Lassiter & Foxx Discuss Charlotte's Unemployment Crisis...Lassiter = JOBS!

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Lassiter and Foxx agree on need to help people find jobs


Charlotte mayoral candidates John Lassiter and Anthony Foxx pledged to work with religious groups to solve problems such as unemployment and foreclosures at a forum Thursday night.

Lassiter, a Republican City Council member, said he would work to ensure Charlotte gets its fair share of stimulus dollars - and that the money creates jobs.

"There's a lot of money flowing out there, and much of the money is being used to hire consultants - not putting people to work," Lassiter said. "There are counties getting 10 times as much dollars per person as us. That's not right."

Lassiter also said his background as a small business owner gives him experience in creating jobs. "I understand how hard it is to create jobs," Lassiter said.

The forum, held at Providence Methodist Church, wasn't confrontational. The candidates answered questions from leaders of HELP - Helping Empower Local People - but didn't rebut one another.

They didn't discuss issues such as transit, public safety and taxes - topics that have been contentious at other forums.

Foxx, a Democratic City Council member, and Lassiter are competing to replace Mayor Pat McCrory, who has been mayor for 14 years.

Foxx said part of his candidacy could be summed up in two words - empathy and results.

He told the audience about growing up without a father in the house, and how he was raised by his mother and grandparents.

Foxx said he would work with organizations such as Central Piedmont Community College to help people get the training needed to find good jobs.

To reduce the number of foreclosures, he said he would encourage the group NACA - Neighborhood Association Corp. of America - to work with Charlotteans. NACA works to give homeowners in danger of losing their homes more favorable mortgages.

"We have people working from NACA here," Foxx said. "But we haven't had a mortgage modification event here."



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Sources: McClathchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, MSNBC, Recovery.gov, Google Maps