Charlotte unveils list of 27 finalists for board created with new 1% transit tax
Charlotte City Council announced 27 finalists on Friday for the soon-to-be-established board that will govern a new regional transportation system.
Finalists will move on to a round of public interviews next week, then the council will vote to appoint seven members by the end of November. Among the crop of finalists are familiar names like Joel Ford, Marjorie Molina and Tim Sittema. There’s a security company founder, the leader of the local NAACP and a clergy person, too.
The board of trustees will oversee the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority, which will be funded in large part by the 1% sales tax that voters approved this week. The tax is projected to generate more than $19 billion over 30 years to spend on road, rail and bus projects.
The board will convene sometime next year with initial work expected to focus more on policy than projects.
Who are MPTA finalists?
Charlotte received more than 150 applicants. Each council member scored their top three candidates from on a weighted system for nine categories: law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, government, architecture, economic development and logistics. The three candidates with the most points under each category will be interviewed by a mayor-appointed work group, which will recommend the seven appointees, according to a city news release.
Here’s who is on City Council’s shortlist for each category.
Law:
- Frank Emory, the executive vice president and chief legal officer for Novant Health
- Jay Ferguson, the son of prominent civil rights attorney James Ferguson
- Gerald Patton, a retired probation officer and diversity and inclusion coach
Finance:
- Emma Allen, an insurance agent and community activist
- William Cameron Pruette, the executive director of the Freedom Center for Social Justice
- Gary Young, the founder of a business consulting firm
Engineering:
- Robert Hillman, the CEO of Queen City Robotics Alliance
- Tim Sittema, the lead developer of the Eastland Yards project
- Martina Ackridge, a cybersecurity senior manager at PNC Bank and vice chair of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party
Public Transportation:
- David Howard, former at-large City Councilman who was previously chief deputy secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and associate administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
- Corine Mack, the longtime president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP
- Shannon Binns, founder of Sustain Charlotte and a leading advocate for the sales tax
Urban Planning:
- Katrina Young, a former planning manager for the city
- Towan Dicks, secretary of Quality Comprehensive Health Center
- Lee Cochran, a developer at Laurel Street Residential
Government:
- Marjorie Molina, the current District 5 councilwoman whose term ends this year
- Julie Eiselt, the former mayor pro tem on city council
- Colette Forrest, an American Airlines employee with political and government experience, including recently for councilwoman Tiawana Brown and previously as chair of the Black Political Caucus.
Architecture:
- Sagar Rathie, a developer with Crescent Communities
- James Scruggs, the CEO of Kingdom Development Partners
- Keith Williams, the executive director and police chief of security services company Southeastern Public Safety Group
Economic Development:
- Todd Collins, CEO of investment and development firm Red Hill Ventures
- Joel Ford, a former North Carolina state senator, member of the UNC Board of Governors and risk advisor at an insurance brokerage
- Scott Harris, vice president of Choate Construction
Logistics:
- Jocelyn Jones-Nolley, chairperson of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
- Stephanie Hand, a former City Council District 6 candidate and Methodist church clergy
- Juan Euvin, lead data product integrity specialist at Wells Fargo
How will the transportation board work?
Twenty-seven people will serve on the board in total, but Charlotte leaders will only select a dozen of those members. City Council chooses seven, the mayor chooses two, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance chooses two and Foundation for the Carolina chooses one.
Other appointments will be made by neighboring towns, Mecklenburg County and elected state leaders.
Board members will serve for four years, but the inaugural board will include some two-year appointments so terms are staggered.
Although the positions are voluntary, state law does not prohibit board members from setting compensation for themselves once appointed.
