From 2009, some context for 2015's Charlotte mayoral race

Charlotte's mayor holds a part-time position with little power, and candidates historically have aimed to appeal to voters outside of parties. This year is no different.

Also this year, much has been made of candidate Jennifer Roberts' record on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Her opponent, Edwin Peacock, also has a record worth examining from his time on the Charlotte City Council.

Here's just one small video clip, from way back in 2009, when a Democratic majority had just taken office and Republicans were feeling squeezed. The debate is about asking a committee to study four-year terms and features council members Edwin Peacock and Susan Burgess.

Here's the longer, wonky version. It captures a moment, to me, that puts to rest the idea that Peacock could indeed be an independent mayor not swayed by Republican platforms and issues.

Bonus on the long version: Charlotte's ex-mayor Patrick Cannon makes an appearance.

Salty-sweet economics: comparing Second Helping and a certain 24-hour bohemian coffee shop

In a tiny storefront in a small strip shopping cluster on Central Avenue, workers at Second Helping Charlotte hustled all day Friday to serve a crush of customers.

A volunteer from the nearby Merry Oaks neighborhood took phone orders. One employee struggled to increase her speed at the register. A bit of media coverage and a boost from social media bumped up business at the carryout restaurant that serves home-style food like fried chicken, meatloaf and desserts from Neet's Sweets. The leaders of the carryout and catering business had spread the word that the storefront just wasn't bringing in enough cash. Closing loomed.

Second Helping was started to employ women who had been incarcerated - those who faced huge obstacles to employment. So a closing meant the loss of jobs for people who had few other choices.

The higher social purpose spurred neighbors in Plaza Midwood and Merry Oaks to help - through social media, with food purchases or by giving time on site taking phone orders.

That's not an uncommon story. Why it matters now is that the surge of business fell on the same day that a beloved bohemian Charlotte coffee spot faced a social-media assault. One former worker shared a tale of perceived wage theft and time-clock shenanigans, and word again spread through Facebook, Reddit and Twitter. Other former employees joined the pile-on. Some loyal customers said they planned to avoid the coffee shop until labor questions were resolved.

The coffee shop responded late Saturday night with a Google document shared on Facebook. It tried to walk the fine line between defending itself and not commenting on a "personnel matter." It failed.

The writer said the business intentionally hired people “who are not otherwise employable,” or as one Reddit commenter called the workers, "alternative people" with tattoos and piercings.

(What exactly are "alternative people?")

By about 9 a.m. Sunday, the coffee shop's defensive post was deleted. That's a good thing, because in light of Second Helping's mission to hire formerly incarcerated women who face true employment obstacles, the words fell flat.

But this isn't a story about crisis communications or the power of social media and local TV coverage. It's a story about a changing economy, where service jobs make up a larger part of the labor force, and where the fight for a living wage has targeted chains like McDonald's and has even become part of North Carolina's U.S. Senate race.

The 24-hour coffee shop and hangout opened in 2008, amid the great economic unpleasantness. By 2011, its staff had grown to 60, and one owner visited the White House to share how it succeeded when other small businesses failed. The hangout space and bohemian environment were key - it created community in a part of town where wages were scarce and time was plentiful. Now, amid economic recovery, it's struggling with scaling up, perhaps even turning into a franchise, without losing ambiance.

One Reddit commenter defended the coffee shop, noting that it paid all employees more than minimum wage and helped with car-repair issues and an eviction problem. The shop had also given to charities without asking for receipts for tax write-offs, the commenter said.

The defense, though, echoed the paternalism of Charlotte's textile-mill past. Good service and a communal environment are hard to scale. Prior goodwill can turn into a negative social-media pile-on in an instant.

The pressure of the price of labor is increasing as North Carolina’s economy recovers. Some policy leaders say we should let Adam Smith's invisible hand of the market determine wages. In more-liberal Raleigh or Chapel Hill, the living-wage concept has spread more broadly, and service-worker pay of $10 an hour - the proposed new federal minimum wage - is common.

In Charlotte, the invisible hand is here, now, and the communication tools of Facebook, Twitter and Reddit speed its effects. That invisible hand includes many customers who support businesses with social purposes like Second Helping. Its storefront grossed $1,200 on Friday, up from an average of $100, not including donations. Those numbers pale compared to the coffee shop, but it's a start.

The beleaguered coffee shop grew in a community that once was a paternalistic mill town, in a city where industry has traditionally kept unions away by treating employees well, at least until the great re-set of recession. As the economy turns, Adam Smith's invisible hand will serve labor as well as business owners. And the often-invisible power of people who care about socially responsible spending has strengthened.

