Throughout the week we’ll try to address why openness is so important and some of the issues on the front lines of the current open records battles in the state and nation.

It’s easy for me to understand the importance of our state’s open records and open meetings acts because I couldn’t do my job without them, but it can be difficult for some to understand how it affects their daily lives. I think many of us take open government for granted, but we do so at our own peril.

Without openness laws, we would be entirely dependent upon what our government chose to tell us. Want to know how the city spends your sales tax? Interested in crime statistics in your neighborhood? Would you like to see how state officials spend taxpayer money when they travel? Openness laws make it possible to find out all of this and more.

Stay tuned throughout next week and feel free to chime in as we talk about open government.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett 14,073 (58.3 percent)

Steve Hunt 10,061 (41.7 percent)

“I am grateful and thrilled for the opportunity to serve four more years,” Cornett said. “I want to thank the voters of this wonderful city.”

They announced the results and showed Cornett on the big screen at the Thunder game, and mentioned the results on Fox Sports coverage of the game. Cornett told me going to the game was a way of dealing with his nerves on election night. I’m expected another call from him after the game, and I’ll update with his comments.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett: 11,968 (59.2 percent)

Steve Hunt: 8,250 (40.8 percent)

Hoping I can convince Mayor Cornett to step out of the Thunder game and give me some fresh quotes now that Hunt is conceding.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett: 11,663 (59 percent)

Steve Hunt: 8098 (41 percent)

Just spoke with both candidates. Cornett has yet to declare victory, but Hunt is conceding. Hunt said he feels he’s sent a message. He said he might have won with a couple of more weeks to campaign. Cornett isn’t having a watch party. He is at the Oklahoma City Thunder game and called me at halftime. Hunt is partying with friends at McNellie’s in MidTown.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett: 8,198 (60.8 percent)

Steve Hunt: 5,288 (39.2 percent)

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett: 5,180 (62 percent)

Steve Hunt: 3,169 (38 percent)

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Mick Cornett: 2,014 (60.8 percent)

Steve Hunt: 1,300 (39.2 percent)

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

With 2 of 271 precincts reporting:

Mick Cornett: 789 (67.8 percent)

Steve Hunt: 375 (32.2 percent)

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

An artist's rendering of the planned downtown park included in MAPS 3

Much of the area that will benefit from MAPS 3′s biggest projects could be changing ownership. The city is considering declaring a large area south of downtown between Interstate 40 and the Oklahoma River blighted and subject to urban renewal. Such a declaration would make it easier for the city to use eminent domain to purchase the land.

The area includes the proposed location for the 70-acre downtown park and several of the possible locations for the new convention center, both included in MAPS 3.

Urban renewal is usually controversial, and eminent domain is one of the major reasons why. The city used a similar strategy to buy up land in and around Bricktown after the first MAPS initiative passed in 1993.

The city council will take up the issue at its meeting Tuesday.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

Salt trucks are loaded at the Oklahoma City's maintenance facility at SW 15 and Portland on Jan. 28. Photo By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman

Walters suggested that because he didn’t personally see city trucks salting the roads, they weren’t given any attention. City staff members said south side snow routes were salted and got just as much attention as those in other parts of the city.

The city has a map of its snow routes on its Web site. Because the city doesn’t budget enough money to salt every street, these snow routes get almost all the attention during and immediately following a major snow storm.

Street Maintenance Superintendent Mike DeGiacomo assured me all of the snow routes got the same amount of attention during the most recent winter weather. The city sends circulates trucks on the routes as often as possible during a storm. With 1,100 lane miles of snow routes to get to, streets may not be salted as often as residents would like, but crews do the best they can.

The ice storm hit Oklahoma City Thursday morning and continued all day Friday. Walters insisted that the southern portion of Western Avenue, which is a snow route, wasn’t salted or plowed at all until Saturday evening. Not true, according to DeGiacomo. He said appearances can be deceiving.

Ward 5 Councilman Brian Walters

Salt helps to melt snow and ice already on the street, but with snow continuing to fall all day Friday, a road salted multiple times could look untouched hours later.

Walters’ comments are reminiscent of a historical north/south divide that once divided the city council. During the early 1980s especially, feuds between northside and southside council members were common and divisive. City leaders tried to reject that mentality as the first MAPS plan unfolded, and the north/south divide has been virtually non-existent since I’ve covered the city since 2003.

This isn’t the first time Walters has tried to revive the provicncial attitude shortly after he was elected in 2007 as the city was preparing a general obligation bond issue for voters.

Walters complained that his ward wasn’t getting its share of the money for road projects. City officials said projects were included based on need. Unlike other areas that got more attention in the bond issue, nearly all the section line roads in Ward 5 were already four lanes and in generally good condition.

Other council members and Mayor Mick Cornett are protective of the unity the city has maintained in recent years and were not pleased with Walters criticism of the bond issue.

I wonder if city staff members will offer to let Walters ride along as the roads are salted in his ward the next time winter weather hits.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean