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Anthony Foxx was elected mayor of Charlotte on Tuesday, defeating John Lassiter and putting a Democrat in the city's top elected position for the first time in 22 years.
"My life story is the same as Charlotte's story," Foxx said in a victory speech late Tuesday night. "It's beliving in yourself. When you believe in yourself, great things can happen.
"We've got work to do in this city."
Lassiter conceded to Foxx shortly before 10:15 p.m., even taking a phone call from the winner while giving his concession speech on live TV.
With unofficial returns from all of the city's 169 precincts, Foxx had 51.4 percent of the vote, to 48.6 percent for Lassiter. A margin of about 3,000 votes out of more than 106,000 separated the two men.
Voter turnout was 21 percent, about five percent less than had been expected.
In his concession speech, Lassiter said, "We've got a lot of good things to look back on, because this race was about a lot of the good things in this city."
During his speech, Lassiter's cell phone rang, and he said it was Foxx.
"I wish you the best," the GOP candidate told Foxx. "You can count on me in any way I can to serve this city."
Foxx, a Democrat, and Lassiter, a Republican, were vying to replace Pat McCrory, who has been Charlotte's mayor since today's youngest voters were in preschool. The last Democratic mayor of Charlotte was Harvey Gantt, who was in office from 1983 to 1987. Gantt was Charlotte's first African American mayor. Foxx will be the second.
McCrory, a Republican who has headed the city's government for 14 years, is not running for re-election, opening the way for a new face in city hall -- and for the most expensive mayoral campaign in Charlotte history.
Most of the campaign was amicable, but the two candidates intensified the debate in the closing weeks before the election. In a debate last Wednesday, sponsored by The Observer and WCNC-TV, the candidates differed on several issues. And Lassiter claimed late last week that Democrats had engaged in "dirty politics" by mailing a brochure that criticized the GOP candidate's position on issues.
Foxx, 38, grew up in Charlotte and graduated from West Charlotte High School and Davidson College. Lassiter, 55, spent many of his youthful years in Michigan but graduated from Wake Forest and N.C. State universities. Each is a current member of Charlotte City Council, and Lassiter is a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member.
In some ways, the two men were alike.
Both opposed a 2006 Charlitte property tax increase, saying they would prefer spending cuts before hiking ths tax rate.
"We need to make government more efficient, more effective, and -- where possible -- less expensive," Foxx said.
Lassiter said, "If our economy continued to slide, we will look at our expenses first before we look at any change in our revenue."
The two also sounded alike on job creation, saying they want Charlotte to develop a more diversified economy, so it would be less susceptible to a slump in any major area, such as banking.
But they had differences.
In 2006, Foxx supported the city budget that increased taxes but provided money to hire 70 new police officers. Foxx said the tax increase was necessary, to improve safety and create the police department's new University City Division. Lassiter opposed the budget, instead supporting a no-increase budget that called for about 35 new officers to be hired.
During a speech to a Rotary Club last week, Lassiter proposed undoing the 2006 budget agreement. Foxx told the crowd that Lassiter would be willing to cut the police department, since the 2006 budget expanded the number of officers on the street.
"I strongly support public safety," Lassiter answered.
Foxx also took shots at Lassiter for his relationship with developers and the real estate and building industry, saying Lassiter was too cozy with those people. Lassiter answered that Foxx received about 10 percent of his campaign contributions from supporters who live outside North Carolina.
The two candidates spent more than $1 million, setting a record for the city.
