New OML President Helped Lead Economic Transformation in Ardmore

A former fire chief turned city manager, JD Spohn has led the city of Ardmore since 2009, and since then has helped lead the southern Oklahoma city through an era of economic development and reinvestment in its historic downtown. 

“A lot of this job is about seeing your city progress,” said Spohn, who is set to become president of the Oklahoma Municipal League’s board of directors. 

“I think we have seen a lot of progress.”

A native of Coffeyville, Kansas, Spohn came to Ardmore in 1998 to become fire chief. 

Following the departure of the city manager amid some turmoil with the city council, Spohn was hired as interim city manager and then was made permanent three months later.

Spohn said his experience as fire chief has come in handy. 

“Especially in Oklahoma a big part of a city manager's job is negotiations with police and fire unions and I think having that experience has helped me,” Spohn said. “Both have multiple-year contracts right now.”

But the most visible aspect of his job may be the development projects he has helped lead in recent years, including a TIF district for a new shopping center and a $4 million downtown streetscape project. 

“Downtown is the heartbeat of our city and we wanted to encourage investment so we set the tone with this project,” Spohn said. “This is about investing in our community to let others know it's a good time to invest in downtown. We have seen some new restaurants and a couple of new bars. It’s really becoming an entertainment district.”

But as is often the case, the biggest challenges are the ones that can seem minor but have a big impact on everyday life. 

Part of the city’s street redevelopment project included transforming angled on-street parking to “back-in” parking, which some residents were skeptical about.  

“We had community meetings about this to go over the safety features,” Spohn said. “A lot of people who come downtown have kids or they have trouble backing out, but this is much safer because when you leave you go forward.”

The city even hosted a “practice day” to allow residents to try out the new spots. 

“It took a while for some to get used to it, but I think people really see the benefit,” Spohn said. 

Ardmore also recently opened its new Clubhouse at Regional Park, which includes go-carts, treehouses, and a zipline. 

“That part (of the park) was not really in good shape and honestly kind of an eyesore,” Spohn said. “We had already used TIF money to get a new shopping center but now we wanted to use it for entertainment because I think you have to have that balance.”

Of course, Spohn’s biggest area of focus in recent months has been the COVID-19 pandemic and navigating his city through the crisis that has hit nearly every municipality in the state. 

Ardmore did not pass a mask mandate, but Spohn said strong encouragement from the city seems to be working. 

“We haven’t passed (a mask) ordinance citywide but what we have done is encourage all our business to require masks and that has worked really well,” Spohn said. “Our restaurants have been really cooperative.”
Spohn is also preparing to take over as president of the OML board of directors where he has served as vice president. 

“Spohn’s municipal experience and innovative approach to economic development have transformed the city of Ardmore during his tenure,” said Mike Fina, OML executive director. “I’m excited for him to bring that skillset to OML.”

Spohn said he’s looking forward to helping lead cities through a challenging time and will lean on the experience of others at OML. 

“We have great leadership, Mike Fina has done a great job, the staff is top-notch,” Spohn said. “OML has kept all us cities informed (during COVID-19) and that has meant a lot.”