Mecklenburg voters OK’d new sales tax this year, and these 26 people will spend it
The new board that will take over Mecklenburg County’s public transit system is in place days ahead of the group’s first meeting, except for one state leader’s pick.
Mecklenburg voters set in motion the creation of the 27-member Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority this November when they approved a referendum increasing the county’s sales tax to fund billions in transportation projects. The legislation authorizing the referendum called for the establishment of a new board to take over governance of the Charlotte Area Transit System from the city of Charlotte and Metropolitan Transit Commission.
The bill called for appointments by the city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, the county’s six towns, local business and philanthropic groups and state leaders. Appointees are required to have experience in law, finance, engineering, public transportation, urban planning, logistics, government, architecture and/or economic development.
Board members will generally serve four-year terms, but the inaugural board will include some two-year appointments so that terms are staggered.
Only Gov. Josh Stein has yet to make his pick for the authority as of Friday morning.
Of the 26 people appointed so far, 17 are men. The group is about 54% white and 42% Black, an Observer analysis found, with just one Latino member. There are 17 registered Democrats on the board, compared to four Republicans and four unaffiliated voters, according to information from appointees’ applications and the State Board of Election’s voter search. The Observer could not immediately confirm the party affiliation of one additional appointee.
The MPTA will gather for its first meeting Thursday.
City of Charlotte appointees
The city of Charlotte had the most appointments to make to the new transit authority, seven to be chosen by the City Council and two by the mayor. The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance and Foundation for the Carolinas also made picks from the city’s pool of applications.
More than 150 people applied for the city’s slots, a group that was narrowed down to 27 finalists. The council ultimately voted to appoint:
- Todd Collins, CEO of investment and development firm Red Hill Ventures
- Frank Emory, executive vice president and chief legal officer for Novant Health
- David Howard, former Charlotte City Council member, chief deputy secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and associate administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
- Jocelyn Jones-Nalley, chair of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg
- Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP
- Cameron Pruette, executive director of the Freedom Center for Social Justice
- Katrina Young, former planning manager for the city
Pruette was the only city finalist who described regular use of public transportation in their application, The Charlotte Observer reported previously.
Mayor Vi Lyles appointed Charles Bowman, former North Carolina market president for Bank of America, and Christy Long, a former Wells Fargo executive.
The CLT Alliance selected developers Wyatt Dixon and Lucia Zapata-Griffith. The Foundation for the Carolinas tapped developer Peter Pappas.
Mecklenburg County appointees
Mecklenburg County commissioners selected six appointees to the new authority from a pool of more than 100 applicants.
County commissioners voted to give one of their slots to County Manager Mike Bryant.
The county’s other picks were:
- Former Charlotte City Council member Julie Eiselt
- Small business owner Alysia Davis Steadman
- Former Charlotte City Council member Justin Harlow
- Retired attorney Ken Schorr
- Transit rider and CLT Development founder Clayton Sealey
Mecklenburg town appointees
The board of Mecklenburg’s six towns each got to make one appointment to the MPTA:
- Cornelius selected retired businessman Bob Menzel
- Davidson selected financier Matthew Walt
- Huntersville selected real estate agent T. Anthony Lindsey
- Matthews selected town transportation planner Dana Stoogenke
- Mint Hill selected former Mayor Brad Simmons
- Pineville selected CleanAIRE NC Executive Director Jeffrey Robbins
State appointees
A trio of North Carolina’s state leaders — the governor, speaker of the state House and state Senate president — also get to make appointments to the new transit authority.
Speaker Destin Hall selected David Longo, CEO of CBI Workplace Solutions and chair of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Board. Senate President Phil Berger picked developer Ned Curran.
Stein had not announced his pick for the MPTA as of Friday morning. Spokespeople for his office did not respond to questions from an Observer reporter about when he’d make his appointment.
