BooneCountyGirl
skyler the weird
Rick Barton
Joe
Wiley Coyote
Mecklenburg County Commission: Time for Real Change
Before the 1986 election, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) was five members, all elected at large. Candidates were sometimes concentrated from affluent areas, and incumbents seeking re-election enjoyed the normal advantages. Nonetheless, this arrangement did allow voters to participate in selecting the entire Board or, as sometimes was the case, in “throwing the bums out.”
For example, before the 1966 election, the BOCC was all Democrats, with Sam T. Atkinson, Jr. as chairman. The 1966 election saw Atkinson re-elected but alongside four Republicans. Among them were future congressman and governor James G. Martin, a Davidson College chemistry professor, and a future federal judge, Robert D. Potter. In the following years, majority control of the BOCC regularly swung between the two parties.
Today the system is rigged and constipated. With a total of nine members, the BOCC has three at large and six from gerrymandered districts. There is virtually no competition in the general election in the districts, three safe seats for each party.
There is competition in the at-large races, but with only three positions at stake instead of five, voters have fewer choices, and each voter has a reduced role in determining majority control. Since the Commission went to the current 3-6 setup in the 1994 election, the Democrats have held the majority in all but four years, 1994-96 and 2002-04.
It would take an act of the General Assembly to change how Mecklenburg commissioners are elected, an unlikely prospect without a shakeup in Raleigh. Yet if Mecklenburg voters choose a majority Republican Board this year, that new majority could at least petition the legislature for changes to liven up local elections and make county government more responsive to voters.
What are the chances of GOP victory this fall? According to former Charlotte City Councilman Don Reid, virtually nil unless Republican candidates for BOCC, at large and district, unite around a short, principled platform. He’s currently working on one he thinks will do the trick. Here’s my two cents’ worth on what they should endorse:
1. Tax Cuts
After years of irresponsible spending, the liberal Democratic majority has finally collided head-on with a sharp drop in revenue due to the recession. As a result, even they are now promising not to raise property taxes, heretical to their standard orthodoxy.
Property revaluation is pending and will take effect in 2011. With revaluation, the county tax rate is bound to change, adding complexity to the election debate. A “revenue neutral” tax rate has been the buzz word in the past. But with the combined Charlotte-Mecklenburg long imposing the highest local tax burden per capita among the state’s large municipalities, “revenue neutral” is not enough.
The Republican candidates should promise meaningful cuts in the property tax. (I advocate at least five percent in each of the next two years.) Commissioner Bill James has already called for making the 2011 tax rate “revenue negative,” and he’s right on target.
When the liberal spenders start whining about where such cuts will come from, simply remind them that’s why we have a large professional budget staff, to conform spending to the tax rate set by those elected by the people. Spending has been a higher priority than taxes for years, and it’s time to reverse the two.
2. Stop Business Incentives
Increasingly government at all levels has been allocating tax money directly to favored businesses. This is a bidding war that nobody can ultimately win and taxpayers will always lose. It also paves the way to corruption. Let the “incentives” in Mecklenburg County for businesses be simply low, stable taxes. If we were known throughout the country for minimum taxes, businesses would be lining up to move here.
The Republican candidates should pledge to eliminate business incentives.
3. Repeal Domestic Partner Benefits; End Abortion Funding
The current Democratic majority rammed through so-called domestic partner fringe benefits for homosexual county employees. This extra cost to taxpayers was sold on the basis that it was necessary to recruit people for county jobs. In reality it was the Democrats paying off one of their special interest groups and trying to be “more progressive than thou” at the same time.
Mecklenburg also funds elective abortions in the county health care plan. Taxpayers should never be forced to fund the destruction of innocent human life, whether for public employees or welfare recipients.
The Republican candidates should promise to promptly repeal these unjust and costly policies.
4. Continue Immigration Screening
Under the federal 287(g) program, the Mecklenburg County jail has been screening inmates to determine their immigration status. If they’re illegal, they may end up deported back to their home country. Despite this program being a model of federal-state cooperation, some Democrats in Washington and elsewhere have been seeking to scale it back.
The Republican candidates should pledge continued support for the 287(g) program. If it is curtailed by Washington, the Republican candidates should pledge to continue its substance as a local policy to the maximum extent practicable.
_____________________________________
Tom Ashcraft, a Charlotte native, is a lawyer and former Reagan-appointed U.S. Attorney . Write him at TAshcraft@bellsouth.net.
Special to PunditHouse.com. ©2010 Tom Ashcraft. Used by permission.
We need your help! If you like PunditHouse, please consider donating to us. Even $5 a month can make a difference!
Short URL: http://pundithouse.com/?p=2073
If the BOCC had been GOP controlled the last decade+ the points about electoral “fairness” and number of at-large candidates would never have been penned. Sour grapes people, sour grapes.
If you want control of the BOCC you have to do the work to recruit and get people elected. It’s that simple.
As for the rest, you have some okay points, but all humans are created equal, to deny benefits based on one qualifier is discriminatory and there’s no valid argument you can posit that changes that. You can hide behind whatever you want, but at the end of the day you’re still a bigot.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Well, how’s this Sam.
Health insurance shouldn’t be provided by employers at all. If we were simply given the cash equivelant to whatever our true compensation package is, we could shop for our own insurance in a free marketplace…just like we do for car insurance, life insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, etc. That way no political determination would have to be made and it would be up to you as an individual to decide what to spend your own money on.
Would you join me on that? The first step is to repeal Obamacare.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
The Commission’s electoral districts were rigged further during the early 90’s.
After the change from all at-large to at-large and district there was a period when the number of districts was 3, then 4 and then 5.
