By Mayor David Mason
Being Mayor of Enid has provided valuable insight into the challenges and
opportunities facing not just our city, but communities across all of
northwest Oklahoma. The issues may vary from town to town, but many of
the needs are shared: workforce development, infrastructure, housing,
economic opportunity, and long-term planning. That perspective has made
one thing very clear to me—our future will be strongest when we recognize
how connected we truly are.
Each month, for the next 12 months, I intend to write a short Op-Ed why I
feel we, Northwest Oklahoma, may be entering a remarkable time and
opportunity for growth and prosperity we have not seen for many years. I
plan to stay completely non-political and only offer my opinion on how
when we work together, celebrate other communities accomplishments,
and identify each of our strengths, it becomes much easier for all of us to
knock down the door of opportunity.
Northwest Oklahoma’s future is bright because our region is not dependent
on just one industry, one employer, or one idea. That matters. Communities
that build their future around a single economic driver can be left
vulnerable when markets shift, technology changes, or outside forces
create uncertainty. Northwest Oklahoma is different. We have a broader
foundation, and that gives us great strength.
Energy diversification remains a major part of our economy and will
continue to be. Agriculture has long been the backbone of this region and
still plays a vital role in feeding our state, our nation, and the world.
Aerospace continues to create opportunity through both Vance Air Force
Base and Woodring Regional Airport, along with the many people,
businesses, and support industries connected to them. Manufacturing,
transportation, and small business growth all add to that foundation. When
you put those strengths together, you see a region with real staying power
and meaningful long-term potential.
Enid has an important role to play, but so do the surrounding communities
that make northwest Oklahoma what it is. We should not think in terms of
competition alone. We should think in terms of partnership, regional
strength, and shared success. The more we work together across
industries and across city limits, the better positioned we will be to grow.
In a speech I recently presented, I referenced a moment from 1911 when
Enid made a conscious decision to invest in itself and pursue a future
broader than agriculture alone. That effort reflected something important
about the mindset of this region. People here understood that honoring the
industries that built a community did not mean refusing to grow beyond
them. They understood that diversification was not abandonment. It was
stewardship. It was a recognition that if a community wanted to remain
strong for the next generation, it had to think ahead.
That lesson still matters.
When communities work toward something together, the results tend to
reach far beyond the original investment. New jobs bring new families. New
families support schools, housing, healthcare, retail, and local service
businesses. Infrastructure improvements help not just one project, but the
next five that follow it. A stronger regional economy creates confidence,
and confidence has a way of multiplying itself.
That does require us to think differently. It means seeing ourselves not as
isolated towns competing for scraps, but as a connected region with
shared interests and complementary strengths. Some communities may be
best positioned for industrial growth. Others may be better suited for
agricultural innovation, logistics, workforce training, or housing expansion.
The opportunity is not to make every town the same. The opportunity is to
understand how each one contributes to a stronger whole.
The future of northwest Oklahoma is not limited to one industry because
the potential of northwest Oklahoma is not limited to one idea. Our region
is stronger than that, broader than that, and more capable than that. If we
are willing to think regionally, invest wisely, and move forward together,
then the future here will not simply be something we hope for….
It will be something we build together.