John Lassiter

Last week candidates for local office filed campaign finance reports and the news was good for Charlotte mayoral candidate, Anthony Foxx. He leads his Republican opponent in money raised and cash on hand. In the latest filing period, Foxx reports raising almost $250,000 and Lassiter reports raising $137,000. As of mid October, Foxx had $267,000 on hand with Lassiter having $184,000. It wasn't long ago the Lassiter campaign was touting its superior fundraising numbers.

Last Thursday I had the great pleasure of attending the 80th Annual Mallard Creek Barbecue. I've written about the event before. It is a must-do on the political calendar in Mecklenburg County each year. The weather was beautiful and the cars lined up for miles to drive through to pick up their boxed lunches or to park and enjoy the gathering crowd.

Diners had a choice of two lines - political and not political. Most chose to walk through the political line. It's a tradition. Candidates and their supporters stand and shake hands and pass out campaign literature. Pictured at left is Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem, Democratic National Committeewoman and Charlotte City Council At-Large candidate Susan Burgess. Susan should have no trouble at the polls on Tuesday

The event started back in 1929 when men of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church held a meeting to decide how to raise money to pay for their new Sunday School building. A pig had been barbecued for the meeting and it was decided that later that year they would have a gathering of the church members and surrounding community and sell barbecue to raise money. Proceeds in the first year were about $89. A plate of barbecue and Brunswick Stew today costs $9.

The church is not located on the property where the event is held, but there are several structures, fields and a new well-lit baseball diamond. Throughout the year local community groups and boy scout troops hold meetings and other events there. I'm sure a large part of the building space is used to store all of the tables and chairs.

Hello! I'm the Anthony Foxx for Mayor blogger, and I wanted to share some of what's been going on in the race. Including: More debate shenanigans from Republican candidate John Lassiter, and the HUGE difference between the candidates' views on Charlotte's relationship to the rest of the state (hint: Democrat Anthony Foxx accepts that Charlotte is, in fact, part of North Carolina). Read all about it at www.anthonyfoxxformayor.blogspot.com! Thanks, and spread the word -- Anthony Foxx for Charlotte mayor on Nov. 3!

FoxxIn09

The Charlotte Observer editorial board announced yesterday that it is endorsing Anthony Foxx for the Charlotte mayoral race.

In the end, though, we back Foxx. We think he is a better fit for what Charlotte needs at this point in its evolution as a city.

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We believe the next mayor needs to be unusually adept at connecting with residents and uniting a diverse community. He needs to use the mayor's office as a bully pulpit. He should set the agenda and tackle our city's toughest problems with new solutions. He must reach out to our neighbors in the region, in Raleigh and in Washington to seek collaborative approaches. He needs to imbue the city with confidence that we can navigate through this daunting time and emerge stronger than before. He should not do things the way we've always done them.

This is one of the few times lately that I find I agree with the Charlotte Observer editorial board.

John Lassiter is still avoiding cameras which causes a problem for residents of Charlotte who don't have the time, transportation or desire to grab a map of Charlotte and head out to a candidate forum. We heard last week that Lassiter had cancelled his appearance at the televised WTVI/League of Women Voter's candidate debate.

The Charlotte Observer editorial board thought it was a sign of John flexing his muscle, but to many of the rest of us it simply looked like he was scared for the people of Charlotte to see there actually are differences between him and Anthony Foxx. Personally, I think he may be a little too scared that folks will see he is actually too much like Pat McCrory and there is some major McCrory fatigue going around Charlotte.

Charlotte Republican mayoral candidate, John Lassiter, has surrendered. He’s thrown up his hands and is walking away from an opportunity to inform Charlotte voters about his experience and his vision for the city.

Lassiter doesn’t offer a prior professional, family or personal obligation as an excuse for missing the League of Women Voter’s televised debate. No, Lassiter has apparently decided he doesn’t want to have to face challenges to any statements he makes during the debate. He has pulled out over the number of rebuttals.

Of course, that should come as no surprise based on Lassiter’s past behavior and the way he is running his campaign. Over the past several weeks John Lassiter has failed to participate in pre-debate discussions with host organizations.

Cross-posted from NCPolitico

A couple of weeks ago Anthony Foxx held a press conference in support of the proposed streetcar in Charlotte. I attended to support my mother, Patsy Kinsey, who stood by Foxx as he spoke. She was given an opportunity to speak and did so, reinforcing her support of the streetcar which will go right through her district and will help promote economic development in underserved areas of the community.

Back to Anthony...I haven't always been impressed with him and I admit it was for superficial reasons. I have always admitted he is smart - brilliant, actually - and he does care very much for Charlotte. Finally, at this press conference, I heard a mayor speaking. He was clear, concise and firm.