That’s a salty-sweet economic reality. It even helps alternative people.


Want to help?

Second Helping offers carryout at its Central Avenue storefront at 2903 Central Ave. It accepts pre-orders for delivery at several other locations in Charlotte. It’s an LLC formed by nonprofit Changed Choices in Charlotte. A quick look at Changed Choices’ tax forms through Guidestar for 2012 showed no issues with excessive compensation of directors.

Photo courtesy of Second Helping. (I wish I knew the worker's name - if you know it, please let me know.)

Charlotte mayor, council and school board elections for 2011: results and research

You can get direct election results from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections from today's mayor, council and school board races later tonight. Polls close at 7:30 p.m. and results will start showing up almost immediately.

Figuring out who to vote for in the 2011 elections is a little harder. You can check endorsements at The Charlotte Observer. The League of Women Voters has an extensive PDF voter guide that includes candidates for towns in Mecklenburg County.

Try getting your sample ballot from the board of elections before you hit the polls.

Here's a list of more places you can research candidates in the Charlotte elections:
NCvoterGuide.org, from UNC-TV and the N.C. Center for Voter Education.
Charlotte Observer school board candidate profiles.
Charlotte Observer city council candidate profiles and positions.
Charlotte Observer mayoral candidate profiles and positions.

For the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board race, Lisa Hundley has withdrawn for health reasons, but her name will still appear on the ballot.

2011 Charlotte early voting for city council and school board

Early voting is open in Mecklenburg County.

You can vote in downtown Charlotte at the Hal Marshall Annex or at various libraries around Charlotte. Merry Oaks voters have choices for Charlotte City Council at large and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.

Hours
Hal Marshall is open today, Oct. 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 30, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Final early voting day at that location is Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. On weekdays, the annex is open for voting from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Nov. 4. Other locations are open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Oct. 30 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Nov. 5, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Other locations:

• Beatties Ford Road Library,
2412 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte

• Hayes Building (Ballantyne),
11405 N. Community House Rd., Charlotte

• Independence Regional Library,
6000 Conference Dr., Charlotte

• Main Branch Library (Downtown),
310 N. Tryon St., Charlotte

• Matthews Branch Library,
230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

• Morrison Regional Library,
7015 Morrison Blvd., Charlotte

• Mountain Island Library,
4420 Hoyt Galvin Way, Charlotte

• North County Regional Library,
16500 Holly Crest Ln., Huntersville

• South County Regional Library,
5801 Rea Rd., Charlotte

• Steele Creek Library,
13620 Steele Creek Rd., Charlotte

• University City Regional Library,
301 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte

• West Boulevard Library,
2157 West Blvd., Charlotte

Candidates' backgrounds
The Charlotte Observer has background about the candidates for Charlotte City Council and Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board. Research here.

Charlotte election 2011: Charlotte mayor and city council candidates' forum

From an email from our friends in Coventry Woods, here are the details about Thursday night's candidate forum at Amity Presbyterian Church:

WHAT: Charlotte’s mayoral and at-large City Council candidates in the general election will field questions before the leaders of 17 or more East Charlotte neighborhood and civic organizations.

WHEN: 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: Johnson Hall, at Amity Presbyterian Church. The church is on the corner of Pierson Drive and North Sharon Amity Road – on North Sharon Amity between Independence Boulevard and Albemarle Road. The church is easy to spot. Johnson Hall is on Pierson Drive, the side street there. There is ample parking.


ABOUT THE EVENT: The East Charlotte Forum – also held in 2005, 2007 and 2009 – is the prime opportunity for citywide candidates in the general election to answer questions before the leadership and key members of neighborhood groups and other civic associations in East Charlotte. They are among the most influential voters in East Charlotte.

Groups participating include the Coventry Woods, Winterfield, Country Club Heights, Grove Park, Marlwood, Birnam Woods, Windsor Park, Merry Oaks, Brandywine, Shamrock Hills, Eastwood Acres, Idlewild Farms, Ravenwood and Plaza Eastway Partners neighborhood associations; Charlotte East Community Partners (CECP), Eastland Area Strategies Team (EAST) and Eastside Political Action Committee (E-PAC). Additional co-sponsors will be added in follow-up press releases.

This forum offers candidates the opportunity to answer questions of paramount interest to the eastern quarter of the city. The forum, with mayoral and at-large City Council candidates, begins at 7 p.m. sharp. It will last no later than 9 p.m.

