There’s a tried and true maxim in high stakes poker, which successful card sharks ignore at their own peril: don’t bluff unless you’re willing to lose the pot. With that as a guiding principle, consider Gov. Pat McCrory’s recent use of his newly won bully pulpit as leverage to dissuade Charlotte city councilmembers from moving […]
During Tuesday night’s meeting of the Mecklenburg County Young Republicans, I was able to ask Senator Jeff Tarte and Representative Bill Brawley whether they would vote to allow Charlotte to raise taxes in order to fund the private, for profit, enterprise known as the Carolina Panthers. From Republicans, I would have hoped for and expected […]
Just when you thought Mecklenburg County’s flawed 2011 property tax revaluation Big Heist couldn’t possibly get any more criminally incompetent and professionally bungled, we learn that yet another shoe might be about to drop. It starts with an email that Commissioner Karen Bentley received from a constituent expressing concern over the county’s recently hired new […]
Grassroots organization WidenI77.org sponsored a public forum last night at the Cornelius Town Hall to discuss the state’s current plan for widening I-77 through the Lake Norman area using HOT, or high occupancy toll lanes. Well over 125 were in attendance and their ranks included concerned citizens, elected officials, and employees of the NC Department […]
North Mecklenburg saw the addition of new Republican leadership in the area this week. Monday night, former Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte took the oath of office to become Senator Tarte as the area’s Senator in the General Assembly. As Senator, Tarte represents the new NC Senate 41 district created as part of the last round of […]
This past year saw several victories for grassroots activism and activists in Mecklenburg County. Yes, there were defeats, and if you are a conservative some of those defeats are hard to swallow. But here are a few of the victories which owe their success in large part to citizen activism. Remember them. Use them when a challenge seems […]
A micro-social philanthropy movement hit the holidays last year at stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart, when people across the country took to anonymously paying off layaway accounts for families in need, all in the spirit of Christmas giving. The so-called “layaway angels” made an appearance in Charlotte, including one group led by Brianne Willard, Curtis […]
Common Americans United to Inspire OUR Nation (CAUTION) announced today that the organization is actively encouraging its members and fellow citizens to proactively contact local and state elected officials to voice opposition to reports that public subsidies may be made available to the Carolina Panthers NFL Football franchise. CAUTION President Dennis Peterson voiced his position […]
Al Capone and John Gotti could have learned a thing or two from Mecklenburg County officials. The two mob bosses clocked hard time for running organized criminal enterprises that reaped millions of dollars through theft, extortion and racketeering; county officials in Mecklenburg get off with a slap on the wrist and another chance behind the […]
Is ‘hack’ still an acceptable moniker for taxicab drivers, or am I hopelessly behind the PC curve? In any event, you know you have a tough job when it involves cleaning up the bodily fluids of your customers. At least in Charlotte, taxicab drivers will soon be able to reap a little extra compensation for […]
