Charlotte City-County Merger May Keep Local Democrats In Control FOREVER!

Talk Of Charlotte-Mecklenburg City-County Merger (Demcrats In Control), Its Back!



Spurred by the recent budget crisis in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, county and city leaders are discussing merging some departments, including human resources, construction permitting, government TV, and Medic and fire.

For the first time in years, there is also talk of the ultimate merger: Creating a single Charlotte-Mecklenburg government with one mayor, one manager and one council or board of commissioners.

A fully combined government would probably save taxpayers money - though not nearly enough to close the current city and county budget shortfalls. A single government would, however, give elected officials more ways to balance the budget - or, more accurately, more places to cut.

For the upcoming fiscal year, Mecklenburg County has proposed cutting $81.1 million, mostly from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the libraries, and Parks and Recreation.

The city is in much better shape. A series of small cuts has closed a roughly $10 million shortfall, and it has found enough money to give employees 2 percent raises that will cost $6.1 million.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and County Commission chair Jennifer Roberts, both Democrats, are in favor of a complete merger. Foxx said residents are confused as to why the city is planning to give raises while the county is making steep cuts.

"People don't get it," Foxx said. "People just care about government working for them. They don't care what the label is."

Foxx and Republican City Council member Edwin Peacock want the city to make a one-time payment to the library system to prevent all or some of 12 planned branch closings in July. They have urged their colleagues to step outside their traditional roles and help bail out the libraries, which are almost entirely funded by the county.

The City Council is sharply divided on the issue, with at least five of 11 council members against the financial help, which could be $2 million.

Pros, cons of merging

The city and county have already consolidated a host of functions.

The city handles 14 departments or functions for both the city and the county, including police, water and sewer, 311 and emergency management.

The county provides service for 10 areas, including schools, tax collection, elections and parks.

On April 28, Foxx and Roberts sent a letter to county commissioners and City Council members urging them to study further consolidation of four areas. The letter didn't mention political consolidation, though it has been discussed informally among elected officials.

Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton said cost savings shouldn't be the main driver of consolidating departments. He said instead elected officials must determine if it will improve customer service.

"There isn't that much redundancy," Walton said.

The City Council has given city staff the OK to study consolidating the four areas. Walton said there have been no formal steps toward consolidating the two governments completely.

When the issue was last discussed in the mid-1990s, Walton said the city and county determined there were only a "few million dollars" in savings from a consolidated government, out of combined operating and capital budgets of roughly $3 billion.

Some of those savings would come from eliminating top administrators. For instance, in a combined government, there would be only one manager. Walton made roughly $216,000 for fiscal year 2009; County Manager Harry Jones made $254,000.

If Charlotte and Mecklenburg had a single government, the budget-cutting might look different this year. A number of city departments, including police, fire, transportation and engineering, have been spared significant cuts.

And the city is moving ahead with some controversial projects, including setting aside more than $10 million to build a streetcar. It plans to spend roughly $400,000 on a 1/5-mile stretch of sidewalk on Park Road, which is opposed by residents who are upset the city will cut down trees for the project.

Under a combined government, officials could make cuts from more departments, which could mean less severe cuts from schools and libraries.

"The resources don't get larger," Walton said. "Does that mean police and fire get smaller so libraries and parks can get larger? If it were consolidated, you would have that conversation."

Long process

Several U.S. cities - such as Jacksonville, Fla., and Nashville, Tenn. - have consolidated city and county governments.

The idea of merging city and county governments in Charlotte has been discussed off and on for decades. In 1971, voters defeated a merger. In 1996, the Charlotte City Council voted against putting political consolidation on the ballot.

Creating a single government is a long process. The city and county would first form a commission to study the issue, and the elected bodies would have to approve consolidation. A merger would then have to be approved by voters and the N.C. General Assembly.

There would be a number of questions. What would the new government be called - Charlotte or Charlotte-Mecklenburg? How many elected officials would serve on the policy-making board? How would the county assume the city's debt?

The county's six other municipalities - Pineville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson - would also have to decide whether they would join or stay independent.

When the City Council voted against having a public merger vote in 1996, two Republicans joined with black Democrats to defeat the vote. The African-American members worried that a city-county government would make it difficult for blacks to be elected. The strength of black voters would have been diluted by adding mostly white voters living outside the city limits.

County commissioner Bill James, a Republican, said there was also debate as to the makeup of the new board, and how many county-wide seats there would be.