At the forum, candidates will be asked identical questions and given an allotted time in which to respond.

The mayoral candidates will be be first. At-large candidates will field questions after the mayoral segment of the evening.

NEW THIS YEAR: This year, an optional after-forum event has been added: At 9 p.m., candidates and those in attendance are invited to continue their meet-and-greet and discussions at Steamer’s Bar & Grill, a family-friendly restaurant and pub several doors down Pierson, between North Sharon Amity and Albemarle. Steamer’s is providing complementary hors d’oeuvres for all who come.

Talks continue on plans for future of Independence Boulevard

Updates from a couple of other sources on discussions about transit and development along Independence Boulevard in East Charlotte:

Background by Karen Sullivan of The Charlotte Observer before a Monday hearing in front of City Council:

And a post from Larry Shaheen at CLTBlog after the hearing.

If you have further updates, feel free to share in comments.

Charlotte’s expanding Hispanic population: It’s about more than taco trucks

About 25 people gathered in a circle in a meeting room Saturday at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Central Avenue in Charlotte.

Some wore cowboy boots and hats; others wore purple tights and hair. All cheered icons from the past, like César Chávez and Martin Luther King Jr.

They passed out papers that outlined 18 bills in the N.C. General Assembly that affect undocumented people and the businesses or educational institutions that work with them.

The meeting’s primary goal was to spread the word about the legislation and to support United 4 The Dream, a youth group connected with the Latin American Coalition.

Franco Ordonez wrote in The Charlotte Observer on April 1 about the youth group’s activities to mark the birth of Chávez.

The Saturday group plans another meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 9, in Concord, at the Hispanic Learning Center 418 Kerr St., according to the Mi Gente newspaper.

While the St. Andrews group was relatively small, the 2010 census numbers show the growing strength of Hispanic residents in Charlotte and in North Carolina. Their economic strength can’t be ignored.

During the boom years in Charlotte, neighbors in places like Merry Oaks often dealt with houses in which it seemed six, eight, or 10 Hispanic construction workers lived, working to build the new towers in uptown or the split levels in the suburbs. That boom effect was national in scope, according to the New York Times.

Now, in the bust years, the Hispanic people that remain have small businesses and children in tow. They’re looking for safe schools and access to higher education, and some are moving to the suburbs when they can. They have growing economic strength, and perhaps soon, political strength.

And in Charlotte, their message is spreading, with an online campaign to loosen zoning restrictions that target taco trucks. An online petition, “Carne Asada is not a crime,” has gathered 272 signatures.

Hector Vaca, of Action NC, is one of the organizers of Saturday’s meeting. He also said he started the taco truck petition.

But Saturday’s meeting showed that this goes beyond just taco trucks.

One bill discussed in Saturday’s circle was "The Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” or HB 343.

It rolls in several provisions that require the use of E-Verify by governments, educational institutions and those who contract with them to verify the immigration status of employees.

It prohibits any undocumented person from taking a class at a community college or in any part of the University of North Carolina system.

It places barriers for anyone doing business with undocumented people, or educating them beyond high school.

So this time, it’s about much more than taco trucks, and about much more than just Charlotte.

About the map:

This slice of a census map from the New York Times shows Charlotte’s Census Tract 12, which includes the Merry Oaks neighborhood.

Green dots stand for white residents; blue dots represent black residents, orange dots stand for Hispanic residents and red dots stand for Asians.

On a micro-scale, the locations of dots are approximate.

Tracts directly to the east and southeast show greater percentages of Hispanic residents. One area near Arrowood Boulevard and Interstate 85, Tract 3804, shows a population that is 59% Hispanic.

Where to get live 2010 election results for North Carolina and Mecklenburg County

For live election results for North Carolina and Mecklenburg County, here are a few direct links to the election results from the N.C. Board of Elections, with results Tuesday night.

The election numbers include maps and precinct lists.

Here are statewide election results, including the U.S. Senate race for North Carolina with Elaine Marshall (D) and Richard Burr (R) and Michael Beitler (L), as well as the U.S. House races for the 8th District, with Larry Kissell (D), Harold Johnson (R) and Thomas Hill (L).

Here are Mecklenburg County election results, including board of county commissioners, Mecklenburg sheriff, Mecklenburg judicial races, and the Mecklenburg bonds referendum.

Here's a Mecklenburg voter turnout map.

For national election results with lovely graphics and maps, see The New York Times.

