Share
The Observer's editorial board last month published its recommendations for Charlotte mayor, Charlotte City Council and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board. Editorial board members are Publisher Ann Caulkins, Editorial Page Editor Taylor Batten, Associate Editors Jack Betts, Fannie Flono and Mary Newsom and cartoonist Kevin Siers. Here's a recap:
For Charlotte Mayor
Voters today have two excellent choices to replace Republican Mayor Pat McCrory, stepping down after 14 years. Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican John Lassiter are both intelligent, knowledgeable, committed to Charlotte and within the city's tradition of moderate, mainstream politics. The city will be in good hands, regardless.
We think Foxx is a better fit for what Charlotte needs today. The next mayor must be unusually adept at uniting a diverse community. He must reach out to the region, to Raleigh and Washington to find collaborative approaches and new solutions for old problems. Foxx is better positioned to do those things and set a new tone.
Foxx and Lassiter don't differ wildly on most city issues, but their approaches to growth and development are different. Both value the development industry's importance to the city, but Lassiter has several times opposed good policy initiatives that the developers' lobby was fighting. Foxx has shown more independence.
The mayor must do more than master policy. He must set the city's agenda and shape its image. We give the nod to Anthony Foxx.
For at-large council seats, two from each party
In a city roughly balanced between Democrats and Republicans, the council's majority today is 7-4 Democratic. In our view, a council with a rough balance among the varied philosophies found throughout the city will be stronger, even if not always efficiently unified.
Two incumbents are running for four at-large seats: Republican Edwin Peacock III and Democrat Susan Burgess. District Democrats Patsy Kinsey, James Mitchell, Warren Turner, Michael Barnes and Nancy Carter have no opposition.
Other Democrats running at-large are former council member Patrick Cannon, David Howard and Darrin Rankin. The other Republican at-large candidates are Tariq Scott Bokhari, Jaye Rao and Matthew Ridenhour.
We recommend Susan Burgess, Edwin Peacock III, David Howard and Tariq Scott Bokhari.
Burgess is a consistent voice pushing the city to be more environmentally aware. She's active in the National League of Cities, and her presence on the council is valuable.
Peacock, ending his first term, has a moderate voting record, is smart, collegial and adept on council issues.
Among newcomers, David Howard stands out for his impressive record of civic leadership. As vice president of a nonprofit, affordable housing agency, he brings much-needed grounding in the complexities of low-income housing.
Tariq Scott Bokhari, a Wachovia/Wells vice president, is an energetic and creative campaigner who educated himself well on city issues. As an organizer behind several Tea Party anti-tax rallies, his rhetoric sometimes goes too far. But he'd provide a voice for the concerns of Charlotte's many conservative voters.
Council District 6: Dulin
Two-term incumbent Andy Dulin, a Republican, faces a smart and energetic newcomer in Jane Bott Childrey. Dulin has been a reliable Republican vote. He's generally friendly to business and development and keeps a sharp eye on expenditures, including spending for the arts. Childrey has worked at learning about local issues and we hope she stays involved. But for his incumbency and experience, in a Republican-leaning district, we recommend Republican Andy Dulin.
Council District 7: Cooksey
Warren Cooksey, a Republican finishing his first term, faces political newcomer Marc Friedland. Cooksey is a reliable fiscal conservative who brings quick intelligence and dispassionate analysis to council discussions. In a strongly Republican district, we recommend Republican Warren Cooksey.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board - 5 seats
The 19 candidates on the ballot for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board highlight the strong local interest in public schools. The board faces complex issues ranging from low academic performance to inadequate facilities to a need for more effective teachers and principals. Board members must be knowledgeable, thoughtful and willing to work together. With nonpartisan contested races in five of the six districts, voters have a rare opportunity to shape the nine-member board. District 4's Tom Tate is unopposed.
District 1: Rhonda Lennon
We wish all districts had the choices District 1 has. Three women seeking to replace Larry Gauvreau, who isn't running again, are all smart, engaged and knowledgeable. Robin Bradford and Gail Summerskill have backgrounds in education. But we give the edge to Rhonda Lennon.
As a long-time activist she has a depth of knowledge about District 1 and CMS issues the others can't match. She can work constructively with those whose views differ from hers. We recommend Rhonda Lennon.
District 2: Richard McElrath
Incumbent Kimberly Mitchell-Walker's name will be on the ballot but she dropped out of the race Oct 22. That leaves only Richard McElrath seeking the seat. A retired CMS math teacher and long-time public schools activist, he understands the challenges this community faces and is committed to improving schools and helping children. We recommend Richard McElrath.
District 3: Nicole Hudson
With nine people seeking this seat, voters have an abundance of choices.
James Ross was appointed last December when George Dunlap became a county commissioner. He's a Republican in a Democratic district (yes, school board races are officially nonpartisan - but they're really not). But Ross hasn't distinguished himself on the board.
Other candidates of note are Joyce Waddell, a long-time activist and educator, and Aaron Pomis - a teacher at the KIPP charter school here with strong experience in Chicago and working at CMS.
We see Nicole Hudson as the best choice. A DeVry University administrator with a master's degree in organizational management, she's smart and focused and has a clear vision of CMS needs. We recommend Nicole Hudson.
District 5: Eric Davis
Eric Davis faces Susan Walker to replace school board chair Molly Griffin. Davis is the clear choice. He is a creative thinker who does his homework and focuses on solving problems collaboratively. He is also deeply committed to community service. Most of all, he understands the policymaking role of the board. He has already thought deeply about the challenges the board faces and how members must work together to tackle them effectively. We recommend Eric Davis.
District 6: Tim Morgan
Terri Dickinson, Tim Morgan and John Ross seek to replace Ken Gjertsen, who's not running again.
Morgan's work on public policy issues in the Charlotte region and his long, active involvement with the schools give him a clear advantage over the others. In addition, his experience with real estate issues would be an asset for a board facing daunting crowding problems. Morgan is also collegial, and on a board where members too often sulk and retreat to ideological corners, that trait is badly needed. We recommend Tim Morgan.
