Cherne/Ridenhour District 5 Runoff Recap
One-stop early voting is underway for the July 17 slate of runoff elections, including the hotly contested GOP tilt between Sarah Cherne and Matthew Ridenhour for the District 5 seat on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. Ridenhour and Cherne were the top vote-getters in the May 8 primary, but neither managed to crack the magic 40 percent-plus one threshold required to advance to the general election; Ridenhour won 34.49 percent of the vote against Cherne’s 33.01 percent, with a scant 281 votes separating them.
The winner of the runoff moves on to face Democrat Paula Harvey in November; but in the Republican-heavy south Charlotte district, most political prognosticators agree that next week’s match is likely for all the marbles.
With that in mind, we figured now would be a good time to reacquaint PH readers with the two candidates, via the Q&A primer that we ran for the primary. To wit:
Do you support the movement to have parts of South Charlotte splinter from the city to form a new town?
Cherne: As a candidate, I have had significant opportunity to engage with many people who live in south Charlotte and are distressed at the high taxes being paid by Districts 5 & 6. I believe that the desire to leave the city of Charlotte is symptomatic of the concern the citizens of the south have regarding the direction of the city and county in regards to spending initiatives and future taxation. Since the role of Commissioner is to represent the people, I am in support of this movement if this is what a majority of the people of this community desire to do.
Ridenhour: No, I do not support the effort. If I lived in South Charlotte, south of say, Highway 51 or 485, I would probably be supportive of the movement. However, I think for the residents of District 5, such a move would be very bad in the long term. Without the revenue from those parts of South Charlotte, I believe the city would rely even more heavily on the residents of District 5 for tax revenue. Further, such a move would be an irreversible course of action, which allow no further exploration of ways to correct the underlying illness in the system. The frustration stems from their high taxes, and disproportionate dollars which come back to the community. This is unacceptable and needs to be addressed. However, I believe there are options, such as zero-based budgeting, which will help alleviate some of these frustrations, cut spending, and lower taxes. Let’s not be quick to pull the patient off of life support, while there are still options on the table.
Should Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools receive an additional $27.5 million in county funding as part of its budget request?
Ridenhour: I believe it is unacceptable that teachers have not had a cost of living adjustment since the 2008-2009 school year. Teachers are our most valuable assets in our schools, and we must ensure that our best and brightest are being compensated for their efforts. However, I believe CMS needs to prioritize staff cost of living adjustments, and not seek to receive additional funding from the county. CMS needs to look within their own budget, prioritize this spending, and provide for their teachers from their own budget.
Cherne: I am not a proponent of CMS receiving additional money from county funding to support its operational budget. I realize that the additional request is purported to support a deserved cost of living increase to the teachers of CMS, which I believe is important and should be a top priority of CMS management and their elected body; however, CMS must find this raise within the confines of their current budget as the requested increase would mean a tax increase to the citizens of the county. In light of the concerns, issues and challenges with the recent revaluation and the difficulty of many who are already paying a phenomenally high tax and are under appeal, it would be unjust to place more burdens on the taxpayers. If this is a priority to CMS, they must find a way to support their most important asset within their current budget.
Editor’s note: Commissioners ended up giving CMS a $9.5 million increase, with $18.5 million stuck in a contingency fund for teacher pay raises.
What are three initiatives or budget items that you would champion to specifically help District 5?
Cherne:
– Taxes/Property Revaluation: From my travels across District 5, the recent tax revaluation and the impact it has had on the property values and consequently the tax burden of the residents would be my number one item to champion. Many of the reassessed property values are vastly higher than the current fair market value of homes in our community. This disparity is harmful to the taxpayer, to the real estate market and to the community on the whole. I propose that the county support a realignment of property values by supporting another assessment and then insisting that this process happen on a cyclical basis to insure continuity and consistency.
– CMS: I believe that we (as commissioners) are accountable to the taxpayer for the un-mandated support that is annually requested of the Commission. It is my belief that the additional funds, if given, must be tracked and accounted for rather than the funds being “dumped” into CMS’s general operating fund. It is then impossible to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the additional funds or determine if the funds were used for the purported purpose. I am also in support of these funds being set aside and administered by the Commission and released as CMS shows a need. I believe in public education and know that we all agree that the education of our children is critical to our community and the future success of our nation. To that end, it is a right of every child who resides within our borders; however, as a governing body, it is our duty to insure that every dollar spent is utilized wisely and is obtaining a return on the investment for the taxpayer.
– Accountability and vision: I believe that both of these go hand in hand. It has been said that without vision, people perish. We must have a vision for what we want this county to look like. We can then determine the components of that vision and benchmark for success. Vision allows the commission to stay on target with spending priorities and also allows for accountability to insure that we “get what we pay for” when we support a social service program. Setting spending priorities is difficult without vision as there are significant needs within our community and many if not all appear to be worthy. Vision allows the commission to work as a collective team to insure we fulfill our obligations to the people we represent and ultimately serve.
