NC Dems Dirty Politics Ad Watch
The N.C. Democratic Party paid for a mailing attacking Republican mayoral candidate John Lassiter's ties to developers.
What the NC Dems Party ad says:
"John Lassiter has consistently sided with the big developers against homeowners.
"Lassiter sided with developers over children. Lassiter opposed impact fees on developers to build new schools. While protecting his developer friends, he opposed funds for after-school programs.
"Lassiter opposed pedestrian-friendly streets and neighborhoods. He sided with his developer donors against guidelines that called for more streets, shorter blocks and wider sidewalks."
The facts:
To back its first contention, the mailer cites articles including one in 2007 by an Observer community columnist about a zoning decision. It noted how much money the developer involved gave to Lassiter, as well as Mayor Pat McCrory and other council members. Two Democrats and two Republicans got more than Lassiter.
On the claim about children, the mailer refers to a 2005 vote by a council committee against so-called impact fees to help pay for schools. Lassiter was one of three members to reject the fees, urging schools to ensure they spent existing money wisely. Democrat Patrick Cannon and Republican John Tabor voted with him.
In a straw vote on the 2004 budget, Lassiter opposed using city money for after-school programs. Lassiter called it "a dangerous step" for the city to fund programs the schools and county might better support.
In 2007, he opposed the Urban Street Design Guidelines.
The skinny:
The NC Democratic Party mailer takes some facts and puts its own spin on them. Lassiter has said he made decisions independently, unswayed by campaign donations.
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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, NC Dem Party, Google Maps
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