Charlotte City Council District 3 hopeful LaWana Mayfield on the issues
Name: LaWana Mayfield
What office are you running for? District 3
Party: Democrat
Neighborhood: Historic Camp Greene
Political Experience: Elected to office in 2011
Family: Domestic partner for 9 years, extended family of mother, father, grand-mother and cousins.
Work Experience: 20+years of Accounting, Accounts Payable, Bookkeeping and Community Organizing.
Campaign contact: lawanamayfield@gmail.com; facebook.com/lawana.mayfield; @lawanamayfield; www.votelawanamayfield.com; joy@joycookpr.com
1) Why are you running for office?
Since being elected in 2011 I have hosted a Town Hall meeting every year, moved "Ban the Box" on City Council, coordinated the development of the Charlotte Premium Outlet, the Goodwill Opportunity Campus, extended access for CATS at the VA Hospital, hosted a Town Hall which was the first real conversation on "Gentrification: What it is and What is the Impact" and led the development of the new West Blvd CMPD office. All of this in 3 1/2 short years and I plan to continue my service to the community by focusing on a new initiative called "Community Corners" which focuses on community engagement and addressing the impact of gentrification and job creation.
2) What would be your top priorities if elected?
Stable Property Values, Smart Economic Development and Strong Community Safety has been and continues to be my priorities. We have seen the needle move but there is still work to do. As diverse housing stock comes to District 3 like the multi-family in South End and Bryant Park redevelopment of the Westwood Apartments stabilizes a community it can also bring challenges. Supporting "Small Business" and "Minority Business" will be a continued priority which I am actually starting now with conversations regarding the upcoming All Star Games and having local diverse minority business opportunities. Strengthening the discussion with developers and business owners to continue job growth and creation and supporting the expansion of the Mayor's Youth Employment Program of which I am a strong advocate
3) Would you support the city's proposed expansion of its non-discrimination ordinance to include the LGBT community, including a provision that would allow transgender residents to use the bathroom of their choice?
I stood strong to protect ALL of the citizens of Charlotte and visitors and will continue to do so. YES
4) Do you support the N.C. DOT's plans to add express toll lanes to Interstate 485 in south Charlotte and U.S. 74? Or would you prefer to widen the highways with general-purpose free lanes?
NO I do not support moving forward with toll lanes as all studies I have seen at conferences they do NOT provide the funding source projected. I also have clear concerns with the company chosen to develop the lanes as they have had numerous complaints in the communities they have worked in.
I believe widening for general-purpose lanes would be better for our community although an expanded transit system would allow for more people to get out of their cars and use public transportation.
5) Would you support spending hospitality tax dollars to renovate or rebuild the county owned Memorial Stadium in hopes of the city winning a Major League Soccer franchise?
NO, The County has a surplus in funds and should take lead on development on their property also we passed the approval of funds for the renovations of the Bank of America Stadium which is the location that should be used.
6) Would you support an increase in the general sales tax to support more transit projects, such as additional miles of streetcar and a commuter train to Lake Norman?
No; not at this time I would not. I support City staff writing strong grants to identify additional funding for our transit projects.
7) There has been a significant amount of redevelopment in neighbors close to uptown, with older, sometimes historic buildings being demolished for new apartments. Would you support more restrictions on tear-downs?
YES I do support restrictions to tear-downs.
8) A goal of the city is to increase affordable housing. In some instances, however, the City Council is asked to approve rezoning requests for low-income apartments, even when an area plan says single-family homes should be built on a site. Should the council follow the area plan recommendations or approve multi-family projects to increase affordability?
Unfortunately with the limitations placed on local municipality by the General Assembly City Council has limited authority in recent years. Since we don't have Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning (which I have attempted to champion) we are subject to Voluntary Inclusionary Zoning and there have not been a lot of projects supported by the General Assembly. I support diverse neighborhoods and that includes work-force housing.
9) Should the city change its guidelines for offering Business Investment Grants for companies considering expanding or relocating to Charlotte?
I support additional restrictions that benefit the local community such as written expanded local hiring, job fairs and commitments to local non-profit organizations.
10) What makes you the best candidate?
I have worked hard for District 3 by being Accessible, Transparent with Government Policy and decisions, Honest and active with neighborhood clean-ups, attending neighborhood meetings, Habitat builds, Realtor Care Day Builds and pushing for job creation. I will continue to be a Advocate for the community, vocal on discussions impacting the community and challenging the status quo. I LOVE this community and I believe my community advocacy regarding immigration reform, reducing recidivism, job creation and real conversations with constituents is what this community deserves and what I have brought to the District 3 seat. We may not always agree but I will not lie to the community nor will I say what I think you want to hear. I will continue to be direct, forth-right and honest with the business community and constituents.
11) What else should voters know about you?
I have been honest with the community from the day I sought office in 2011. My partner of 9 years and I volunteer in this community and work to help others. I continue to volunteer in the community, I was Chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Celebration week, and I am a mentor to a young man in my community and have been for 3 1/2 years. My partner and I were guardians to a young man while his mother served our Country for 8 months. I believe in the work and role of City Council and if you follow me on social media you will learn that I attend on average 3-5 meetings daily and most importantly my WORK is not tied to this office. I served this community as a volunteer at many organizations prior to office, during office and will continue to do so after my service in this role comes to an end.
This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Charlotte City Council District 3 hopeful LaWana Mayfield on the issues."