Mayor Lori Blong - Bonds, Transparency & Campaigning For Reelection | EP.119

We sat down with Mayor Lori Blong for a clear, line-by-line walkthrough of Midland’s next chapter: how a 100-year water plan moves from contract to pipeline, why the city used cash to end a long-running firefighter pension liability, and how lower-cost debt funded park upgrades without ballooning interest. We talk about what’s actually public, what gets redacted by law, and why “available” information isn’t always “accessible” for busy families who want answers in minutes, not hours.
We dig into the Midland Development Corporation with fresh context: $16M a year in tools, reimbursements only after jobs and capital land, and targeted design dollars that unlocked $32M from the state and shaved years off a key overpass project. On downtown, we press the Omni details—construction milestones before payments, an 800-space parking garage that serves the whole core, and the conference capacity Midland needs to keep energy conversations here rather than exporting them to other cities. We unpack tax math without spin—three straight years of rate cuts, the city’s 23% share of a typical bill, and how valuations include new properties added to the rolls. We also cover airport mineral revenues, federal strings that could tie local hands, and the principle that local assets should fund local infrastructure first.

Lori Blong Links: https://www.instagram.com/mayor.lori.blong?igsh=MWF6eGk1YTNqZW14dQ==

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FXKKRbNTN/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Merch Sponsor:
Tejas Hustle Hat Co
https://tejashustle.square.site/

Sponsors:
Underdog Wireline Services 432-247-1033
Completion :
Horizontal / Vertical Perforating
Addressable / EB Switches
Radial Cement Bond Logging
10k & 5k PCS / Rig Lock
40-50 Ton Cranes
Pipe Recovery :
Free Point, Jet & Chemical Cuts
Temperature Logging, Back Off / Drill Pipe / Casing Tubing Well Head Shot,Coil Tubing,TCP Cutting,Well Intervention Logging / Stuck Pipe
Production:Packer / CIBP / ESP Catcher Temperature Logging
BRANDED 14 HOT SHOT SERVICE, LLC: Contact Number: 432-638-1755 Email:[email protected] Any Hot Shot Work, ESP spooling, ESP Technician service & Heavy Hauling W/Semis

Titan Sales & Services: Contact: 432-307-1960 Services: Rostabout, Portapottys, Trash Trailers, ComboTrailers & Forklift