CHARLOTTE MAYOR-ELECT PREPARES TO TAKE OFFICE (Biz Journal)

A month after Anthony Foxx won election as Charlotte’s new mayor, the Democrat is poised to take office on Monday night.

Foxx stopped by the Charlotte Center City Partners board meeting yesterday afternoon and then took his daughter to The Square to light the Christmas tree outside Bank of America’s headquarters. While he tried to keep pace with his daughter, Foxx also offered his thoughts on what’s ahead.

During the past four weeks, he’s “been working on reducing the poetry of the campaign into the prose of actual action steps.”

On Monday, Foxx plans to outline some of his initial goals when he takes the oath of office.

At the same time, a new City Council will be sworn in, with Democrats holding an 8-3 advantage — and both Foxx and Republican mayoral rival John Lassiter will no longer be councilmen. Their departures are a marked shift, as both men carried great influence on the council and led or served on key committees. Of the two new members on council, Democrats David Howard and Patrick Cannon, Foxx noted only Howard is without council experience; Cannon served six terms beginning in 1993 before leaving politics for four years.

The mayor-elect emphasized the importance of city government playing an active role in trying to boost employment in the months ahead, picking up on a constant campaign theme. Using the mayor’s bully pulpit and forging more public collaboration between the city, the Charlotte Chamber and the Charlotte Regional Partnership are among the suggestions he has in mind.

“I’ve got some ideas about that,” Foxx said with a grin, “but I can’t tell you about that until Monday. If I start telling you that stuff now, what’s left?”
The 38-year-old attorney spent the past few weeks mulling over not just policy and proposals, but also more mundane but important matters such as how to balance his political post, his regular job and family life.

Check here next week for more on Foxx’s swearing-in and the new council. Below he offers a few more thoughts as he spends his last weekend as a council member before becoming mayor:

On his mayoral bid, which began last fall: “Honestly, it was a really, really long campaign season. There are federal races that don’t go as long as this one went. I’ve had to take some time to just decompress and to focus on the steps of getting the things done that I said I would get done. And I feel very comfortable that I’ve got a good idea of how that will happen. Of course, I’ve got to work with a new council.”

On speaking with seven-term Republican Mayor Pat McCrory, who did not seek re-election: “When you’ve done something for 14 years (as McCrory has as mayor), it makes stuff that’s perhaps challenging look easy. I have a high appreciation for how well he learned the job, how even simple things were managed very well, how ethical government was and how his leadership really has made a difference in the city. We talked a lot about the most effective ways to link up with other mayors across North Carolina to try to get things done. Time management and how to do some of the nuts and bolts of the job. He couldn’t have been more gracious with his time and his input. I’ve got him in my cell phone, so if I ever have a question ….

“The other thing that’s neat about Charlotte is we’ve got five former mayors (living). That’s an enormous resource. And I plan to use that resource at critical times, so I’ve got a good amount of perspective in those former mayors. I intend to use it because this is a challenging time. It’s a time we haven’t seen in this area in at least two generations.

“There’s a lot of anxiety out there. And I understand that. I’m a very resilient leader. In a time of great challenge and adversity, the most important thing to do is to keep our community’s focus on where we’re headed. If we stay focused on continuing to be a great community, a place where families and businesses want to (be), the right choices will get made. It’s when we vary from that, we get ourselves in trouble.”

On Democrats controlling council and mayor’s office: “I think my record speaks for itself in terms of how I’ve tried to manage issues. I make decisions that I think are good for our city. I don’t vote any more (as mayor). I can stop things from happening (with mayoral veto), but in our system, the council makes most of the decision. My purpose is to make sure those decisions are good. How do you do it? The first thing is you have to recognize there isn’t a monolithic majority on council. There’s a lot of diversity of perspective and viewpoint — that’s what democracy is all about. I don’t think that the numbers bear out the diversity that is on the council. The second is really encouraging the council to get fully engaged on issues. That means people in both parties playing an active role in the conversation. Not just throwing up their hands and saying, ‘I don’t control this.’ That’s not helpful, useful or what people elected us to do. The good thing about local government is there are lots of ways for people to express their opinions. In committees, through council discussion. People will find I’m going to be extremely respectful of the diversity on the council. The focus is on good ideas, not where they originate. (People aren’t) looking for antics, they’re looking for good leadership.”

On his desire to review the city’s bonus policy amid backlash stemming from county and city leaders being awarded bonuses during a time of job freezes and cuts: “I definitely understand how people feel, and that’s why my view is that the council ought to have some early discussion about how we’re going to treat that issue going forward. It’s always better for anyone in a work setting to know what’s likely going into the budget season. I’d rather have those conversations earlier with the three people we hire rather than later. I’d at least like them to have some awareness that there’s a possibility that there won’t be a bonus.”

Friday, December 4, 2009, 11:53am EST | Modified: Sunday, December 6, 2009, 2:39pm

Mayoral Elections Show Strength for Most Incumbents (U.S. Conference of Mayors)

New Leaders Coming to Miami, Charlotte, Dayton, Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, other Cities

By David W. Burns
Despite much of the national attention on gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, over a hundred cities across the country held elections for mayor on November 3, many of which were high profile races.