"As long as those questions are still out there, then there will be problems," he said.

Since the 1996 vote, the city has annexed much of the county, and only 25,596 registered voters live in unincorporated areas. The unincorporated voters tend to be whiter and more Republican than city voters, but they might not have a significant impact on combined city-county elections.

There are more than 470,000 registered voters in the city.

"All of the representation issues can be addressed," Foxx said. "Everyone will have to yield to the higher goal of putting in place a governmental structure that's suitable for the new normal environment we're in."


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Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Google Maps

Pat McCrory Prepares For Victory In 2012, With Bev Perdue's Help

Pat McCrory Prepares For 2012 Rematch As Bev Perdue Continues To Screw Up


Pat McCrory's calendar seems penciled with listings for someone ready for a rematch with Gov. Beverly Perdue.

McCrory, who stepped down as Charlotte mayor after 16 years last fall, has become a popular speaker statewide on the Republican Party's chicken dinner circuit, headlining many GOP fundraisers. He's been a frequent visitor on local and even national television political roundtables after narrowly losing to Perdue in November 2008.

Now he has started a political action committee to raise money for legislative candidates and highlight issues he promoted in the 2008 race, including transportation, criminal justice and getting rid of what he called "a culture of corruption" in state government.

"North Carolina state government is in a mess," the 53-year-old McCrory said in a video announcing his New Leadership PAC and identifying Democrats, including Perdue, whom he believes are part of the problem. "It's time for new leadership in our state and it must start now in 2010."

What about 2012?

McCrory said in an interview he's going to strongly consider a repeat gubernatorial bid. A longtime observer of his political career is more certain.

"He's going to run for governor," said Ted Arrington, a political science professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Arrington said it's a challenge for McCrory to keep his name in front of the general public now that he's the ex-mayor. He also needs to avoid negative publicity that could harm him politically while satisfying both the business community that backed him for years and the new tea party movement to avoid a bruising GOP primary.

"I think he's still popular, but he's just disappeared from everything," Arrington said. "He's behind the scenes. He's working the party leaders."

McCrory almost became just the third Republican since 1901 to move to the Executive Mansion in Raleigh when he lost to Perdue by 3 percentage points in the closest governor's race in 36 years. A month later, he announced he wouldn't seek an eighth two-year term as mayor in 2009.

Since leaving the mayor's post, McCrory joined a Charlotte law firm as a public policy consultant in addition to working with his brother's business and boosted his outside political involvement. He kicked off the New Leadership PAC this spring with a mass fundraising letter. The PAC's treasurer is Jack Hawke, McCrory's chief political consultant in the 2008 campaign.

A political action committee is a common tool for someone interested in running for federal office such as president. John Edwards had one, as does current Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But it's unusual for someone seeking a North Carolina state government office.

McCrory said he plans to use social networking, electronic town hall meetings and other technology to communicate with supporters about candidates and issues. He said President Obama's use of technology during the 2008 campaign played a role in helping Perdue win by energizing Democrats to vote.

"I felt the impact first hand in my race, and I want to help other candidates not be behind the 8-ball in that area," McCrory said.

The political committee collected nearly $25,000 by mid-April. Retired accountant Ken Collins of Monroe gave $100 to McCrory's new venture because he said the ex-mayor "seems to be a guy that can get along across political lines. You can't say that about everybody."

State Democratic Party executive director Andrew Whalen said the ex-mayor's New Leadership PAC "seems to be nothing more than an attempt to repackage those same failed ideas from his failed gubernatorial campaign."

McCrory also went on the defensive in February when the campaign committee acknowledged it failed to report two helicopter flights in the waning days of his 2008 bid. Perdue and former Gov. Mike Easley have taken heat for dozens of flight disclosures over the past year. The Democratic Party made one of those flights the centerpiece of a news conference.

The PAC is not the only effort by McCrory to stay on the political radar screen. During his last year as mayor, McCrory was asked to speak to large crowds in person and on the air about his concerns with the federal stimulus package and President Obama's health care overhaul.

McCrory was the only speaker to get a standing ovation from more than 1,000 conservative and tea party supporters meeting last September in Raleigh to hear Obama's address on health care to a joint session of Congress. Helping social and fiscal conservative feel comfortable with McCrory could help him win over the Republican base and avoid a tough primary in 2012.