For a direct, permanent link to local, state and national news coverage in The Charlotte Observer, see The Observer's results page.

Close call between Larry Kissell and Harold Johnson for N.C. House District 8

The 8th District of North Carolina, sprawling from Charlotte center-city neighborhoods like Merry Oaks east to Fayetteville, is one of those watched to see how many House seats will switch from Democrats to Republicans nationally.

Larry Kissell, a Democrat in his first term, faces Republican Harold Johnson, a former television sports anchor, and Libertarian Thomas Hill. Kissell narrowly unseated Republican Robin Hayes in 2008 in the district that has traditionally voted Republican for this race.

FiveThirtyEight, a polling aggregation site affiliated with The New York Times, narrowly gives the race to Johnson. Early voting charts provided by The Civitas Vote Tracker, part of the Civitas Institute, a conservative organization, show details about early voting, if you'd like to read tea leaves.

We shall see, Tuesday night.

Background on the race from The Charlotte Observer's Jim Morrill, on Oct. 17.

Charlotte voting information

Here's a Google gadget to help you find out where and how to vote on Nov. 2.

Let me know how it works for you. Information about early voting locations is available separately from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, in a PDF document.

Where to get runoff election results for North Carolina and Charlotte

For Tuesday evening runoff election results in North Carolina and Charlotte, see the Mecklenburg Board of Elections site. This link takes you directly to the results page.

Runoff election is Tuesday in Charlotte: U.S. Senate, Eighth District Congressional races

Tuesday's election runoff in Charlotte gives voters the chance to be heard, loudly, because turnout is expected to be very low. Your vote will count.

Democrats and Republicans each have one race on the runoff ballot, and unaffiliated voters can vote in one of those races as well.

Your options:

Democrats
For U.S. Senate:
Cal Cunningham
Elaine Marshall

Republicans
For U.S. House, District 8, candidates are:
Tim D'Annunzio
Harold Johnson

Unaffiliated voters who voted Democratic in the first primary can vote in the Democratic runoff.
Unaffiliated voters who voted Republican in the first primary can vote in the Republican runoff.
Unaffiliated voters who did not vote in the first primary can choose whether to vote in the Democratic runoff or Republican runoff.

Republican voters in the nearby 12th Congressional district have a runoff choice as well:
Scott Cumbie
Greg Dority

For all results, see the Mecklenburg Board of Elections site on Tuesday night.

Polling place for Merry Oaks is Precinct 29, at Merry Oaks Elementary School. Voting hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to board of elections documents.

Mecklenburg residents look at how government spends money and find interesting numbers

As news of closings and layoffs because of budget woes hits staffers and users of schools and libraries in Mecklenburg County, reporter April Bethea of The Charlotte Observer wrote a post asking residents to help cut money elsewhere.

This money talk on the surface is not sexy stuff, but money for everyone will continue to tighten in the next fiscal year, endangering county services and the employment of some of our neighbors into 2011 and beyond.

As of Wednesday morning, Bethea had about 45 responses, and some provided surprising details. Commenter JAT, who appears to be Jeff Taylor of the conservative Meck Deck blog, shared some shocking numbers of money paid to cab services for transportation for the Department of Social Services in the previous fiscal year. He provided a PDF link to one document, from Fiscal Year 2008-09, that showed two cab companies getting $4.5 million combined in reimbursements. The DSS spending document, a detailed 1,311 pages, is available now on Google Docs.

And yes, $4.5 million:
$2,302,372 for Crown Cab Co.
$2,249,903 for AA Prestige Taxi Service,
in Fiscal Year 2008-2009.

One line item for AA Prestige shows a bill dated Oct. 6, 2008, for Medicaid transportation services for trips from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, seven days, at a cost of $35,376.71, or about $5,000 per day.

Many of those payments, however, were attributed to Medicaid and the N.C. Department of Transportation’s ROAP, which I think is the Rural Operating Assistance Program, funded by federal money passed through the state.

That federal Medicaid transportation money is supposed to be managed at the county level, according to one state document available on Google Docs. This document, a report by the Department of Health and Human Services, shared an examination of Medicaid management by North Carolina and suggested “areas of vulnerability,” in December 2008, during the same period of the high payments to the two cab companies.

One area of vulnerability: “Not adequately conducting oversight of the NEMT program.” NEMT is non-emergency medical transportation program.

The document says that each county in North Carolina is responsible for its own NEMT program, but oversight could be better:

“DMA (the N.C. Division of Medical Assistance) has advised that they have not consistently checked on whether the counties verify delivery of services, check for exclusions, and request disclosures regarding owners and managing employees."

