'The Work Will Continue': Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt Discusses City's Past, Present And Future

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt joined the News 9 team Thursday morning to discuss the ongoing Women's College World Series, the current state of the city and what the future holds for its residents.

With a large influx of visitors all coming to the heart of Oklahoma City to watch the softball championship series, Holt said he was thrilled to see so many people and applauded efforts by the city to make softball a highlight of the area.

"Welcome to Oklahoma City, we're thrilled you're here," Holt said. "This is the softball capital of the world, our taxpayers invested $40 million in that venue. It is by far, by a factor of three or four, the largest softball stadium in the world."

In response to questions about the city's budget. Holt said the economic indicators for the city look "very good."

"We have very conservative leadership, starting with city manager, Craig Freeman," Holt said. "We like that... I like that we never get into a city where we never overextend ourselves."

In a recent ranking from U.S. News and World Report, Oklahoma City placed 16th on a list of the best places to live in the United States, however, Holt said the result is unsurprising giving the city's success.

"[It] feels like we see this stuff all the time now for the last five or 10 years," Holt said. "We just kind of shrug now because we're used to it. Think about the city in 1993, and how absurd it would have been to be the 16th best place to live. We've come a long way and it's really awesome to continue to see that validation."

As for the city's future, including a site for a new downtown arena to host the Oklahoma City Thunder, Holt said the decision came down to land the city actually owned.

"It's right across the street from the other arena, so it's a it's a smooth transition," Holt said. "That is finalized, that has been approved by the [city] council and the work will continue."