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A week after losing his bid for governor, seven-term Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory said he's not ready to talk about his future plans.
“I'm going to go through some real soul-searching on what my next career steps are with regard to both public sector and private sector work,” he said in his office Monday, during one of a series of meetings he held with reporters. “I was hoping not to do that.”
McCrory said he would not rule out running for office – including for the mayor's seat – but said he would focus on city work. McCrory quit his job at Duke Energy to focus on the governor campaign, and his wife, he said, wants him to, “like everyone else, pay the mortgage.” He said he wouldn't “close the door” on running for public office. But he said he wouldn't announce his decision on the mayor's race until the holiday season.
“I think there's still a calling for me to get involved in public office,” he said.
McCrory's major focus now is on Charlotte's concerns, he said. On the top of his list is retaining Charlotte's jobs, he said, noting that he had been working with Wachovia and Wells Fargo in recent days as they work out a merger likely to involve job cuts.
He also said he would initiate a re-examination of the city budget as it has been affected by a declining economy.
“I think we need to reexamine the whole budget,” he said. “We already have a hiring freeze. I think we're going to have to make more difficult decisions.”
McCrory said he was also looking forward to spending more time with his family. He said he has planned a vacation with his wife to celebrate their 20th anniversary and her birthday.
“I've got a lot of repair work to do, because I haven't been home for 10 months,” he said.
