September 21, 2014Article

Tulsa World: Tulsa City Councilor Joins National Program to “Moneyball” Local Government

by Jarrel Wade

Local/ Local Government Fellows/ 2014/

Councilor G.T. Bynum wants to bring “moneyball” to local government as part of a trend to base policy decisions on data-driven, trackable goals.

Last week, Bynum was accepted into a two-year national fellowship program that brings together top officials from 11 cities across the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Seattle.

Bynum, the only city councilor accepted into the program, was in Washington, D.C., on Friday, representing Tulsa.

“The overall premise is very basic, but it’s a new phenomenon that started in New York with Rudolph Giuliani to track crime rates,” Bynum said.

“In Tulsa, we are too focused on what we’re spending rather than on the outcomes of that spending. This type of approach focuses more on what taxpayers are getting for their money.”