Wonder if the party wanted one?
Conservative activist Martin Davis, 49, announced his intention to run at last night’s Charlotte city council meeting. This is not exactly a surprise.
Several weeks ago Mecklenburg County GOP chairman Rob Bryan meet with city councilman and mayoral candidate John Lassiter. The topic, the need for Lassiter to draw distinctions between himself and fellow councilman Anthony Foxx, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor. Bryan was expressing widespread fear among local party members that Lassiter’s campaign would not excite the conservative base of the party, resulting in a repeat of Pat McCrory’s washout against Bev Perdue last fall. Without a clear conservative on the ballot, many Charlotte Republicans simply stayed home.
However, concern about Lassiter’s campaign turned to worry in GOP circles when the Republican joined Democrat Foxx in voting for a half-cent sale tax increase which would double transit funding to CATS. This provided a wedge for Davis, who had been contemplating a run for city council.
Now it is up to local conservatives to decide what happens next.
27
2009 At 11:35 am, howiezowie Said:
Is this the same Martin Davis who 10 years ago wanted to ban gay books from the library and would read from sexually explicit books at city council meetings? Please tell me it is!!
27
2009 At 12:29 pm, trentmerchant Said:
The same.
27
2009 At 1:53 pm, clayj Said:
Wonderful. Guess I can scratch “vote for mayor” off my to-do list.
27
2009 At 2:42 pm, musicmax Said:
Howie,
No. He would read from sexually explicit books at County Commission meetings. The County operates the libraries. Didn’t you pay attention during Warren Cooksey’s “Government 101″ classes, or did the bagpipes drown out the words?
Wow, that’s a bad commercial. Could he only afford the rights to 4 seconds of the guitar music that loops continuously?
27
2009 At 2:47 pm, Skyler the Weird Said:
Given the Choice between an Uptown Slut and a Victorian Nut is there a Libertarian or a Whig, a Constitutional Union Party or some other candidate to vote for?
29
2009 At 2:55 am, ladyofliberty Said:
Good question Skyler. Are you volunteering? What about Taylor here? The LP is actively searching. Tell your sane libertarian friends.
29
2009 At 3:35 pm, Papadoc Said:
What is the mayoral salary in Charlotte these days? Last I heard it was $39K a year, just under $19 an hour for a full time mayor. The Augusta GA mayor makes $75K. That’s a little embarrassing.
That really limits the potential for viable candidates for a full time mayor to those that are either wealthy, single and haven’t otherwise aspired to much, a large employer that will pay them though absent, or have a well-employed spouse. Quitting a quality job for a two-year stint is a helluva gamble.
Charlotte Mayor, unlike city council members, is and should be a full time position in Charlotte with a lot of reponsibilities. Salary shouldn’t be a primary motivator, but it seems to me that if we expect a quality mayor, Charlotte could give up a few artsy birdbaths and garbage cans to pay for a real person who doesn’t have to get a part time job at Lowes just to feed the family.
On the other hand, it would probably be a way to get some additional police protection and services into one’s neighborhood.
06
2009 At 5:59 pm, gercohen Said:
“Given the Choice between an Uptown Slut and a Victorian Nut is there a Libertarian or a Whig, a Constitutional Union Party or some other candidate to vote for?”
Libertarians have ballot access now for Charlotte’s partisan city elections, at least for ’09 and ’11.