Charlotte Primaries »
If you live in Charlotte, don't forget to vote on Tuesday. What's that? You didn't know that it was time to vote? Sure enough - the primaries are upon us. It's time to decide who we want to run for various positions in the city government. Yes, we're going to decide, and then in November, we'll get to really decide. I guess you just can't give people too many choices on one ballot. Unless you live in California.
So... will the arena decision affect your vote? Should it? That's tough for me to say. I personally think that whether the referendum was binding or not, whether it was about a financing plan or not, the public pretty resoundly said that they weren't interested. While probably not completely illegal, it was certainly a questionable tactic to go ahead and do it, even though the citizens of the city said no. Thus, my votes are certainly swayed by that decision.
As I said the other day, Pat McCrory really doesn't - or rather, shouldn't - have much say in what happens. He's the mayor. He's a figurehead. He's not a policy maker. He's good for sound bites and he looks pretty. He's also a bit egotistical. But he is the mayor. What we need is a strong city council, not a weak(er) mayor.
Speaking of which, there's a veritable list of candidates for the at-large seats. This is good. At-large seats represent the entire community. Anyone in the city can vote for these positions, so don't ignore them just because they don't represent your district.
Out of the challengers, there is only one that I would recommend that you don't vote for - Lynn Wheeler. Ms. Wheeler either already is or is rapidly turning into a career politician. Her web site for the 2001 election is still up, and lends us an excellent quote: But it is imperative that we keep our minds open to new ideas, new voices, and new challenges. It's time for a new voice on city council, Lynn. Step aside.
District one and district three have seats up for grabs, with the retirement of Sara Spencer and Harold Cogdell, respectively. The winner of these primaries will be on the council, as they face no opposition in November.
In district five, there are two republican challengers to Nancy Carter, and both seem to talk a big game. Ms. Carter has done a solid job on the council, and was one of the dissenting voices when the arena vote finally came to the table. For my money, I'd say stick with Nancy as she has proven her ability to adequately represent the district.
But most importantly - vote! The world is abuzz about low voter turnout. This is bad because it means that most people don't care who runs the city. But this is also good, because it means that you are one of a smaller number of voices - rarely will you have the chance to count so much with so little effort. Take the time and do it.