Total state NEMT payments during Fiscal year 2007 were more than $33 million, which was offset against each county’s share of Medicaid reimbursement, the document says, and a review examined one month of services in 60 counties for 2002 to 2007. The review showed $38,380 in billing inconsistencies during that month and numerous procedural issues.

The report recommended consistent oversight of the NEMT program, including guidance to the counties to verify the delivery of services billed, recover overpayments identified in the state’s review and return the federal share. The document also calls for a statewide audit.

So the large numbers in the local DSS budget paid to cab companies in Mecklenburg County likely are mostly federal dollars, and are merely documented on Mecklenburg County’s social services budget. Scrutiny of them won’t save library and school jobs.


But Bethea’s smart call for ideas and the responses from readers have unearthed some interesting hints of other ways tax money could be spent more wisely. Her method also shows a way that county residents can sort through information overload to help keep an eye on government spending. Jeff Taylor of the Meck Deck deserves credit for examining the document and raising the issue.

N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue has plans for a press conference today to announce a plan to oversee Medicaid spending, according to a Twitter feed from her office. Some details of the Medicaid plan are available at WRAL.

How did U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell vote on health care?

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, who represents Merry Oaks and the 8th District, voted against the health care measure on Sunday evening.

Links for more information: The Charlotte Observer
Kissell’s words, in The Fayetteville Observer
Background at UnderOak

Opinion: Focus on the numbers as emotional budget woes hit Charlotte hard

Thursday’s county budget drama focused on libraries, with the news that about half the Charlotte library branches will close in two weeks and 140 people will be laid off. The branch closest to Merry Oaks, Plaza Midwood, has been spared, but the ripple effects of layoffs will affect us all.

Outrage from book lovers on Twitter ran strong, and library staffers immediately pointed reading fans to a donation site and a Facebook fan page. At this point, it’s unclear whether those donations will prevent branch closings.

A few people remained skeptical, though, about the emotional appeal. Those who have watched budget talks over the years in Mecklenburg County have seen proposed cuts targeted at our county’s most valued institutions. The drama seems designed to soften up the largest number of employees, friends and family to be open to the idea of raising taxes.

But in this Great Recession year, I suggest some caution. Raising taxes can endanger struggling families as much as the ripple effect of county layoffs. And buried deep in budget documents are places where cuts can be made with less impact on the community.

Digging into the budget documents, however, takes time and effort by individuals and county employees, and often the numbers are quite unclear.

The budget document for last fiscal year was a book, 613 pages long and 24.7 megs of PDF download, printed in full color with photos and promotional information as well as numbers (at a cost of what?). Very few Mecklenburg residents, or perhaps even county commissioners, can dig through that book and find the hidden corners where money could be cut without affecting county residents as much as libraries or schools. A more filtered, clear presentation of the numbers might give residents and commissioners an easier way of finding other money to cut.

Yet to come: A likely crisis and emotional appeal to save our schools from similar budget cuts. Last year’s problem caused teachers to be laid off and then asked to return two months later when federal money arrived. Many teachers chose to avoid the drama and move into other opportunities. Let’s hope this year doesn’t include a repeat.

Throughout the drama, some numbers remain clear: This recession hits lower-paid employees harder than those with higher salaries, and the ripple effect of that pattern affects everyone. That pattern has been common in private industry; it doesn’t have to be the pattern in our local government.


Links for digging deeper:
Salaries for county, city and school employees, from The Charlotte Observer.

Current budget documents from Mecklenburg County.

2009-2010 budget document, (the big one of 24.7 megs. It’ll take you two hours to skim through.)

2008-2009 budget documents, (a svelte 10 megs).

Donation page for the library.

Crossroads Charlotte job discussion report, with tips and noting the disparities of who is affected most by unemployment.

Image: Cover of the 24.7 meg, 613-page budget book for 2009-2010

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell’s vote on health care

The battle for the health care vote for U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, who represents Merry Oaks and the sprawling 8th District, still seems up in the air.

Television ads from the Employers for a Health Economy are airing regularly during evening newscasts asking people to call Kissell’s office and urge a vote against the health care bill, and emails from Democratic organizations continue to hit inboxes.

Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, gives some context to the television ad.

For updates, you can also check BlueNC, which is publishing open letters from constituents, and you can also check stories from reporter Jim Morrill at The Charlotte Observer about the 8th District primary and election.

