Midland mayor working to change the oil and gas narrative at a national level Patrick Payton tells NewsWest 9 that advocating for the importance of the oil and gas industry is a conversation he plans on taking to Washington D.C. Author: Sammi Steele Updated: 11:22 PM CDT May 4, 2021 MIDLAND, Texas — The 2021 State of Midland was at the Bush Convention Center Monday. City, county and private sector leaders gathered to talk about everything from Improving Midlander's health, to keeping up with infrastructure amidst a population boom and moving forward after the pandemic. Another big topic of conversation? Advocating for the importance of the oil and gas industry, not just in the Basin, but across the country.