Current source roster
Sand Springs City Council Ward 3
Ward3 councilor
May4,2026–May2029 term
Only stated relationship established; no compensation, ownership or unknown exact dates inferred.
People / Government & civic life
Mike Burdge
Sand Springs Ward 3 councilor; former mayor
Municipal policy, regional advocacy and a long career in industry, coaching and public service.
Mike Burdge serves on the Sand Springs City Council for a term ending in May 2029. His record includes repeated mayoral service, regional advocacy and a vote supporting the contested Project Spring land-use changes.
School, military service and industrial work
The Sand Springs Education Foundation’s 2014 Hall of Fame biography identifies Burdge as a 1969 Charles Page High School graduate who briefly attended Tulsa Community College and Tulsa Vo-Tech. It describes Army service in Vietnam in 1970–1971 and a subsequent 36-year career in the steel industry, beginning with Southwest Porcelain Steel. These are attributed institutional-biography statements. They establish a different educational path from a completed college degree, and employment in an industry does not establish ownership of its companies. The City biography lists improvement technician and high-school cross-country coach as his occupations.
Career & public service
- 1969
High-school graduation
Charles Page High School graduate.
- 1996
First council election
Municipal Hall of Fame dates his first election.
- 2019
Leaves mayoral duties
Jim Spoon succeeded him as mayor; council service continued.
- 2022
House primary
Unsuccessful Republican candidate for District 66.
- February 2026
Project Spring vote
Supported the zoning and land-use changes.
- May 2026
Renewed council term
Seated May 4 through May 2029.
People, institutions and the relationships between them
Following the connections
Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.
personMike Burdge
public officeSand Springs City Council Ward 3
One vote in a seven-member governing body.
personMike Burdge
programINCOG Legislative Consortium (C-Tag)
A verified committee appointment distinct from the disputed board roster.
personMike Burdge
public authorityTulsa County Criminal Justice Authority
Historical appointment evidence does not establish a present seat.
Documented relationships
4 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.
Current source roster
INCOG Legislative Consortium (C-Tag)
Legislative consortium appointment
May18,2026 toMay2027
Only stated relationship established; no compensation, ownership or unknown exact dates inferred.
Historical record
Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority
Historical board service
Beginning2012 inhistoricalHallofFameaccount
Only stated relationship established; no compensation, ownership or unknown exact dates inferred.
Historical record
Oklahoma Municipal League
Municipal advocacy
Historicalnominationaccount
Only stated relationship established; no compensation, ownership or unknown exact dates inferred.
Public objections and the recall outcome
The project drew objections about agricultural land and the process of public decision-making. Public Radio Tulsa documented opposition during the planning stage. A subsequent recall campaign targeted Burdge, Cody Worrell and Matt Barnett. On May 1, Tulsa Flyer reported that the effort had failed because the petitions lacked enough verified signatures, according to the city clerk’s office. Signature sufficiency was the reason no recall election followed that effort; it was not a public vote endorsing the project or a finding that every criticism was unfounded. Burdge’s later oath and current council listing establish his continuing elected service.
Ward 3 and a long municipal career
Mike Burdge represents Ward 3 on the Sand Springs City Council. He took the oath on May 4, 2026, and was seated for a three-year term ending in May 2029. The City’s individual biography still prints a 2026 expiration date; the newer minutes establish his renewed service. First elected in 1996, Burdge has also served repeatedly as mayor and vice mayor. He remains a councilor, while Jim Spoon holds the mayoral position. Keeping those offices distinct is essential to understanding who leads meetings and who manages the city.
Coaching and municipal networks
Burdge’s local identity also rests on coaching and civic organizations. The education foundation credits him with decades of high-school cross-country coaching and the 2013 Tulsa World coach-of-the-year honor. The municipal officials Hall of Fame describes a council-member mentoring program and his past presidency of the Mayor’s Council of Oklahoma, as well as work through the Oklahoma Municipal League. It also records service on the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority beginning in 2012. These historical honors document institutional recognition and affiliations; they do not independently establish that every listed board position continues today.
Mayor, councilor and legislative candidate
In May 2019 Burdge chose to step back from mayoral duties after thirteen mayoral terms, according to Sandite Pride. The council selected Jim Spoon as mayor; Burdge retained his ward seat. He won the February 2020 Ward 3 election over Justin Sean Tockey, 42 votes to 32. In 2022 he sought the Republican nomination for Oklahoma House District 66. Ballotpedia’s certified-results table records 851 votes, or 18.8 percent, placing him behind Gabe Renfrow and Clay Staires, who advanced to the runoff. His continuing municipal service should not be confused with having won a seat in the Legislature.