Arrington said McCrory's strategy to attempt to remain salient after his failed gubernatorial shows he's not the same guy who won a Charlotte city council seat as a relative political unknown in 1989.

"He started out in politics a very naive fellow," Arrington said. "He's learned a lot."


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Youtube, Google Maps

"Victory Chant" & "Great Is Your Mercy" Donnie McClurkin (Videos)

Sources: Youtube

Gary Coleman's Wedding & Divorce (Videos)

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Sources: AP, Bitten & Bound, Inside Edition, TV Guide, Google Maps

Gary Coleman vs Shannon Price: Who Killed Gary? Answers Wanted

Gary Coleman's Parents Want Answers On How He Died


Gary Coleman's estranged parents learned of the former child star's death in the media and now they want answers on how he died.

"We're not pointing fingers at anyone, but we need to know exactly what happened," Sue Coleman, 67, told People magazine.

For a decade, she and her husband, Willie Coleman, 71, followed their 42-year-old son's life in the media: his marriage, his hospitalization and even his death on Friday.

"We're not angry," she said. "We're just concerned. Did our son fall down the stairs? Did he fall in the bathtub?"

Hospital spokeswoman Janet Frank said there was an "accident" in the actor's Utah home that caused an intracranial hemorrhage. She cited the wishes of Coleman's wife, Shannon Price, 24, and declined to give details.

There is still no official cause of death, but police said it wasn't suspicious.

Coleman, who had a stormy relationship with Price, pleaded guilty to domestic violence in February.

Coleman sued his parents in 1989 for allegedly stealing his fortune, a claim they refuted.

Meanwhile, celebrities continued to mourn the "Diff'rent Strokes" star.

Former rap star Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, told TMZ.com he won't miss Coleman's memorial service because they bonded in 2004 while taping the reality show "The Surreal Life."

"He had such bad luck in life," he said. "I hope he's in a better place."

Other celebrities - John Stamos, Jamie Kennedy, Nick Cannon, Melissa Joan Hart and Paula Abdul - paid tribute to the fallen star via Twitter.

"Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be actors," wrote Stamos.

"I am so sorry to hear the sad news," wrote Abdul. "My heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family."

Ricky Schroeder, a child star of the 1980s sitcom "Silver Spoons," told UsMagazine.com he fondly remembers often crossing paths with Coleman in the old days.

"Gary can now have the peace he found so little of in life," Schroeder said.


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Sources: AP, Bitten & Bound, Inside Edition, NY Daily News, TV Guide, Youtube, Google Maps

Foxx's Streetcar Idea Borrowed From DC's Adrian Fenty?

Anthony Foxx's dreams of developing a Streetcar line in Charlotte may have come from none other than his "buddy" DC Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Why do you think Foxx keeps running to DC?

Apparently he wants to become a Political "Star" like Fenty i.e., Personal Gain.

Yes Foxx has found a new political idol and now wants to turn Charlotte into a Washington, DC "lookalike".

Let's see Adrian Fenty doesn't really want to help the Homeless or DC's less fortunate and neither does Anthony Foxx.

Seems Fenty only wants to invest money into helping provide for DC's Elite, ditto for Foxx.

Does anyone remember last Winter when Adrian Fenty had city crews to plow and shovel DC's Wealthy communities first while leaving the city's less Wealthier citizens to fend for themselves?

Fenty wants to develop a Streetcar line, ditto for Foxx.

What's wrong with Anthony Foxx wanting to follow in Fenty's footsteps?

Well for starters Washington, DC already has a Modern, well-developed Public Mass Transportation system with high ridership.

Charlotte on the other hand does NOT!

Charlotte's Public Mass Transportation consists of a Segregated City Bus system.

Nice, Clean, well-maintained, on-schedule buses for Charlotte's White citizens and Bankers.

Raggedy, Cold/Hot, Late buses for Charlotte's Black citizens.

All of this even though both Black & White citizens pay the SAME exact fares.

Charlotte does have a Light Rail system but its incomplete.

Instead of Anthony Foxx using Federal funding to help expand the Light Rail as he promised while serving on the Charlotte City Council back in 2007, he wants to funnel millions of dollars into a 1.5 mile Streetcar.

Has Mayor Foxx ever considered that what works for DC might NOT be what's best for Charlotte at this time? (a Recession)




Well now you know where Mayor Anthony Foxx borrowed his Streetcar idea from.

