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 Charlotte
Mayoral Candidates
By: Pat Gray
When one arrives at the weekly Rotary meeting to find
television crews, a carving station and a hot dessert,
clearly something special is afoot. Tuesday was
certainly a proud day for the club, with both of
Charlotte's mayoral candidates addressing their home
club.
With a packed room, Mark Erwin introduced the speakers,
and cited a quotation from H. L. Mencken, that
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know
what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." In
the case of the two mayoral candidates, Anthony Foxx and
John Lassiter, the "common people" of Charlotte must be
doing something right to deserve these two men, as both
candidates presented their views articulately and
effectively appearing genuinely passionate about the
future of our city.
Mirroring current concerns of most Charlotteans, the
candidates focused on similar issues: the economy,
social services such as schools, police and
transportation, and Charlotte's relationship with the
rest of the state. While the press has implied that the
candidates are more alike than different, nuances
between each candidate's approaches to tackling these
problems were evident.
Mr. Lassiter took to the podium first, and his
experience as a small business owner seemed to guide his
economic proposals. He recalled when he first arrived in
Charlotte that is was a low tax state, which helped
attract companies to the area. With an increasing tax
burden, Charlotte has lost companies to surrounding
states, and Mr. Lassiter suggested that reducing taxes
while keeping services high was the cornerstone of
reversing this trend. As an accomplished small
businessman, Mr. Lassiter also stated he planned to
reduce fees and overhead related to starting and growing
a business. Related to economic development, he
discussed his focus on transportations problems related
to the completion of I-485, while suggesting that the
city spending $4.5M on a streetcar-related study was a
poor decision in light of the current economic climate.
On social issues, Mr. Lassiter expressed his concern
about crime in the city, citing the statistic that 10%
of the Charlotte population is responsible for 17% of
the crime, indicating frequent repeat offenders. Mr.
Lassiter said he would focus on reducing criminals
returning to the streets to commit future crimes through
enhanced policing. On education, he cited his role in
bringing Junior Achievements' Biz Town program to
Charlotte and experience on the school board as concrete
examples of how he would stimulate education in the
city.
Mr. Foxx opened his remarks by stating that optimism was
a key facet of his campaign, and mentioned that John
Belk had the optimism and vision to build a new airport
in the 1970's, suggesting similar traits would mark his
term as mayor. Reflecting the current financial crisis,
Mr. Foxx quickly turned to the economy, echoing earlier
statements that retaining companies in Charlotte was
critical to economic growth and development in the city.
Not only would Mr. Foxx promote incentives and
affordability to encourage companies to relocate and
stay in Charlotte, but he suggested using the power of
city government to aid in recovery. He committed to
alleviating some of the difficulties in small business
access to city purchasing contracts, stating that in
many cases "the juice isn't worth the squeeze" when it
comes to dealing with the city's purchasing arm. He also
proposed an annual "access to capital" program which
would pair small businesses and funding organizations.
Mr. Foxx encapsulated his social platform under the
objective of making Charlotte a great place to live. He
cited his record on helping the Chief of Police hire
more police to strengthen enforcement while also
strengthening afterschool programs and community
involvement in the schools stating that what was needed
was not just policy but "elbow grease."
After each candidate concluded their remarks, the floor
was opened for questions which further showcased the
differences in proposed approaches of the candidates.
The first question came from Tony Zeiss, asking the
candidates to share the views on taxes. Mr. Lassiter
responded that he would roll back the 2006 tax increase
and reduce city government expenses by consolidating
administrative functions like IT and HR across
government agencies. Responding to the same question,
Mr. Foxx suggested that a more methodical approach to
the city budget was required, and that he would
implement a citizen review of the line item budget,
where by a committee of citizens would suggest cuts and
efficiencies. He did not see the need for any tax cuts.
The next question was regarding the establishment of a
medical school in Charlotte, with the suggestion that
Raleigh was blocking the establishment of such an
institution. Mr. Foxx responded first, commenting that
he was "absolutely committed" to a medical school in
Charlotte, and that he would make the business case to
Raleigh. He commented that a strong business case must
show benefits for the entire state, suggesting that past
proposals were too inwardly focused. Mr. Lassiter
responded that we already have "part of a medical
school" with CMC, and that he would work to bring an
enhanced medical program to Charlotte as part of his
larger commitment to professional schools.
The two candidates were then asked about mass transit,
with Mr. Lassiter stating that he supported mass transit
and previously fought for investment in the south line
during his tenure on city council. He did mention that
the street car study was confusing matters, as it was
not economically feasible in the longer term, and
politically motivated. Mr. Foxx suggested that mass
transit was a key differentiator for Charlotte as
compared to other cities, and while expensive, "the
sooner you build, the lower the cost."
The next question focused on a frequent topic in
Charlotte political circles: the relationship with the
State of North Carolina and state government in Raleigh.
Mr. Foxx mentioned that the state as a whole is in
trouble, with a contracting job market contributing to a
lower tax base. He mentioned that Raleigh will "pay
attention" to jobs and that this would be a key leverage
point with Raleigh. He also commented that he would
bring a "tone difference" to the relationship with
Raleigh, and not "poke Raleigh in the eye" by
approaching with regional solutions rather than
Charlotte-specific pitches. Mr. Lassiter cited his past
relationships in Raleigh due to his tenure as Assistant
Attorney General, and his work with the state on the
Wells Fargo tower. He echoed the theme that high tax
revenue from Charlotte was good for North Carolina as a
whole, and jobs would be a key leverage point.
The final question asked if Charlotte was ready for a
fulltime mayor. Mr. Lassiter emphatically responded that
this was not a need for Charlotte, and he cited a
culture of corruption with fulltime political bodies as
evidenced by the recent string of fulltime mayors going
to jail. He also suggested that his business experience
and obligations would keep him out among "real people,"
and allow him to manage both his company and political
work successfully. Mr. Foxx jokingly began his comments
stating "Finally, there is a difference!" While he felt
that Charlotte was indeed ready for a fulltime mayor he
said he would not make that part of his tenure in the
post. He mentioned that he saw much of the mayor's role
as recruiting companies to Charlotte, which required a
fulltime commitment.
As the meeting closed, a final audience comment from
former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot echoed the
sentiment of many in the room, that Charlotte was
blessed to have such competent men running for office,
and that the biggest problem with the campaign process
was that Charlotte could not have both men as its mayor.
Head Table:
Donna Robbins, John Phillips, John Snyder, Nada Vergili,
Mark Erwin, Anthony Foxx, John Lassiter;
Invocation: Michael Elder;
Song: Pam Jefsen; Photos: Bert Voswinkel |
