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In response to "Next BofA chief may live in N.Y." (Nov. 4):
Living in Charlotte should be
a requirement for BofA CEO
The Bank of America board continues to reveal its true impotence by throwing its hands in the air and potentially surrendering the CEO role to a non-Charlotte location, which will surely erode Charlotte's relevance in the bank's future plans.
It's pretty simple - it's a requirement of the job. You either want to lead the nation's largest bank franchise, which yes, is headquartered in Charlotte, or you don't.
How poorly does it speak to the board's succession planning when the "talent pool" they're searching doesn't include plenty of qualified candidates already located in the headquarters city?
Rich Kelly
Charlotte
In response to "How Goldman secretly bet on the housing crash" (Nov. 2 CharlotteObserver.com) and related articles:
Stop worshipping bankers, bad pols and start exposing them
One of the primary reasons I cancelled my Observer subscription after more than 20 years is the timing of your exposes. The Goldman Sachs article could have and should have been written many months ago.
How about reporting about Goldman, Mike Easley, Jim Black while their criminal activities are occurring, rather than long after their completion? Goldman is no different from BofA or Wachovia; rather than hero-worshipping Hugh McColl, Ken Lewis and Ken Thompson, how about doing more current analysis and less cheerleading?
John F. Kemp
Matthews
Business schools failing if Goldman had 'best, brightest'
I have followed this week's reports on Goldman Sachs and their amoral financial activities. It appears their attitude was "screw everybody."
Sunday's article said Goldman hired "the best and brightest." If that's so, it would be wise to shut down the business schools that graduated these people.
We the taxpayers should demand any monies lent to them by the government. If they continue to follow this path, let them go broke next time.
Tom Yost
Albemarle
In response to "The essential beauty in black hair" (Nov. 4 Viewpoint):
Leonard Pitts' column on
black hair brought tears
When I finished reading Leonard Pitts' column, I had tears in my eyes. While I'm not African-American and I have "good hair," the article struck me deeply.
While we strive to look as beautiful as we can to the outside world, it's truly the beauty that we hold inside that makes us attractive in the long run.
Let's not forget "beauty is only skin deep," and let's remember that goodness and love shall long live past the external. If we could remember that, there would be no anorexia, bulimia - or need for a movie such as "Good Hair."
Barbara Leifer Woods
Fort Mill, S.C.
Skip memory lane and write about more relevant topics
When I saw Leonard Pitts' column on black hair I had to check the date on the Observer to see if I had a '60s edition. Quite a stroll down memory lane. Move on, Leonard, you're about as relevant as hula hoops and shag carpet.
Brenda Corey
Wadesboro
In response to "Foxx wins" (Nov. 4) and related articles:
Refreshing to see Lassiter, Foxx focus on issues, not each other
The rest of the country can learn a lot from Charlotte's mayoral election. Both candidates focused on relevant issues and demonstrated maturity throughout the campaign. That's refreshing in contemporary politics.
Win or lose, both candidates managed to have a public discourse without damaging one another's credibility. Thank you for leading by example.
Ben Wilhelm
Charlotte
Time to stop focusing on the color of a candidate's skin
As I walked down the driveway Wednesday morning to retrieve my Observer, I wondered how far into the article on the Charlotte mayoral election the phrase "second African- American" would appear. In fact, it was in the first sentence.
Why does the Observer think that one's race is important, or even relevant? Dr. King admonished us in 1963 that people should be judged by their character, not the color of their skin. The Observer is 46 years late to the party, and still counting.
Philip M. Van Hoy
Charlotte
In response to "All by themselves on ballot" (Nov. 4):
Too many on City Council unopposed; change system
The fact that candidates ran unopposed in five of seven Charlotte City Council district races should scare anyone who thinks all citizens should have a voice. Either make the districts fair or do away with districts and opt for all at-large seats.
It's obvious by the at-large results that minorities are not being denied representation. If anything, the white male has become marginalized.
Bill Wallace
Charlotte
In response to "A wider view" (Nov. 1 Carolina Living):
Kudos to Maschal; more visual arts coverage like his needed
Thank you for Richard Maschal's excellent article about the opening exhibits at the Harvey B. Gantt Center. The Observer should provide that kind of reporting and informed visual arts criticism much more often.
Please convince Richard Maschal to "unretire," or find someone who'll make us excited about the many visual arts options available in Charlotte.
Ann Cricchi
Fort Mill, S.C.
