In reversal, Mecklenburg County opens secret business meetings to public
A group of business leaders advising the county on reopening the economy will now meet publicly, the county said Thursday, reversing course after pressure from the Observer.
Known as the COVID-19 Business Leaders Roundtable, the executives are charged with helping the county devise its plan as it starts to lift some restrictions. The group includes leaders from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, the governor’s office and the Latin American, Black and LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce.
County Manager Dena Diorio initially argued that the meetings were private and not subject to the state’s open meetings law.
Diorio changed course Thursday, announcing in a press conference that the meetings will be made public. The Observer’s attorney, Jon Buchan with law firm Essex Richards, emailed county officials multiple times urging them to make the roundtable meetings open to the public and seeking clarification on the legal justification to keep them closed.
The consortium met last Friday behind closed doors, but the next meeting will be on Monday at 1 p.m., Diorio said. She said there will be an audio recording provided.
The roundtable will not dictate policy, Diorio has said, but would have a “very significant” impact on a reopening strategy. For example, Diorio said Thursday the group discussed last week interest in curbside pickup for retail stores and whether the county could reopen tennis courts. On Tuesday, the county said tennis courts will reopen. And because the county rescinded its own order, meaning it would fall under the statewide restrictions, retail stores can offer curbside pickup.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:45 PM.