Why doesn't Foxx focus on helping to lower Charlotte's extremely HIGH Crime rate and expanding the city's Light Rail system before copying his "buddy" Adrian Fenty's Streetcar project idea?

If Anthony Foxx forces the City Council to develop his "Streetcar named Desire" at this time during one of Charlotte's worst Economic crisis, do you think he will more than likely be a one-term Mayor?

I'll leave that decision up to Charlotte's voters in 2011.

I'm just saying.

Check out the articles and videos below.






Extra Car Could Be Added To Charlotte Lynx Light Rail


Crowded commuters on the city's light rail line could be getting some relief after transit officials this week proposed the addition of a third car on Lynx trains during peak travel times.

Longer trains would require the extension of passenger platforms and more powerful electrical systems to propel the additional car. Engineers believe the modifications would cost $66.9 million.

About 16,000 passengers ride the south corridor line each day, far exceeding original projections for the two year-old service, said Carolyn Flowers, CEO of the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Three-car trains were originally planned, Flowers said, but the project was scaled back due to concerns about the cost of the line from I-485, near Pineville, to Uptown.

During the evening rush hour, Lynx trains are filled to near capacity, said Reggie Smith, a south Charlotte resident who said he has been riding the train since the service was launched in November 2007.

"You’re barely moving, and when the doors open up you’re praying 'please don’t let anyone else come on because I’m about to die'," Smith told NewsChannel 36.

An extension of the Lynx system is planned for northeast Charlotte, including stops along North Tryon, UNC-Charlotte, and I-485 in University City. Cost estimates for the project top $1 billion, and transit planners have said a recent decline in local funding could delay the start of service for the expanded system until 2019.

Officials have said the modifications on the south corridor could be made at the same time the new line is constructed.

The three-car trains will be required along the full length of the expanded light-rail system, transit planners have said, because the Lynx line is projected to draw nearly 25,000 daily passengers by 2030.

Still, some transit leaders are questioning the proposal to modify an existing train service when funding for other rail projects remains uncertain.

"It’s very difficult for me to justify expanding a line that is successful until we provide rail to the other areas who need it," Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain said during Wednesday's meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Commission.

A sharp decline in money collected from Mecklenburg's half-cent sales tax for transit has sparked recent debate among MTC members about which transit projects should be built first.

The commission is scheduled to decide next month whether to pursue federal funding for at least part of the modifications to the south corridor.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said said the MTC will continue to weigh the plans for modifying existing transit service against the funding that is available for all construction.

"There are other projects that are in line for support and we have to listen to the professionals and then make a decision," he said.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

D.C. Mayor Says Federal Funds On The Way For Snowstorm Cleanup


The federal government will reimburse Washington authorities for snow cleanup in the wake of two massive snowstorms that recently hit the region, according to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.

The mayor said that city agencies have done the best possible job clearing snow from roadways and sidewalks, but that the federal government will kick in disaster relief funds in order to defray growing costs for local governments.

Asked on MSNBC if the city has done the best job possible, Fenty said, "There's no question," but admitted that "there's always things you could do better."

Fenty also said that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday, who assured him that the federal government will reimburse the cost to the D.C. government, a move he called "a big help."

Many area residents have become frustrated with the D.C. city government as well as Virginia and Maryland authorities because they believe not enough has been done to clear roads, sidewalks and transit lines.

But Fenty said D.C. averages 15 inches of snow per winter, and does not have the capacity to handle the 65 inches that have fallen on the city this year. He did say that in the future, the city would seek to expand agreements with private contractors and keep snow removal equipment better maintained.

Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) said Wednesday that federal disaster relief funds administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, are likely on the way for the region.

Over 30 inches of snow has fallen on the region since last Friday, essentially paralyzing the city. The federal government has been closed all week and the House of Representatives has called off its votes for the rest of the week.

The Senate voted Tuesday, but it is unlikely it will vote again this week.

Both the House and the Senate are expected to keep their Presidents Day recess next week, meaning they will not return for votes until the following week.


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Sources: CNN, MSNBC, The Hill, Washington Post, WCNC, Google Maps

"Unforgettable" Natalie & Nat King Cole Duet (Video)

Sources: Amazon.com, Youtube

Tiffany Wright Murder Case Reward Offered...Its Still Royce Mitchell & Powell

Reward Offered In Tiffany Wright Murder Case


A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the murder eight months ago of Tiffany Wright and her baby.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officials said Thursday their department and Gov. Bev Perdue’s office are teaming to offer the reward in the unsolved killing, which happened Sept. 14, 2009, on Mallard Creek Road in north Charlotte.