Regional advocacy and a roster discrepancy
The May 18, 2026 council minutes appoint Burdge to the INCOG Legislative Consortium, commonly called C-Tag, for a term ending in May 2027. They appoint Spoon to the INCOG board and Michael Carter as alternate. INCOG’s later August 17 roster nevertheless lists Burdge as its secretary and Sand Springs representative, alongside chair Stan Sallee and vice-chair Chris Benge. Both records are reported here without inventing a reconciliation. The legislative-consortium appointment is clear; the basis for the separate board listing needs clarification. A regional officer title, a municipal appointment and service on an advocacy committee are distinct relationships.
A recorded vote for Project Spring
On February 3, 2026 Burdge voted yes on the zoning and comprehensive-plan actions associated with Project Spring, the proposed Google data-center campus. The official roll calls record six votes in favor and one against, from Beau Wilson. The plan amendment changed more than 826 acres from residential land use to industrial/regional employment. This was a consequential exercise of the council’s land-use authority. It does not establish that Burdge selected the company’s contractors, owned an interest in the development or could authorize every other approval the project required.
City approval and the mineral estate
The limits of municipal authority remained visible months after the zoning vote. Osage News reported that on October 2, 2026 the Osage Minerals Council tabled a proposed letter permitting geotechnical work and directed preparation of an example Section 214 lease with a shareholder-comment process. The report distinguished preliminary testing, use of minerals as construction material and approval of the data center itself. This dated account shows that the City’s land-use decision did not settle the separate mineral-estate questions. It does not establish the project’s eventual completion or the final outcome of other proceedings.
Check the record
Sources & corrections
Research checked 2026-10-26. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.
- INCOG board roster ↗
primary · Source date 2026-08-17 · Checked 2026-10-25
Direct October25 retrieval: August17,2026 roster lists vice-chair Chris Benge, Tulsa County. Distinct from Christian Bengel.
- Sand Springs council powers and roster ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-26
Sevenmembers,three-yearterms,councilelectsmayorannually; policy,budget,ordinances,managerappointment; BurdgeWard3.
- City biography: Mike Burdge ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-26
Namedportrait;1969CPHS;occupation/affiliationsselfdescription. Printed2026expiry supersededbyMay2026minutes.
- May4,2026 minutes in May18 packet ↗
primary · Source date 2026-05-04 · Checked 2026-10-26
PDFpp18–19,minutespp2–3: oath andcertificate, three-yearWard3termtoMay2029; SpoonmayortoMay2027.
- May18,2026 minutes in June22 packet ↗
primary · Source date 2026-05-18 · Checked 2026-10-26
PDFpp12–13,minutespp4–5:items7A–Hpassed6–0;BurdgeCTAGtoMay2027;SpoonINCOGboard,Carteralternate.
- Education Foundation: 2014 Hall of Fame biography ↗
primary · Source date 2014 · Checked 2026-10-26
2014inductee;school1969,attendanceTCC/VoTech,Army1970–71,36yearsteelcareer;coaching/awardsandTIFclaims arehonoreeaccount,notindependentaudit.
- Municipal officials Hall of Fame: Gary Michael Burdge ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-26
Historicalnominationaccount:firstelected1996;mentoringprogram,MCOformerpresident,criminaljusticeauthoritysince2012;no currenttermproof.
- Jim Spoon succeeds Burdge as mayor ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2019-05-07 · Checked 2026-10-26
May2019: Burdgedecidedbreakfrommayoralduties,13mayoralterms; retainedcouncilseat.
- Burdge wins 2020 Ward3 election ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2020-02-12 · Checked 2026-10-26
ScottEmigh:42–32againstJustinSeanTockey;unpaidcouncil,managerdailyoperations; dated2020notcurrentpayverification.
- 2022 District66 Republican primary results ↗
secondary-reference · Source date 2022 · Checked 2026-10-26
Certifiedresultstable: Burdge851/18.8%,third; Renfrow/Stairesrunoff. Secondaryelectioncompilation; nofinancialamount.
- February3,2026 council minutes ↗
primary · Source date 2026-02-03 · Checked 2026-10-26
Minutepp5–6: Burdgeyes,Wilsonno,6–1; zoningandResolution26-12landuseamendment.
- Tulsa Flyer: recall effort fails ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2026-05-01 · Checked 2026-10-26
PhillipJackson: cityclerkverifiedsignaturesinsufficient; targetsWorrell,Barnett,Burdge; distinguishsignatureverificationfromprojectmerits.
- Public Radio Tulsa: data-center opposition ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2026-01-29 · Checked 2026-10-26
ZachBoblitt:planningrecommendation,farmlandandpublicobjections;separatefromFebruary3councilvote.
- Osage News: minerals council tables drilling request ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2026-10-07 · Checked 2026-10-26
AllisonHerreraOctober7reportonOctober2meeting:geotechnicallettertabled;draft214leaseprocessnotapproval. Datedstatus,notfinalprojectoutcome.