Ridenhour:
– Zero-based budgeting: ZBB has been used across the country (most recently, and notably, Phoenix) to identify under performing programs and to reduce government spending. ZBB works, is proven, and is effective. It WILL cut spending.
– Lower taxes: Once we have cut some of the wasteful spending from the county’s budget, we will then be able to lower taxes because the county will not need so much revenue. Republicans always talk about lowering taxes. I have a plan that works.
– “Re-eval the reval”: We need to re-evaluate the revaluation process. When I knock on doors and folks tell me they are going to put their home up for sale because they can no longer afford the taxes, this is unacceptable. I propose an independent, outside agency to conduct the revaluations, and to provide their findings to the Assessor’s office. I also believe a citizen’s committee should be formed to provide input to the county regarding issues with the process which residents are experiencing.
Do you support the proposal to split Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools into three smaller, locally controlled school districts?
Ridenhour: I think the idea of splitting CMS into ISDs is certainly an idea worth exploring. Smaller, localized government tends to be better government, and the disparity between per-pupil spending between the suburban and urban schools is alarming, and needs to be addressed. That said, I am concerned that if the North and South districts split from CMS, then the Central district (of which District 5 would be a part) would bear an ever-increasing share of the tax burden to fund the Central district. I have not read anything which reassures me that the split into ISDs would not result in eventual higher taxes for District 5, so at this time I am against the idea. Again, I do think it is an interesting discussion, and there are some merits to the argument for splitting CMS.
Cherne: I support the school board, the commission and the communities involved to investigate a new way of operating our school system, as what we are doing is currently not working. I have had an opportunity to talk to teachers, parents, volunteers, political leaders and concerned community citizens regarding CMS and its future. What is apparent is that WE MUST think differently, and set aside territory, ego and any other hindrances to evaluate and determine a pathway to success. If this path (break up the current system into smaller locally controlled school systems), supported by facts show this organizational change would support educational excellence, I would be in support.
Should the county provide financial incentives to companies as a way to promote economic development in Mecklenburg?
Cherne: In general, I am not a proponent of tax incentives. History and facts show that when the overall tax structure is low, this alone incentivizes business investment. An issue with tax incentives, is that it rewards certain businesses to move here while offers no “tax benefit” to companies who are already investing in North Carolina by paying taxes, supporting the local economy and supplying jobs to our citizens. Tax incentives have a “cap” since we can only “afford” so many business investments, and yet if we established a very low tax environment, this alone, would encourage many businesses to move to our state. A lower tax environment would encourage business investment organically, producing significantly more jobs, which would employ more people and address the current double-digit unemployment. Lower taxes overall produces a win-win for our citizens, corporate entities, and the community at large while tax incentives address the needs of only a few.
Ridenhour: No, I am not in favor of providing financial incentives as a way to promote economic development, or to lure companies to choose Mecklenburg for relocation. Mecklenburg is at a disadvantage compared to surrounding counties because of our tax rate, and for years we have seen “Meck Flight” to Union, Gaston, and York counties. It is my belief that if we curb our spending, and thereby lower our taxes, we can have a community with a high quality of life, and more affordable taxes. Good schools, safe communities, and low taxes are a great recipe for encouraging economic development, but it will take hard work and thinking outside of the box to accomplish these goals.
What are three items you would cut from the county’s budget?
Ridenhour: 1) Funding to pet projects like NASCAR HOF and the proposed baseball stadium; 2) Funding to social programs from which illegal immigrants benefit; our citizens’ dollars should help those who are here legally, not to those who are breaking the law; 3) Any redundant programs; I advocate to consolidate, then cut.
Cherne: 1) Restoration of the 3% 401K employer match; 2) Business investment grants/development agreements; 3) Any social service program that is not producing expected outcomes and a return on investment
Do you support city/county consolidation?
Cherne: I am not a proponent of consolidating both the city and county functions. I believe that to be efficient, both bodies should unite where possible in regards to operational functions and this has already been done on both “back office” and taxation. Overall, I believe that consolidation allows an opportunity for a smaller number of people to assume more control and moves government further away from the people. Having the two elected bodies (city and county) is important to insure proper representation in government, which is the purpose of an elected official.
Ridenhour: I am against city/county consolidation. Naturally, if there exists a redundancy of services, then I believe those departments should consolidate. However as a whole, I do not believe the city and county should consolidate. I believe that consolidation would lead to bloated government, opportunities for corruption, and cronyism. These are three things Mecklenburg cannot afford.
Should the county conduct an outside audit/review of the revaluation process?