The Commission voted to go to a six district system along with the school board. Back then there was a ‘donut’ district that circled the city. That donut was split creating ‘1’ (northern towns) and ‘6’ (southern towns).
Because CMS was also going to district seating, a blue ribbon panel was set up around 1992 to determine how to draw these new districts in a fair manner.
This system produced a map that was approved by voters (in 92 or 93).
The map created 4 GOP seats and 2 Democrat seats based on voting patterns.
The Democrats in the legislature at the time (lead by then Senator Leslie Winner) introduced special gerrymandered districts and a map that was adopted and forced on the people of Mecklenburg. Ms. Winner went on to be the legal counsel for CMS. Because the legislation also applied to the County Commission seats, a GOP seat (district 4) was converted to a Democrat one (held by Lloyd Scher and now Dumont Clarke).
This brazen attempt was done at the legislature using special legislation attached to the budget and undid the work of a lot of citizens.
This particular legislation also prohibited CMS or the County Commission from trying to re-draw any districts until 2000.
Based on precinct voting patterns there would be 4 GOP district seats and 2 Democrat ones. This manipulation of the system however was one of the reasons that the Democrats have continued to have an edge in controlling CMS and the BOCC.
Because voting is very polarized these days the Democrats claim that since Mecklenburg County is roughly 50-50 D versus R overall that should mean that the districts should be split 50-50 (3 D’s and 3 R’s). District seats are supposed to reflect PRECINCT level voting.
In effect, the gerrymandered districts that exist today use heavily black democrat precincts to prop up district 4 and keep it Democrat. This is also why if you have ever looked at a district map there is a ‘horsehead’ around Beatties Ford Road.
I drew a map during the 2000 redistricting called the james-mitchell plan that would have fixed this abuse of the system by the D’s.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] US Attorney Tom Ashcraft sketches out his prescription for actual political change in Mecklenburg here. To my knowledge this represents the most detailed attempt to draw distinctions between the [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I want to begin by thanking Mr. Ashcraft for taking the time to put together his blueprint for success and for writing this very intriguing article. I would also like to thank him for his continued service to the citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. I have the utmost respect for his wisdom and leadership, and I hope that this post doesn’t confuse readers into thinking otherwise.
However, my question would be: “when are the conservative bloggers and talking heads going to begin acknowledging and publicly supporting those candidates (if they haven’t done so already), who have run on this very platform for the past few months?”
The plans laid out by Mr. Ashcraft (and many others) are spot on. However, they are the EXACT same message that some of us have been promoting and speaking about in public since February. There is nothing mentioned in the article that hasn’t been put forth by your conservative candidates on numerous occasions. Yet, there is an illusion being painted that there are no candidates who are brazen enough to run on the aforementioned blueprint for success, or, that we haven’t been promoting these very ideals all along.
The evidence is out there. We have presented a platform that mirrors the one proposed in this article. Please tell me that our willingness to speak boldly isn’t falling on deaf ears.
Are you ignoring the very solutions that you’re searching for?
Are you unwilling to even shake hands with those who carry the same message?
As your candidates, if our willingness to stand on these principles isn’t being recognized by those who should be our biggest advocates on the internet, over the air, and in print, then quite frankly, this team doesn’t stand a chance come November.
There is already a platform in play of fiscal conservatism and lower taxes, more accountability and transparency, repealing liberal programs, upholding Constitutional principles, and promoting American idealism. Instead of everyone pretending that they specifically invented the wheel, perhaps ALL of us should get on board, promote it, and ride this thing to victory. We’ve already been out there trying to convince the public that a return to conservatism is the key to rebuilding what the Libs have destroyed.
Many of the candidates made this apparent during the WTVI debate in mid-April, as well as in recent articles, and on the local airwaves. Cutting taxes and upholding 287(g) have been our ‘bread and butter’ since the beginning. I know in particular that two of us specifically discussed repealing Same-Sex Domestic Partner benefits on the televised WTVI debate, and I made it very clear that it would be one of my top priorities on the air with Pete Kaliner just before 11:00 PM on the night of the Primary.
Your candidates are right here, front and center, and we’ve been telling the citizens of Mecklenburg County for months exactly what we will do once elected. It should be no secret where we stand. But to be successful we will need your help in getting the message across loud and clear. Perpetual doubt and confusion is doing more harm than good, and uneducated voters who only hear negativity from conservative talking heads will wonder if there is even a reason to show up in November. Think about it.
Remember, one strong, united voice will resonate much louder than a thousand individuals all whispering the same thing and preaching to the drowsy choir.
Ask yourself, is it beneficial to only discuss our shared conservative ideals, or should we do more to promote and support those who are willing to put their names and reputations on the line to actually stand up and fight for them?
The fate of our ideology depends on all of us asking ourselves that very question.
Success for the conservative movement will take all of us standing shoulder-to-shoulder, in victory, and sometimes even in defeat. You can’t take credit for the wins, and then say “I told you so” after the losses. Political Judas’ are a dime-a-dozen these days, especially among us conservatives.
The conservative movement is in dire need of effective leaders, not detractors among our own ranks. Don’t help the Libs in their quest to cut our legs out from under us. Is that a saw in your hands, or a hammer?
Remember that the phrase “actions speak louder than words” applies to more than just those names that appear on the ballot. Challenge yourself and those in your circles to do more than just “talk” about victory this November.
Corey Thompson
Candidate for Mecklenburg County Commission At-Large
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] bewildered by some of the comments I’ve seen in response to Tom Ashcraft’s latest HouseGuest column. If any of the candidates running for at-large Mecklenburg County commissioner have put forth the [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0