In Miami, where Immediate Conference of Mayors Past President Mayor Manny Diaz is term limited, Tomás P. Regalado was elected with 71.67 percent of the vote defeating opponent Joe Sanchez.

Charlotte (NC) will have a new mayor with city councilmember Anthony Foxx beating fellow city councilmember John
Lassiter with 51.5 percent of the vote. Foxx is the first Democrat to be elected mayor of Charlotte since 1985.

In other cities where the incumbent was not on the ballot, Stamford (CT) will have a new mayor in Michael Pavia and Santa Barbara elected Helene Schneider. Stamford Mayor Daniel P. Malloy did not seek reelection, as he worked on a bid for Governor of Connecticut. In the case of Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Bloom, she was termed out. In Dayton (OH), a surprise upset came as incumbent Mayor Rhine McLin lost to Gary Leitzel by the margin of 48.5 to 51.5 percent. Only 878 votes separated Leitzel and McLin in the narrow victory.

As U.S.MAYOR heads to press, the Seattle race was too close to call despite Mike McGinn holding a slim lead over Joe Mallahan. Conference of Mayors President Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels placed third in the election back in August when
he was eliminated from the November 3 general election. At press time, McGinn’s lead was only .44 percent.

Big Win for Many Incumbents

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino won an unprecedented fifth term as mayor. His victory over the challenger, Michael Flaherty, resulted in a 57-to-42 percent win for Menino.

In perhaps the highest profile race of all, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who one year ago approved the New York City council’s measure to overturn term limits and paved the way for a third term, was reelected over city comptroller Bill Thompson.

Also reelected were Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, Newark (CA) Mayor David W. Smith, Southfield (MI) Mayor Brenda L. Lawrence, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Rochester (NY) Mayor Robert Duffy and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.

Runoffs Ahead

There are still a number of high profile races where a run off is required. In Atlanta, Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed will face off December 1 to see who will be the next mayor. Norwood currently leads with 44.64 percent of the vote.

Houston will have to wait until December 12 to see who will succeed Mayor Bill White, who was termed out. The runoff will include City Controller Annise Parker and former city attorney Gene Locke. Parker beat Locke 31 percent to 26 percent in the November 3 election.

For complete election results, visit usmayors.org/elections.

Elections results research for this article was contributed by Art Slater, Jesse Davis, Anthony Zei and Jim Welfley.

Foxx pledges to sign climate agreement (Charlotte Observer)
New mayor, backed by a Democratic majority on City Council, hopes to change city’s direction on several issues.

Anthony Foxx said his first act as Charlotte mayor will be to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which incumbent Republican Pat McCrory refused to do.

More than a dozen N.C. cities have joined the campaign against global warming. By signing, the communities pledge to work toward cutting emissions of greenhouse gases to pre-1990 levels.

McCrory helped draft the measure as chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors environmental committee. But he refused to sign it two years ago because it didn’t include nuclear power as an alternative energy source.

Foxx said he would put Charlotte on board “with the stroke of a pen.”

Foxx outlined his plans for the city Thursday, two days after he was elected Charlotte’s first Democratic mayor in 22 years. Foxx will take office Dec. 7 with a City Council that’s more Democratic, with an 8-3 majority instead of 7-4. Since the city went to partisan elections in 1977, no party has had such a commanding majority.

A Democratic mayor and a five-member majority on council could alter the city’s agenda over the next two years on a number of issues, from streetcars to city budgets.

Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess, a Democratic incumbent, was the top vote-getter Tuesday, getting nearly 5,000 more votes than Foxx. She said the council votes unanimously “99 percent of the time,” and she doesn’t expect significant changes.

But she added: “We won’t have, of course, the McCrory vetoes that we’ve had to deal with in the past.”

McCrory said Thursday that city government will suffer under a council tilted to Democrats.

“There isn’t any balance anymore,” McCrory said.

Here are a few issues the new council may consider:

Rental ordinance

Council members are scheduled to vote Monday on an ordinance that would require landlords of crime-ridden rental properties to register with the city.

Problem landlords would have to meet with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police to map out a strategy to reduce crime at their properties and could ultimately lose their ability to collect rent if crime isn’t reduced.

Some Democrats, including council member James Mitchell, want all landlords to register with the city.

Foxx said he hopes the ordinance is deferred.

“I think we can strengthen it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the best we can do.”

McCrory said he’s opposed to the ordinance, in part because it expands city government. He said he might veto it.

Eastland Mall

The council has held closed sessions this fall on buying all of Eastland Mall, to make it easier for a developer to buy the entire 90-acre site and redevelop it. The city is concerned that the large number of property owners at Eastland – nearly a dozen – will make it difficult to transform the failing mall into a mixed-use center of offices, stores and houses.

