OKC Mayor David Holt named Okla City Univ Law School Dean

Last Updated on August 6, 2023, 2:50 AM | Published: May 10, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City’s Mayor David Holt was publicly named Dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law Wednesday.

Holt is a graduate of the OCU School of Law.

In making the appointment, OCU President Kenneth E. Vans said in a news release that he believes Holt has the qualities needed to lead the law school into its next era.

“I appreciate David’s leadership experience, broad network within the law and government communities, and strong connection to the OCU School of Law,” Evans said. “Our university community welcomes him back to campus and looks forward to his impact on our law school.”

He will begin his duties as Dean of the OCU Law School July 1.

Oklahoma City University, on N.W. 23rd Street in OKC, switched from running a part-time, night law school to a full-time day program in the 1970s. It continues to hold both day and night classes. Today it is one of three law schools in the state along with the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and the University of Tulsa College of Law.

OCU Law moved off the University’s main campus in 2014 and into the historically renovated Oklahoma (Central) High School building in downtown Oklahoma City at 800 N. Harvey.

Chosen from a field of four finalists

Holt was interviewed by a search committee and met with students and faculty to allow them to give the search committee feedback on their impressions of the there other finalists for the position:

• Reynaldo Valencia, dean and professor of Capital University Law School.
• Todd Lamb, attorney, McAfee & Taft law firm, OKC.
• Geoffrey Rapp, law professor at the University of Toledo College of Law.

Staying on as Mayor

Holt told Free Press when he was first named as a candidate that, if chosen, he would continue in his role as Mayor of the City of Oklahoma City. Wednesday, some seemed surprised to hear of his intentions. That is not only possible, but has been done several times in OKC’s past.

Oklahoma City has what is informally called a “weak mayor” system of government where the City Manager is hired by the whole City Council and does the hiring and firing of all the rest of the city’s personnel as well as being the chief manager of the entire city government.

In Oklahoma City’s form of government, the mayor is the cheerleader of the city, convenor of the City Council, and has one vote as an at-large member among the eight seats total. The most direct power he has is appointing residents to commissions, boards, and committees.

In “strong mayor” systems, the mayor has the final say in hiring and firing in city government and is far more engaged in the day-to-day operations of the city in much the same way Oklahoma’s elected county commissioners are the day-to-day managers of their counties.

Holt first became the Mayor of Oklahoma City in 2018 winning by a landslide percentage of 78.5%, then won re-election for the non-partisan, part-time post in 2022 with 59.8% of the vote. Before that, he served two terms in the Oklahoma Senate representing District 30 in the core of Oklahoma City.

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