Ridenhour: Absolutely! I would like to explore the idea of an independent outside agency conducting the revaluations in the future. The county has a natural bias to inflate the property valuations, because the county needs revenue for its programs. I believe an outside agency conducting the revaluations would not have this natural bias, and may therefore provide more accurate property valuations. The process certainly needs to be improved. I have met people who are going to put their homes up for sale because they cannot afford the new tax rate. This is unacceptable, and encourages “Mecklenburg Flight” to Union, Gaston, and York counties. This also discourages businesses and people to relocate to Mecklenburg, and makes us less competitive with surrounding counties.
Cherne: As mentioned above, yes. Due to the inconsistencies and issues discovered in the recent revaluation, it is critical that the county utilize an outside audit to complete the review and this be completed as soon as possible.
Editor’s note: Subsequent to the primary, the board of commissioners voted to pursue an outside review of the reval process.
How will you vote on Amendment One?
Cherne: I am proponent of Amendment One which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. As a professional who has worked with the broken family for over 15 years, I have seen the devastating effects that the breakdown of the American family has caused in the lives of many who experience it in our nation. As a professional in this field, research and evidence show that youth who grow up without two parents in the home (father and mother) are more likely to engage in behavior that hinders personal success. Many of the programs currently funded by the taxpayer in Mecklenburg County are in existence as a result of the devastating effects of the breakdown of the family. These evidences are proof that we must uphold our greatest and most basic asset in America, the family.
Ridenhour: This is a question which I’ve been torn over for some time. The libertarian streak in me says that government should have no jurisdiction over religious terms such as marriage. Then I began to look at it like this: With ObamaCare we have seen that the government is willing to tell the church that it must provide contraception, even if it goes against their morals and beliefs. So, we know that the government is willing to tell the church how it will conduct business. Knowing that, let’s look at the marriage amendment. Let’s say the amendment does not pass. There are laws on the books in NC which ban same-sex marriages. At some point our NC Supreme Court will have a more liberal composition, and I believe those liberal judges will attempt to legislate from the bench to strike down those laws as unconstitutional (and they would be able to, because there would be nothing in the NC Constitution to say otherwise). Once those laws are struck down, I believe the government will eventually tell the clergy that they must marry same-sex couples, because they are protected by law. And why should I believe that the government will not do so? We already know they will with ObamaCare, so it’s not a stretch to say that they will do so for marriage. I believe this vote is as much a protection of the churches First Amendment rights as much as it is about defining marriage. So after much consideration, I will be voting Yes to the Marriage Amendment.
Editor’s note: Amendment One passed – big.
Do you support Center City Partners’ 2020 Vision Plan, as it relates to applicable county funding and participation?
Ridenhour: I appreciate the long-term goals and objectives of the plan, and I believe it is a useful tool to determine how we wish to shape our future. However, I am not in favor of it being an unofficial guideline for how the county will spend the taxpayers’ dollars.
Cherne: I am hesitant to support the 2020 plan in terms of funding from the county as there are so many other priorities in the community that are not being addressed as we “built” the uptown infrastructure. The plan purports to bring significant revenue in property tax from both business and residential growth but at a significant expense (as seen by the recent proposal of the city manager for a tax increase to implement many of the measures of the plan). I also believe that the focus to build “Uptown” with the tax dollars of those who live in the highest tax portions of the county (districts 1, 5, & 6) is NOT what a majority of the constituency who live in these areas feel is a top priority.
Is the board of commissioners appropriately using taxpayer dollars to fund parks, greenways and libraries?
Cherne: In reviewing the 2012 budget, 2.64% of the County budget is set aside for library, park, fields and recreation services. It is also indicated that in this particular budget year, there has been an increase in funding to the libraries to keep branches open and for longer hours as well as an increase in Park & Rec to restore services that were previously closed and to restore some positions. I have talked to many people in D5 and libraries and Park & Rec are mentioned as very important to the community. I believe that it is imperative our government implement measures to keep our costs of services efficient where possible. One option may be to look at our library operations and close buildings that have been found to be inefficient and costly to operate, such as the current Uptown branch. The services of the library and Parks & Rec are important, and to that end we must insure that we are operating every branch and component of these programs efficiently.
Ridenhour: No. Too many dollars are going to Uptown projects and development, and not enough dollars back to District 5.
BONUS ROUND:
What model of car do you drive?
Ridenhour: I drive a 1999 Toyota 4Runner, and I like to tinker on my 1973 Ford Bronco.
Cherne: 2010 Mercedes C300
What was the last book you read?
Cherne: “The Way of Wisdom” by James McDonald
Ridenhour: Gosh, I wish I could say something like “Ulysses.” Instead, I must answer truthfully, “Game of Thrones.”
What’s your favorite movie?
Ridenhour: Cold Mountain
Cherne: Braveheart
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