A better solution for MLS in Charlotte

A better solution for MLS in Charlotte

The real argument for a publicly funded MSL stadium shouldn’t be location – Eastland Mall or Municipal Stadium. The better question is “Where should we spend $100M to best support our ‘traffic-jammed’ community suffering from density creep?” It’s better spent on improvements to our aging and inadequate infrastructure. Why create traffic in a new location?

Take a page from Atlanta, where the MLS and Falcons share a new stadium. Let the Panthers and MLS share an underutilized Bank of America Stadium. We already funded it with close to $100M. Time to get some payback.

Public money could benefit more people

I can think of a lot of ways the city/county could spend $100M more judiciously. One of them would be to link all our greenways. Instead of using taxpayers’ money to benefit a very small segment of the population (and BTW, I am a soccer fan), investing in greenways and bicycle lanes would benefit everyone.

It would truly show our commitment to make Charlotte a pedestrian and cycle friendly place – and the world class city it aspires to be.

John Lewis and Democrats in denial

So, a sitting congressman, John Lewis, denounces a freely elected U.S. president as “illegitimate.” Furthermore, he openly disrespects the Constitution and electoral system that’s been in place for 240 years.

John Lewis is milking a 50-year old event for everything he can, but reality check: it’s not 1965. The country has moved on over the years, but Lewis and Democrats can’t accept America’s choices unless it fits their narrative and agenda.

Let’s celebrate racial progress we’ve seen

Regrettably, Tim Funk’s valuable article in Sunday’s Observer fails to mention the many thousands of African-Americans in the Charlotte region who are successful economically, often in high-prestige professions like law, medicine, and college teaching.

Many of these African-Americans and their families live in high-quality homes in upscale, diverse neighborhoods.

While continuing to work diligently to improve life for the less fortunate, let’s celebrate the advances that have occurred during the nearly 50 years since Dr. King’s death.

Still waiting on streetcar’s payoff

Thank you, Michael Smith, for letting all of us skeptics concerning the value of the streetcars know that the first phase was just practice and was not intended to produce development as we were promised. Now we know that the new phase and its “modern streetcars” will create massive new development to justify the millions of tax dollars being spent. Call me a continued skeptic.

Mansions and cars? No, we want health

Does Martin Campbell not see his own irony? The rich certainly have a right to mansions and expensive cars; the rest of us neither need them nor expect to have them for liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, we do need health. Without affordable health care, many Americans would not have life, which Campbell acknowledges is a Constitutional right.

My almost-tragedy could be your pain

On Jan. 14, my son was run down by a motorcyclist in a crosswalk near his home in the Commonwealth area of Charlotte. We are lucky he is alive.

Beyond the horror of what happened, it brings forward a few things that maybe we should all think more about.

Charlotte is a rapidly growing, changing city. Traffic and the challenges associated with it mean that we all need to be more conscious of safety.

One thing for sure, if you suddenly find yourself in the position of learning that it is your son or daughter that is run down by a car or motorcycle while simply following the rules, maybe you will rethink your speed, your attitude, and the need to get that text message in while driving.

This story was originally published January 17, 2017 at 5:28 PM with the headline "A better solution for MLS in Charlotte."