, December 13, 2001

Today at noon, neighborhood advocate Michael D. Bates will announce his candidacy for Tulsa City Council District 4, the seat currently held by Gary Watts, who has announced his candidacy for Mayor. Mr. Bates, a Republican, is supported by a grassroots movement of neighborhood leaders from around District 4, including Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. The announcement event will be held at the Village at Central Park, at 1125 E. 8th Street, just west of 8th and Peoria.

Michael D. Bates, 38, has been a resident of Tulsa since 1969. He is a 1986 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied computer science and classics. He has been married for 12 years to Mikki, and they have two children, Joseph, age 5, and Katherine, 1. He is employed by FlightSafety International as a software engineer. The Bates family lives in Mayo Meadow neighborhood and belongs to Christ Presbyterian Church.  Michael's parents, David and Sandy Bates, live in east Tulsa.

Since 1999, Michael Bates has served as president of the Midtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, an organization that brings neighborhood leaders together to address common concerns, such as new development, zoning, and code enforcement. The Midtown Coalition website is at http://www.geocities.com/tulsa_midtown_coalition.  (The Midtown Coalition is non-partisan and non-political and does not endorse candidates for office.) Prior to his term as president, he served a year as vice president. From 1991 to 1993, he was a charter member of the Brookside Neighborhood Association, and served on the board as membership co-chairman.

Michael Bates has been involved in a number of committees and task forces concerned with the revitalization of downtown and Midtown neighborhoods. In 1999 and 2000 he served on the Research Committee of the Convention and Tourism Task Force. In 1999 he served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Oaklawn Redevelopment, which selected the Village at Central Park to redevelop the area at 8th and Peoria. In 1998 and 1999 he served as an alternate member on the Infill Task Force and participated in the Task Force's zoning subcommittee. Currently he chairs the Neighborhood Task Force for TulsaNow, a grassroots group committed to "building a better Tulsa for Tulsans."  (http://www.tulsanow.org)

In 1998, Bates was a candidate for District 4 City Council, in his first run for elective office, finishing 2nd in the Republican primary in a field of five.

Since 1989, Michael Bates has been a singer in the Coventry Chorale, a classical choral ensemble now in its 20th season, and he currently serves as president of the organization.

Michael D. Bates is, as far as can be determined, not related to Michael S. Bates, City of Tulsa Human Resources Director, nor is he related to several other Michael Bateses who live in Tulsa.

The campaign website, still under construction, is www.michaelbatesforcitycouncil.com.
Contact Michael Bates by phone at 409-7816 or by email at info@michaelbatesforcitycouncil.com

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