Charlotte neighborhoods petition to support trees

Now circulating through the center-city neighborhood email groups:
A petition supporting Charlotte’s street trees.

The petition asks city council members to put a line item of $500,000 in next year’s budget to fund street-tree maintenance and replanting.

Charlotte used to be called “The City of Trees,” and apparently some residents still want it that way.

Discussions about strengthening the city’s tree ordinance are under way, and developers talked at a recent city council public hearing about their increased costs if the rules tighten. Read Mary Newsom’s Naked City for more details. And see the tree ordinance background from Susan Stabley of the Charlotte Business Journal.

Now back to the tree email.

From Debra Glennon of the Dilworth Neighborhood Environment Committee:
“We're planning give a presentation to City Council at their March 22 meeting, and give them the signed petition and letters from neighborhood associations. Only if we get a strong show of support will we get the council's attention for this very important issue.”

Chantilly Neighborhood Association members are also circulating the request.

Suggestion, if you want to sign the petition: Include your real name and your ZIP code. Anonymous signings won’t help.

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell faces pressure on health care vote

U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, who represents Merry Oaks and other areas in the 8th District of North Carolina, was one of a few Democrats who in November voted against a House bill to change health care.

As the health-care issue hits prime time this week, it’s possible Kissell will vote against it again, writes Jim Morrill of The Charlotte Observer.

Kissell faces one Democratic challenger in the May 4 primary, Nancy Shakir, who backs the House reform bill. All six Republican candidates for the seat oppose Democratic health care proposals, according to Morrill. One Libertarian candidate, Thomas Hill, has also filed for the seat.

According to a Talking Points Memo story in early January, few voters knew he opposed the earlier form of the bill, and his "no" did not hurt him in the polls at the time.

Background links, including donation information, from November 2009.

Remember the goal when talking about rezoning and Ballantyne low-income housing

Ballantyne residents are fighting a rezoning request that could bring low-income housing to their Charlotte neighborhood. A meeting with the developer of the property at Providence Road West and Johnston Road got quite heated on Feb. 22. A hearing on the rezoning petition goes before the Charlotte City Council on March 18.

You can read or watch plenty more about issue elsewhere with links below. While the petition likely has quite a few opponents that fall into the not-in-my-back-yard camp, I suspect other issues are relevant as well. The chart above illustrates the tax-credit method that would help finance the Charlotte low-income housing project. Suspicion is high these days when it comes to complicated financing methods, and plenty of housing around the city remains vacant, for sale or for rent.

So consider this a jumping-off point to explore the issue of affordable housing more deeply if you wish. This Ballantyne housing project is not Section 8 housing, which has been an issue for the east side of Charlotte.

Remember January 2008, when a man was killed near low-income apartments not too far from Merry Oaks. That incident spurred talks and memos about safety at the complex. Since then, the apartments have been quiet, safe and well-maintained. Police, neighbors and complex management all deserve credit.

And that's the goal: providing safe, affordable housing for those who need it, and keeping surrounding neighborhoods safe as well.

Nimbyism isn't the answer. Affordable housing has to go somewhere. But it's wise to scrutinize how we spend tax money and how we support people in low-income housing.


References:

Video stream from Ballantyne Scoop from the Feb. 22 meeting.
Charlotte Observer story about the Feb. 22 meeting.
Rezoning petition 2010-021.
The law and the rezoning from The Charlotte Business Journal.
Developers' backgrounds from The Charlotte Business Journal (might require subscription).
Other affordable housing developments from The Charlotte Business Journal.
Wikipedia on the tax credit.
State information about the tax credit.

Should people be able to search Mecklenburg County property records by name?

Mecklenburg County is conducting a survey on whether it should remove the ability to search by name for property owners in the county. And officials are also looking for feedback from "power users" of the online property records system for future development of the county's property records search tool.

For background, check a story in the The Charlotte Business Journal.

My personal opinion on the name search: Keeping government records open and accessible to all is important. Some people apparently are concerned about safety when anyone can search property records by name. I suspect that if this search method is taken away, someone else will just step in to provide the service for a fee to those who can afford it. These days, if someone wants to find out where you live, even without an online name search capability for your property records, they can find you. And the advantages to all of being able to track absentee landlords or other property owners enhance transparency, safety and community as a whole, outweighing some individuals' concerns.

Your two cents may vary, and I encourage you to take the survey.

If you're a "power user" of the POLARIS property records online tool, consider attending a focus group at 9:30 a.m. Monday.