Who is Charlie Mulligan, Republican Charlotte City Council at-large candidate?

Charlie Mulligan

Political party: Republican

Age as of Nov. 8, 2022: 33

Campaign website: charlieforthecity.com

Occupation: Technology Entrepreneur

Education: BSBA from UNCC in Finance and Accounting (Spanish Minor)

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought): No

Please list your highlights of civic involvement

Longtime grassroots activist in Criminal Justice Reform and Educational Reform, Grassroots Director of NC Young Republicans, HEAL Charlotte, Carolina FinTech Hub

Should the City Council limit the number of new parking garages in and near uptown to encourage the use of public transportation?

Charlotte is a growing, urbanizing city. We need a urban plan that reflects that. As a city councilmember, I will push for the end of parking minimums AND parking maximums. There are increasing numbers of residents that want to live without cars and developers should be free to build properties that appeal to such customers. The more options, the better!

Describe your views on using public money to help build or improve private sports facilities or stadiums.

I am against any public funding of private entertainment facilities. It’s not the taxpayer’s responsibility to pay for stadiums on behalf of billionaires.

Is there an area where you disagree with your party? Why?

Yes. For too long, the Republican Party has been focused on fighting the battles of the past. I am not interested in the government dictating how consenting adults should live their personal lives. We should decriminalize cannabis (subject to concentration limits), it’s long past due. Both the right and the left are guilty of trying to use social engineering, but individuals, and individuals only, are best positioned to make decisions for themselves, and I believe that voters are tired of it

What one professional or political accomplishment are you most proud of?

When I was 24, I executive produced a documentary film that toured across the US and raised over $100,000 for brain cancer research.

What separates you from your opponents?

While I have great respect for my Democratic Party colleagues, the truth is that each of them have been in office at some point in the last decade. Their administration has overseen skyrocketing crime rates and housing prices, increasing inequality and decreasing quality of life. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to have an answer for what seems to be a slow but steady decline in our city. We all know Charlotte is a place that is ready to thrive, but I’m concerned that our current leaders are more focused on national politics and symbolic gestures than the daily tasks of governing. Why are we focusing on spending $100 million on an underground bus facility when right now a third of our bus drivers aren’t even coming to work? Why are we talking about grand plans to eliminate policing when young people, especially of color, are dying every day in our dangerous neighborhoods? Why are we announcing fancy “Racial Equity” plans when more than 90% of our students of color are failing third-grade reading?

We don’t need to get into national debates or grandstanding announcements. We just need the simple things done well. I’m a moderate, a former small business owner and a results-minded individual. It seems like every week we have some new dumpster fire coming out of City Council. Wouldn’t it be nice for the city to just be run competently?

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 3:00 PM.