The New City Council

Will be sworn in tonight. Joy. As I posted on my Facebook today, "Fitting that the NASCAR Hall of Fame will open next year and the Charlotte City Council will be a lot of turns to the left after tonight."

That's the sad reality we're faced with today. Gone from the City Council are Pat McCrory and John Lassiter, men that have been excellent public servants and have helped make this city what it is today. In their stead now will be Anthony Foxx, the returning Patrick Cannon, and David Howard. All 3 liberals that now give Democrats a disappointing 8 seats on the 11-person Council.

Charlotte, we're in trouble. We need Edwin Peacock, Andy Dulin, and Warren Cooksey to be a vocal minority and we need advocacy groups to pressure the Council in to resisting their proclivity for spending other people's money. I'm not ready to jump on board with Meck Deck's Detroit on the Catawba apocalypse just yet, but if we don't make headway in 2011... then 2012 could be the end of Charlotte as we know it today.

#CLTVote: Charlotte General Election TUESDAY

The election for Charlotte's new Mayor will take place Tuesday. Voters will also elect a new City Council and district seats for the School Board. I know I've taken to endorsements in elections, but this time it's going to be different. In interest of full disclosure, I haven't been on the sidelines in this election. I've been an active volunteer for both John Lassiter and Tariq Scott Bokhari for the last month. Obviously, I support both of those candidates wholeheartedly.

To follow the happenings Tuesday, take to Twitter and search for #CLTVote. That will be your best guide throughout the day and then at night as the returns come in.

Zero-Based Budgeting & Charlotte's Upcoming Election

Zero-based budgeting has long been a conservative issue when it comes to government spending. I myself became aware of this through Robert Pittenger, who advocated for zero-based budgeting while in the General Assembly and made it part of his campaign platform for Lt. Governor last year. While not successful, he raised the issue for others to take up as well.

Two candidates for Charlotte City Council At Large, Tariq Scott Bokhari and Matthew Ridenhour, support zero-based budgeting. Given the amount of money this city currently spends, it is a wise idea and if elected, be sure both of these candidates will work towards implementing this in the future.

A curveball of sorts came a week or so ago, when Democratic Mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx said he would support a zero-based budget review for the city if he becomes Mayor. This was a curveball because it's a traditionally conservative issue and Foxx knew this. In his attempt to look like a candidate that will cut spending, he knew full well calling for this would make some think twice about supporting John Lassiter. However, can you look at Foxx and say he will really be a supporter of this if he becomes Mayor? I don't.

Foxx has been on City Council since 2005 - did he call for zero-based budgeting then? I've looked around, I don't see it. What I see is someone that will say pretty much anything to get elected. Steal an issue to paint yourself as a moderate. Promise things to all parts of the city regardless of necessity or cost. It's quite a contradiction to say you support an idea like zero-based budgeting that is intended to cut government spending, while at the same time go around to different parts of this city and promise them something shiny and new in return for a vote. Anthony Foxx is talking out of both sides of his mouth and more people need to challenge him for doing so.

Charlotte Primary Day Tomorrow

Hey, it's election season again. Tomorrow a very small portion of voters will decide who gets to face off in the general election to represent them for the next two years. For Republican primary voters, the choices Sept. 15 are for Mayor and for City Council At-Large.

Running for Mayor are three candidates, but really, there's only one choice and that is John Lassiter. No offense to the other two (although they would probably take it anyway) but Lassiter needing to spend money in this primary is ridiculous. I'm a fan of primary battles but in a race like this Lassiter should have the field cleared. Lassiter has the experience and the leadership ability to be a good Mayor for this city. I'll freely admit that I haven't been a fan of everything he's done, but I'm smart enough to know I'll get a lot more of what I want than what I don't want with him. Vote John Lassiter for Mayor.

The City Council At-Large race has seven candidates on the ballot. They are Georgia Belk, Tariq Scott Bokhari, Jerry Drye, Craig Nannini, Edwin Peacock III, Jaye Rao, and Matthew Ridenhour. The two Republicans currently on City Council are Lassiter and Peacock, so Peacock is an incumbent. He's done good enough to warrant another term, at least from this group.

That leaves three more spots. Of the candidates left, I like four - Belk, Bokhari, Rao, and Ridenhour. I know Nannini was an organizer of the tea parties, but he hasn't impressed me the way Bokhari and Ridenhour have. I'm not even aware of any active campaigning from Drye.

So I guess you're now wondering, how am I going decide who to leave off? The answer? I'm not. It would be unfair to do that. I'm not really wielding any influence here, but I urge anyone reading this to vote the way you want - there are 5 solid candidates to pick from. Georgia Belk is a smart woman and she has a resume that works well in running of local government. Jaye Rao is very smart as well and she has served Charlotte in a number of ways. She would be an excellent addition to the City Council. I will tell you this: Matthew Ridenhour and Tariq Scott Bokhari are both impressive and have been vastly underrated by the Charlotte Observer and the rest of the media outlets. In particular, Matthew Ridenhour has been impressive on local issues that the Charlotte Observer obviously decided to overlook. Ridenhour could be Charlotte's Ron Paul. Bokhari has a bright future regardless of how this race turns out.

To sum up, vote for Edwin Peacock first. Then, make your choice between Georgia Belk, Tariq Scott Bokhari, Jaye Rao, and Matthew Ridenhour.

Links:

Lassiter

Peacock

Belk

Bokhari

Rao

Ridenhour