Commission Cage Match – Round II: Cogdell vs. Roberts
It was almost a year ago when Mecklenburg Commissioner Harold Cogdell seemed poised to pull off a palace coup, challenging fellow Democrat Jennifer Roberts for the chairmanship of the board of commissioners she had held for the last two terms. Aligned with the board’s four Republican minority members, Cogdell appeared to have the votes needed to make it happen; but in the end, Cogdell effectively withdrew his bid by voting for Roberts as chairman and Republican Jim Pendergraph as vice chairman, a bipartisan coupling that won approval from the board.
Earlier this month Roberts announced she did not intend to seek another term on the board next year. Enter Cogdell with another bid for chairman. He e-mailed commissioners today with a pitch for their support, calling for a change in board leadership, one week before the board is scheduled to vote next Tuesday on its chair and vice chair.
Cogdell’s missive was returned in short order with a volley from Roberts, who blasted out her own e-mail to commissioners to let them know she intends to seek another stint as chairman, and explain why her bid deserved their support:
Fellow commissioners
Until today, I was not aware there would be another candidate for commission chair, but I am glad that we are working in the open on this.
I would like to continue to serve you and this community as the chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission.
As you know, several weeks ago I had stated that I do not plan to seek re-election, but that I would like to continue to serve in my last year as your chair. There is still much work ahead and I have never shied away from hard work, including committee work or community meetings, and have travelled in the region and the state to help protect everything from our regional transportation plan, to our air and water quality, and to our job growth and workforce development. I quit another part time job several years ago in order to allot more of my professional time to county business and to serving this county. There is still much work to do in the coming year on many issues and I am committed to continuing to work with all commissioners, to represent this county on regional, state and national boards, to meet with community groups, and to continue to work toward bi-partisan support on many of the challenging issues we have faced, whether it be our budget or compensation for our manager. We have worked together well and had unanimous votes on many tough issues and I have appreciated everyone’s contributions, both individually and collectively.
I have also personally been part of the team, over the past 5 years, that has visited all three rating agencies in NY to tell the Mecklenburg County story and work to maintain our AAA rating. I also credit our finance director and manager for solid work in these presentations, and the board for its support of our financial policies, and we should all be grateful that in a time when many counties are on the brink of disaster, we have maintained solid financial footing.
I worked alongside Mr. Cogdell to help in his re-election in 2010 and I believe that he has been a strong public servant. There were 6,000 more voters in Mecklenburg County who supported me over him in the election of that year, however, and I believe that we should continue to honor their voices.
I have read Mr. Cogdell’s letter and do not find much there that differentiates what I believe and what I would support from his beliefs and positions.
As for board committees, we all play a role in making them successful. I did choose to ask Mr. Cogdell to serve as chair of one of the most powerful committees, the Economic Development Committee, because I thought he would serve well and also because I wanted him to increase his contacts with the business community and thereby have a more solid footing in his next election. I believe in mentoring others and in helping them fulfill their goals by extending their connections and their expertise, and I will continue to do so as I go through public service. Professional development for younger people is something again we can all help with. If anyone has had an issue with committee assignments, they have been able to come to me to request a change.
I would be happy to discuss this further with anyone who would like. I am, as always, open and accessible to all members of the board.
Thank you
Jennifer Roberts
For his part, Cogdell outlined six areas he would tackle as priorities if elected chairman. Included in the mix: long-term debt management to include lowering the county’s per-capita debt load with an eye toward a possible reduction in the overall tax rate; and establishing better “communication, transparency and accountability” with the county’s community partners, i.e. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Central Piedmont Community College, and the public library system. The whole letter can be found here.
“Tradition has its place, but like all things needs to continuously be examined to determine if it remains warranted,” Cogdell wrote his fellow commissioners. “I wish to express that I have not and will not promise or pledge my support for or against any issue in exchange for any Commissioner’s support of me for Chairman.”
The board is scheduled to vote next Tuesday for its chairman and vice chairman, which leaves plenty of time for politicking and pontificating on the merits, or lack thereof, of Cogdell’s latest run on Roberts.
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