Charlotte Observer----
(Martin Davis for Charlotte's new Mayor or......)
(Martin Davis's G.O.P. Challenger and At-Large City Council Incumbent John Lassiter explains his vision for Economic Development.)
GOP challengers criticize Government, Leadership
(G.O.P. Challenger Davis wants more police and lower taxes, says Charlotte isn't serious about problems.)
Martin Davis wants to make one thing clear: Charlotte Republicans have a clear choice in their mayoral primary.
Consider this entry on his Web site: “Pseudo-Republican John Lassiter, ‘tax collector for the welfare state,' and his Socialist colleagues on city council are scheming about ways to raise our already highest in North Carolina sales tax to expand their idiotic, obsolete, light rail transit system.”
Davis, who faces Lassiter and Jack Stratton in the Sept. 15 primary, has never been shy about his opinions.
Two decades ago, he was arrested at several anti-abortion protests. In the late 1990s he became known as “The Dirty Book Guy,” reading sexually themed passages from library books at televised county board meetings. Mayor Pat McCrory once gave some Boy Scouts a chance to leave the room before Davis offered a graphic description of his visit to a gay pride festival.
Four years ago, Davis ran against McCrory primarily to give voters a debate over light rail. He spent no money and never expected to win. This time he has loaned his campaign $12,500 and raised more.
Now, he says, “I'm trying to win.”
Davis still wants to give voters a choice.
At a Black Caucus forum this month, he invoked the Founding Fathers' belief in limited government and said that as a nation “we have strayed far, far away from that.” He criticized high taxes, heavy regulation and economic incentive grants.
On his Web site, he promises to cut the city's General Fund budget by 10 percent while still hiring more police. He would strengthen the criminal justice system and urge people to protect themselves “by vigorously exercising their 2nd Amendment rights to keep and bear arms.” He would also try to reduce the number of abortions in the city.
Davis wasn't always so conservative.
In the early '80s he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where he acted in several plays, including one with homoerotic themes. He has described himself as “a hedonist.” After getting a girlfriend pregnant and paying for her abortion, he became a Christian in 1985, a self-described prodigal son.
Former GOP council member Ralph McMillan, who is not supporting Davis, calls his friend principled but often abrasive.
“He believes what he believes and he's not afraid to say it,” McMillan says. “I've told Marty that I think his style does rub people the wrong way. There's no question about that.”
Davis defends his approach, saying “the biggest problem in Charlotte politics is go-along to get-along.”
“There's not a seriousness about trying to address the problems that we have,” he says. “Rather than deal with the crime problem they're going to build arenas and art museums and light rail and whitewater parks.”
2009 Charlotte Mayoral candidates face-off
Three of Charlotte's candidates for mayor weighed in on crime, roads and strengthening the local economy Saturday, emphasizing their political passions – and the reasons they, not their competitors, should lead the city.
Republicans John Lassiter and Martin Davis and Democrat Anthony Foxx agreed on some points and sparred over others during the candidate forum, held at The Park expo center off Independence Boulevard.
Early on, the candidates sought to distinguish themselves from one another.
Foxx said he was focused on “looking where the community needs to go.” His top priorities are diversifying the economy, making every part of Charlotte a good place to live and forging better relationships with lawmakers in Raleigh, he said.
Davis said he is “the most conservative Republican candidate in the history of Charlotte,” and that he's upset with crime and high taxes. He wants to raise money for roads and public safety by monetizing the city's assets – selling the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport to a private developer, for instance – rather than raising taxes.
He also said individuals should work to make the community a better place, rather than turning to the government for all the answers.
“We need to let people sort out their problems,” Davis said. “It's not a top-down thing, it's a bottom-up thing.”
Lassiter said his experience was crucial for guiding the city through tough times. He's been a leader in his professional life, in the community and in public, serving on the school board and for six years on the City Council, he said.
As mayor, he would use that experience to create jobs, ramp up public safety and make sure taxes stay low and services stay high, he said.
The candidate forum, part of a daylong expo that featured food, entertainment and local vendors, was a chance for visitors to become more informed as they prepared to elect Charlotte's first new mayor in 14 years, said Claude Alexander, pastor of The Park Ministries, which hosted the event.
“So much of what we have hoped for, in terms of our vision for the city, will be reflected in who we choose,” he said.
The fall campaign promises to be the most highly competitive in two decades. Lassiter, hoping to succeed seven-term Republican Mayor Pat McCrory, is widely expected to win the Sept.15 primary against Davis and Jack Stratton, who didn't attend Saturday's forum. Foxx has no Democratic challenger.
Polls have shown Lassiter and Foxx to be in a close race. Both leading candidates are at-large council members.
The forum Saturday, moderated by former Charlotte mayors Harvey Gantt and Richard Vinroot, included some questions from the crowd.
The candidates agreed that crime has been a devastating problem for Charlotte's east side, and that if they had to choose between doling out money for more police or roads, they would choose police.
They agreed that small businesses were vital to the economy and said they would work to link business owners with venture capitalists.
The three also agreed that they would ask citizens to make some sacrifices, such as taking risks by starting new businesses.
Near the end of the forum, the moderators asked candidates to weigh in on how they'd like people to remember them.
Davis said he hoped people would say he did his best, held true to his beliefs and persevered. Lassiter said he hoped he would leave the city better than he found it. Foxx said he wanted people to acknowledge that he took over the role at a challenging time for the city and that he did his best.
Audience members said they were impressed with the candidates' knowledge.
“That was, by far, the best forum I've attended,” said Deborah Scott, 61, a retired high school principal.
Despite her Foxx sticker, she “started to really weigh who I wanted,” she said.
“We're lucky to have people like you who are willing to serve,” Vinroot told the candidates. “… (Charlotte's) got a lot of hurdles right now, but this city will solve its problems.”
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Sources: Charlotte Observer, Youtube, Google Maps
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