Larry Stevens

Acceptance Speech

Larry Stevens served as City Manager for the City of Edmond beginning March 10, 2002 until March 4, 2022, just short of twenty years.  A dedicated municipal professional, his municipal excellence extended well beyond the boundaries of the city of Edmond.

In 2007 he was the recipient or the City Manager of the Year Award for strengthening the city management form of government through his stable length of service to cities; dedication to civic activities; and participation in, and contribution to the City Managers Association of Oklahoma; and his commitment to the ICMA Code of Ethics.

A 35-year member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Stevens also served the City Managers Association of Oklahoma Board of Directors and served as President for a time.  He also served on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA), Alliance for Innovation, Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), as well as worked with the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council to make the Oklahoma County’s justice system fair and effective.

Along with other key stakeholders, he worked diligently with the University of Central Oklahoma to create the state’s first master’s degree focused on local government administration.

Steven's ability to build deep, meaningful relationships led to two unique capital projects with another on the way: one was a 3-way partnership between the city, public schools, and YMCA on the Mitch Park YMCA. The second was a tennis center that involved a 2-way partnership between the city and public schools. Lastly and in design, is a 3-way partnership on a joint use library and YMCA. By combining resources, the community gets bigger and better projects. None of these projects would have been possible without trust and that was formed through his relationship building with the community.

Stevens enjoys spending time with his family and friends and is very active in his church. He is active in his community through the Edmond Rotary Club; served on the board of directors of the Edmond Medical Center and is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

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SDeborah Miner2023