NAACP hosts Charlotte mayoral candidates

The NAACP of Charlotte-Mecklenburg held a forum Thursday night at Little Rock AME Zion Church for city candidates this fall, starting with the race for mayor.

The Democrats attending were at-large City Council member David Howard, Mayor Dan Clodfelter and former county commissioner Jennifer Roberts. Republican Edwin Peacock, a former council member, also attended.

The primaries are Sept. 15.

Here are some of the questions and answers, which have been edited for brevity:

What is the most serious problem facing Charlotte?

Clodfelter: “There is a contradiction deep in heart of city. It will not endure. We are one of the most prosperous cities, but we are worst, dead last, in economic mobility. We can’t hide it and we can’t mask it.”

Howard: “We need to help those areas that are being ignored right now. I am afraid there aren’t enough kids who can make it out of those areas today. We aren’t that far from east and west Charlotte becoming like Ferguson or Baltimore.”

Roberts: “Expanding opportunity and moving past the Two Charlottes. We need to make sure that every person, every child, has a good school. I was at Hidden Valley and three people told me about small businesses they wanted to start. They didn’t know who to ask for funding; they didn’t know about (the city) business incubators.”

Peacock: “Affordability. We are a border city, a border economy. South Carolina touts lower taxes and good schools. We have had two consecutive tax increases. East and west Charlotte can not feel a sense of abandonment, but if you are doing it with streetcar, the revenue pressure continues.”

How would you characterize the state of race relations in Charlotte?

Clodfelter: “The answer depends on where you stand in the world. There isn’t an easy formula. There never is, never will be. We can do all we can at City Council and at the police department. But at the end of the day what matters is how people encounter each other. What I’m proud of is that you, the Charlotteans, have done the hard work of keeping dialogue open.”

Howard: “I think Charlotte has done better than most cities. The City Council more than reflects our minority population. I like to think Charlotte stands out among other metro areas in how we deal with this. With the Ferrell issue, the community came together.”

Roberts: “Black lives matter, and we must do better. I applaud the Cops and Barbers program, and (the work) of Mecklenburg Ministries. I applaud them for having that dialogue. But we also need to move past talk and into action. When I was chair of county commission, we introduced a program into police training to recognize mental illness in people they served.”

Peacock: “The history of Charlotte has shown why it’s a unique and welcoming city. We didn’t become the city of Little Rock, the city of Greensboro, and we aren’t the city of Birmingham. When I went to elementary school at First Ward, Charlotte responded in a different way. Our finest hour will come with the decision of the Kerrick trial.”

Would you as mayor be willing to champion an effort to send all city employees through implicit racial bias training?

Clodfelter: “Yes. I have been through such training. I recommend it to everyone.”

Howard: “Yes.”

Roberts: “Yes, absolutely.”

Peacock: “My sentiment is to move forward with that. I don’t see any harm with that.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 7:09 PM with the headline "NAACP hosts Charlotte mayoral candidates."