Blake Ewing

What the commission can decide

The 19-member commission serves without compensation. It advises the mayor and council on Route 66 preservation, tourism and development, and its ordinance assigns oversight of designated neon-sign, roadside-attraction, special-event and façade programs. These are collective responsibilities, with reporting and recommendations to City leadership. A commission seat does not give Ewing individual power to rezone land, enact a City budget or promise a public contract to a consulting client. His former council seat and chief-of-staff position carried different responsibilities and are historical roles.

Business experience before elected office

In his candidate-supplied biography for the 2011 League of Women Voters guide, Ewing said he studied English and broadcasting at John Brown University. The statement does not establish a degree or graduation year. He described starting Joe Momma’s and developing businesses in the Blue Dome District, including The Max Retropub and other hospitality and creative ventures. His listed civic work included the Blue Dome Merchants Association, Oklahoma Restaurant Association, TulsaNow and the Nathan Hale High School culinary program. These are his dated descriptions of affiliations, not evidence that he still holds each position or owns each business.

Career & public service

1. 2011

   First council inauguration

   Official history records December 5 inauguration in District 4.

   Official Council history ↗
2. 2017

   Business litigation dismissed

   May 31 dismissal without prejudice in CJ-2016-3708.

   Tulsa District Court CJ-2016-3708 ↗
3. 2018

   Council service concludes

   Official terms end in 2018; Reconciliation Way approved that November.

   Official Council history ↗
4. By 2022

   Museum leadership

   City identifies his preceding OKPOP operating and creative roles.

   Bynum names Ewing chief of staff ↗
5. 2022

   Chief-of-staff appointment

   Bynum announced a September 6 start date.

   Bynum names Ewing chief of staff ↗
6. 2023

   Route 66 appointment

   Current roster records December 13 appointment.

   City of Tulsa commission roster ↗
7. 2026

   Consulting and nonprofit board

   Luckdragon and City Lights currently identify his roles.

   City Lights board roster ↗

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.

Documented relationships

5 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.

A business dispute and its documented outcome

Investors in The Max Retropub sued Ewing and associated businesses in Tulsa County case CJ-2016-3708, filed October 13, 2016. The dispute concerned his private business management; it was not a suit against the City for his council votes. The investors alleged improper transfers and other misconduct, and contemporary reporting recorded Ewing’s public denial. The official docket records dismissal without prejudice by the plaintiffs on May 31, 2017. The Frontier reported plaintiff Mark Perkins’s statement that the settlement required Ewing to divest his ownership and resign as manager. Ewing declined comment on that outcome. Dismissal following a settlement is not a judicial finding that the allegations were true. The later entry visible in the docket is a February 2019 administrative reassignment, not a renewed merits judgment.

Current public and nonprofit roles

Blake Ewing is listed in seat 12 of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission. The City of Tulsa records a December 13, 2023 appointment and a July 1, 2026 term expiry. He remained on its roster on October 25, 2026; the governing provision permits service until a successor is appointed and qualified. This is evidence of a current listing, not a newly confirmed term. City Lights Foundation of Oklahoma also lists him on its board, identifying his affiliation as Luckdragon. The City’s Route 66 guide supplies the same business affiliation, connecting the two institutional listings.

Seven years representing District 4

The Council’s official history records Ewing’s first inauguration on December 5, 2011, followed by successive District 4 terms through 2018. The historical Ethics Commission registration names his 2011 committee as Blake For Tulsa 2011 and identifies him as a Republican candidate. It lists Shelby Navarro as chair and Rachel Navarro as treasurer. Those are campaign roles in a dated registration. They do not establish current political work or disclose a complete fundraising history. His elected service placed him in the legislative body that considers ordinances and City policy; it did not make him the mayor or the administrative head of every department.

Revisiting the Brady Street compromise

In 2013, Ewing supported a compromise that kept the Brady surname while changing the street’s namesake from Tate Brady to photographer Mathew Brady. In October 2018, he told The Frontier he regretted that approach and proposed Reconciliation Way as the street’s formal name. The Black Wall Street Times reported that the Council approved the change 8–1 on November 28, 2018, with an effective date of July 1, 2019. Its account also records objections from residents who worried that the name implied reconciliation had already been achieved. Ewing framed it as continuing work. The outcome was a street-name change; the reporting does not establish that it resolved those broader disagreements.