Police responded about 6 a.m. that day to a report of a shooting. They found Wright, 15, a high school student, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to Carolinas Medical Center and died soon afterward. Doctors delivered her baby, Aaliyah Faye Wright, by Cesarean section, but the baby died five days later.

Tiffany Wright had been shot three times and died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to a copy of the autopsy obtained earlier this year by the Observer.

Detectives initially named Wright’s adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, 36, as a “person of interest.” And WCNC-TV, the Observer’s news partner, reported in March that the father of the baby was 17-year-old Adrian Powell.

CMPD spokesman Rob Tufano would not comment Thursday if either Mitchell or Powell is considered a “person of interest” in the case, saying the investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly with a Homicide detective.




Timeline In Tiffany Wright Murder Case


Timeline compiled from court and prison records and interviews with family members and police:

NOV. 4, 1993: Tiffany Wright is born in Buffalo, N.Y.

19 95-1996: At age 2, Tiffany is put in foster care in Buffalo, N.Y., with Alma Wright, who later adopts her.

1999: Royce Mitchell, Wright's grown son, is indicted in Buffalo and later convicted in connection with a drug trafficking operation.

NOV. 2003: Mitchell is indicted in a 1998 murder but acquitted at trial.

2004: Wright and Tiffany move to Kings Mountain.

APRIL 2007: Mitchell is released from federal prison and is under four years' post-release supervision. He moves to Charlotte and gets a job as a city street maintenance worker.

JAN. 25, 2009: Wright dies of natural causes at age 77.

JAN. 30, 2009: Tiffany's adoptive brother, Mitchell, seeks to become her legal guardian.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2009: Tiffany gets pregnant.

FEB. 5: The court appoints Mitchell as temporary guardian.

FEB. 27: A court orders a home study of Mitchell's household. Tiffany is soon placed in foster care again.

JULY 27: DSS reports allegation of statutory rape by Mitchell, police say.

AUG. 19: Police interview Tiffany.

AUG. 20: CMPD detective Teresa Johnson leaves message for Mitchell to come talk to police. When he doesn't respond, she phones social workers and a probation officer over the next two weeks to get the message to Mitchell.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11: Detectives leave a message for Mitchell's wife, asking her to call back to talk about Tiffany.

MONDAY, SEPT. 14: Tiffany is shot and killed at her school bus stop. Her daughter, named Aaliyah, is delivered at Carolinas Medical Center. Mitchell is arrested and charged with statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a child.

SUNDAY: Baby Aaliyah dies after a week in critical condition.

WEDNESDAY: Tiffany is buried in Bessemer City.




Charlotte DSS Failed Tiffany Wright 15, Murdered At A Charlotte School Bus Stop



Tiffany Wright stood alone in the dark, waiting for her school bus.

It was just before 6 a.m., and her foster grandmother had walked back home to get Tiffany's water bottle.

Tiffany, 15, was eight months pregnant but determined to stay on track in school. She wanted to be a lawyer. And after just a few weeks at Hawthorne High, she had impressed teachers as smart and ambitious, despite a difficult childhood.

At 5:51, Tiffany sent a text.

"Wheres the bus?"

One stop away, replied her friend, already on the bus.

At 5:55, as the bus lumbered toward Tiffany's stop, people began calling police to report gunshots.

A school bus dispatcher radioed Tiffany's bus driver: Change course - something's happening ahead.

Tiffany lay dead in the road, shot in the head, that morning, Monday, Sept. 14. Her baby girl was delivered at the hospital and lived a week, but died Sunday.

Nobody's charged in the killings, but police call Tiffany's adoptive brother, Royce Mitchell, a "person of interest."

In the months before she died, local agencies took steps aimed at stabilizing her home life and keeping her safe. But her story exposes failures in the system that was supposed to protect her.

Among the missteps:

•In February, a Mecklenburg court clerk appointed Mitchell as Tiffany's temporary guardian - even though he was a felon who served time in federal prison. He was also tried in 2006 for murder, but found not guilty. And last year, he was accused of domestic violence, though the case was dismissed.

•In July, social workers told police that Mitchell, 36, might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany, but police didn't question him about it for seven weeks, and didn't charge him with the rape until after Tiffany was killed.