Council members haven’t talked about the purchase in public, and many are reportedly hesitant about such a complicated deal. But a larger Democratic presence in city government could increase the likelihood of an Eastland deal. Democratic council member Nancy Carter, who represents east Charlotte, is lobbying colleagues to invest in the blighted area.

Collective bargaining

In late October, during the height of the mayoral campaign, McCrory asked council members to oppose a bill working through Congress that would allow collective bargaining for police and firefighters nationwide – even in states that already forbid it, like North Carolina.

The item was sent to committee but will return this fall. Foxx, who had union support during the campaign, didn’t take a position on the issue during the debate.

Foxx said the National League of Cities is already lobbying against the bill, and that the Charlotte City Council’s voice isn’t important.

“I don’t know what the point is, other than to make a political point,” he said.

McCrory said it’s important that Charlotte’s voice be heard. He said collective bargaining could have “dire consequences” for the city financially.

“We should add this as part of our federal lobbying efforts,” McCrory said.

Streetcar

The streetcar debate has been settled – at least for the next year. Seven council Democrats this fall voted to override McCrory’s veto of a decision to spend $4.5 million on designing the line through central Charlotte.

But in 2010, that phase of engineering work will be finished, and the council may face another fork in the road: Spend more money on designing the line or freeze the project until a funding plan is in place?

Foxx campaigned on his willingness to advance the streetcar, though he said he wouldn’t raise property taxes to pay for it. Having another Democratic vote on the council could increase the chances of the streetcar advancing.

Foxx said he may make a trip to Raleigh and Washington, D.C., before he takes office to continue lobbying for transit projects, such as the light-rail extension and a commuter train to Lake Norman.

Development

In the last two weeks of the campaign, Foxx said his opponent, Republican council member John Lassiter, was beholden to developers. Lassiter said they were important to building the city and that he could work with them effectively.

One test of the new council will be revisions to the city’s 1978 tree ordinance. The changes, which have been debated for more than two years, would require developers to set aside at least 15 percent of property for trees, among other changes.

The Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition has balked at some of the changes, arguing it would increase the cost to build homes and businesses. Council could vote on the revisions in the next six months.

Budget

Foxx also said he would appoint citizen advisory committees, including one on city spending. He wants the group to report on possible cost savings before the City Council adopts a new budget next spring.
By Steve Harrison and Jim Morrill
sharrison@charlotteobserver.com and jmorrill@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Anthony Foxx’s mayoral lesson plans (Charlotte Observer)

Now that you’ve won, Mr. Foxx, you surely won’t lack for advice.

As the first Democratic mayor of Charlotte since Harvey Gantt left office in 1987, as only the second African-American mayor in this Southern city’s history, and as the first mayor in 14 years not named Pat McCrory, you’ll be in the klieg lights for months.

So, first, congratulations on a strong campaign and your win. But as you well know, after you and your supporters finish some well-deserved back-pats, you’ll have to get to work. We offer some thoughts on the task lying ahead for you:

You campaigned on a theme of bringing the city together – a good theme for this era. You’ve talked about focusing community attention on the public schools – a much-needed initiative – and your intent to tutor at a school, as an example you hope will inspire others to do the same.

But as a new mayor, age 38, in public office only since 2005, we hope you’ll find some tutors of your own. Your predecessor can offer significant lessons. So can other former Charlotte mayors.

McCrory, for instance, offers a powerful example of the importance of learning. He, too, was young when first elected mayor – a few weeks after his 39th birthday. But he became an expert on transportation and used his mastery to enduring effect, championing the humble sidewalk as well as more glamorous mass transit. You’re well-schooled already in transportation, among other areas. The point here: Don’t stop learning.

McCrory’s example also proves that a mayor can have the courage to take a stand opposed by a chunk of his constituency – and survive. For years conservatives in his Republican Party have fought mass transit and the tax that funds it here. Yet his support has been steady. Another example: A decade ago, braving heavy developer pressure and a council that caved, McCrory backed a proposed ordinance to beef up sidewalk requirements in new developments. Your constituency differs, but you, too, will be challenged on key issues. You, too, can stand firm and survive.

From former Mayor Richard Vinroot, learn the value of being true to yourself. Vinroot was a widely respected and popular Republican mayor who swerved sharply to the right when he ran for statewide office. In doing that, he lost the respect of many moderate Charlotte voters who had previously admired his integrity.

Gantt, an architect who was mayor 1983-87, can probably show you plenty of scar tissue from the city’s thwarted attempts to adopt smart growth management tools. Learn from his scars. The city still needs smarter growth management.

Gantt can also be a valuable guide in helping deepen your knowledge of urban design and planning. It’s important, for instance, that you publicly let city staff planners know the mayor has their back, that you don’t expect them to sacrifice sound planning in order to avoid angering developers and displeasing politicians.

You’ve talked about listening and collaborating. McCrory did that, too. But you can raise the ante on governmental collaboration, and not just with schools but with regional environmental initiatives.

You’re a smart man. We saw you work and grow during your campaign. Now, test time is here. Study hard. Learn well.
Lessons from his City Hall forefathers: Stand your ground.
Posted: Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009