From OKPOP to the mayor’s office

Before returning to City Hall, Ewing worked as chief operating officer and creative director at OKPOP Museum. In August 2022, Public Radio Tulsa reported the museum director’s account of his preceding three years there and his resignation to accept the City job. The museum is part of the Oklahoma Historical Society’s institutional setting; its fundraising foundation is a separate organization, and museum employment does not establish a foundation trusteeship. Mayor G.T. Bynum announced Ewing’s chief-of-staff appointment on August 8, effective September 6, 2022. The City described that position as responsible for administration strategy and project management.

Housing policy and a nonprofit board

The City Council’s history of the Housing, Homelessness and Mental Health task force lists Ewing among its original participants as the mayor’s chief of staff. The group worked from January 2023 through October 2024 and developed collective recommendations. City Lights’ current roster establishes a separate nonprofit board role. The two records show experience in public housing policy and nonprofit governance. They do not establish when he joined the nonprofit, whether he participated in a particular procurement decision, or that he personally controlled City funding to the organization. Appointment dates and decision-specific records are needed before drawing those connections.

Luckdragon and present-day influence

Luckdragon identifies Ewing as its founder and describes its services as government relations, policy development, community engagement and creative storytelling. That is the firm’s own account of its business. It explains how his experience with City government can form part of a private consulting practice, but it does not establish a particular client list, contract value or successful policy intervention. Public-office authority, nonprofit board duties and a consultant’s ability to introduce people are distinct forms of participation in civic life.

Check the record

Sources & corrections

Research checked 2026-10-25. 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.

1. City of Tulsa commission roster ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   Route 66 seat12: December13,2023 appointment, July1,2026 printed expiry; still listed October25. Successor holdover provision; no new term inferred.

2. City Route 66 business guide ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   PDF6/printed3, Blake Ewing (Luck Dragon). Identity bridge to current firm; guide leadership titles may be historical.

3. Tulsa commission ordinance ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   Title5 chapter14 sections1400–1403: unpaid19memberbody, duties, appointment and holdover.

4. Luckdragon services and founder ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   Firm self-description, founder Blake Ewing; government relations, community engagement, creative services. Not a client or revenue disclosure.

5. City Lights board roster ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   Blake Ewing, Luckdragon, board member; direct identity bridge to Route66 guide. No appointment date. Portrait is placeholder and not used.

6. Official Council history ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   District4 terms2011–2018; first inaugurationDecember5,2011.

7. Bynum names Ewing chief of staff ↗

   primary · Source date 2022-08-08 · Checked 2026-10-25

   August8,2022 announcement; September6 start; former OKPOP COO/creative director; strategy and project management.

8. OKPOP departure and City appointment ↗

   independent-reporting · Source date 2022-08-09 · Checked 2026-10-25

   Chris Polansky August9,2022; museum director describes previous three years and resignation to accept City role.

9. Oklahoma Historical Society: OKPOP ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-25

   Museum under development, distinct from fundraising OKPOP Foundation; no Ewing role at Foundation inferred.

10. 2011 League of Women Voters guide ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-25

    PDF9/printed9, candidate-supplied biography: studied English/broadcasting at John Brown University, business and civic affiliations; not degree verification.

11. Ewing proposes another street name change ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2018-10-19 · Checked 2026-10-25

    Dylan Goforth October19,2018, 2013 compromise and Ewing reconsideration.

12. Council approves Reconciliation Way ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2018-11-28 · Checked 2026-10-25

    Nate Morris November28,2018;8–1 approval, July1,2019 effective date; community objections to symbolism.

13. Tulsa District Court CJ-2016-3708 ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-25

    Original October13,2016 filing; December16 second amended petition; May31,2017 dismissal without prejudice by plaintiffs; later February14,2019 administrative reassignment. Direct HTTP200 docket checked October25,2026; no later substantive entry displayed.

14. Business lawsuit dismissed after settlement ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2017-06-01 · Checked 2026-10-25

    Kassie McClung June1,2017; Perkins account of divestiture and manager resignation, Ewing declined comment. Allegations distinguished from findings.

15. Ewing response and disputed settlement timing ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2017-01-01 · Checked 2026-10-25

    Ziva Branstetter January1,2017; Ewing publicly denied allegations; conditional settlement disputed before May2017dismissal.

16. City Council 3H task force history ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-25

    Original members/stakeholders/staff includes Ewing as mayor chief of staff; January2023–October2024; policy recommendations collective.

17. Historical Blake For Tulsa 2011 registration ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-25

    Ethics711008, Andrew Blake Ewing, District4, Republican; chairShelbyNavarro, treasurerRachelNavarro. Aggregate displayed balance not used as a dated financial filing.