Tulsa councilor warns Greenwood Legacy CDC selections lacked community input; Beyond Apology Commission adds its name to letter of concern

Councilor Hall Harper, the City Council representative for District 1, told the Beyond Apology Commission on Aug. 15 that she believes the Greenwood Legacy Community Development Corporation's board was formed without adequate transparency or community input and warned the group that the CDC could "serve only as a false front and an extension of local government." She asked the commission to back a public letter urging alternative stewardship of the land.

Harper said the land in question includes 56 acres returned to the Tulsa Development Authority after the closure of the University Center at Tulsa (UCAT) and that the Kirkpatrick Heights master plan called for community-led stewardship of that property. "Partner Tulsa decided that not only we're gonna select 5 [board members] outside of the community's knowledge or input, the city councilor can't be on the board," Harper told the commission, adding she had been unable to verify that decision was voted on by any advisory committee.

Why it matters: Harper said the selection of a majority of the CDC's nine-member board behind closed doors reproduces patterns that have historically…