•This month, Mecklenburg social services failed to cut off communication between Tiffany, who was in foster care, and Mitchell, said a source close to the investigation.

On the day of Tiffany's killing, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police jailed Mitchell for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a child, naming Tiffany as the victim.

Police defend their work, saying they followed the industry's best practices - which takes time. Police didn't feel a need to rush, they say, because they believed Tiffany was secure, hidden in a foster home with no threat to her safety.

Police say it's hard to prove statutory rape: Of the 262 reports of statutory rape police received over three years, only 16 percent - 42 cases - were accepted by prosecutors.

Experts say statutory rape cases are complicated because they involve victims ages 13, 14 or 15 who often consider themselves voluntary participants in sex with someone at least six years older. So victims can be reluctant to help police.

But child advocates say in cases like Tiffany's, police should act more aggressively. An immediate arrest sends a signal to a suspect and can persuade them to stay away from victims.

"The cases may be difficult to win, but they're not difficult to charge," says Brett Loftis of Charlotte's Council for Children's Rights.

UNCC criminologist Paul Friday says: "Often, nothing is done in these kinds of cases because they're based on improper assumptions about the rationality of someone that age. But the minors are often unaware of disease, birth control and they can be exploited by someone."

Adopted by foster mother

Tiffany first entered the child welfare system as a toddler in Buffalo, N.Y., when her mother lost custody.

She was adopted at 4 by her foster mother, Alma Wright, an older woman with eight grown children, who was excited about raising another child.

One of Wright's grown sons was Royce Mitchell, a star quarterback in high school who'd gone on to play for a semi-pro team in Buffalo. But Mitchell also was indicted in 1999 as part of a drug trafficking ring and went to federal prison.

While he was in prison, authorities also charged Mitchell with an earlier murder, but a jury found him not guilty.

In 2004, Alma and Tiffany left Buffalo for North Carolina, settling near Kings Mountain. Tiffany made friends easily at school and church. She ran track at Bessemer City High School.

In 2007, Mitchell was released from prison and followed his mother to North Carolina.

But last fall, Alma Wright got sick. Friends at church helped out with Tiffany, inviting her for dinners and weekends. Tiffany spent time with Mitchell and his wife, too.

Alma Wright died Jan. 25, and Tiffany moved in with the Mitchells in Charlotte.

On Jan. 30, Royce Mitchell asked a Mecklenburg court to appoint him and his wife as Tiffany's guardians.

On his application, he wrote: "We are seeking guardianship because we were requested to do so by Mrs. Alma Wright before she died."

He wanted to transfer Tiffany to West Mecklenburg High School.

The court set a hearing for Feb. 5 and appointed a child advocate to study the situation and look after Tiffany's best interests in court.

There's no transcript of what happened in court, and the clerk who handled Tiffany's case declined to discuss his decision.

Frederick Benson, a Mecklenburg assistant clerk of superior court, appointed Mitchell the temporary guardian of Tiffany's welfare.

It's unclear if Benson, a lawyer, knew about Mitchell's criminal background. Court clerks are not required to perform background checks in guardianship cases, says Clerk of Superior Court Martha Curran. It's up to each clerk to decide what checks are necessary, and they often rely on court-appointed child advocates to advise them in such cases.

Tiffany's advocate, lawyer Martha Efird, declined to discuss her actions in the case.

It was in the weeks surrounding the Feb. 5 court hearing that Tiffany got pregnant, if hospital estimates are accurate.

But friends say Tiffany, who started at West Mecklenburg High in February, wouldn't realize for four or five months that she was pregnant.

On Feb. 27, clerk of court Benson ordered DSS to conduct a "home study" of the Mitchell household. Officials won't release their findings.

But Mitchell didn't keep custody long, according to several of Tiffany's friends in King's Mountain.

In late March, Mitchell left Tiffany at a group home called With Friends in Gastonia, according to Marlene Jefferies and Cruceta Jeffeirs, two adult family friends who watched Tiffany grow up.

The group home wouldn't confirm that. But the friends say the home reported to social services that Tiffany was abandoned. And she was soon back in foster care.

On March 31, Jeffeirs, a Shelby pastor, wrote a letter to Benson seeking custody of Tiffany: "My desire is to see Tiffany accomplish all the goals that she has set for herself and I believe she can do that in a stable environment with lots of guidance and love."

DSS officials in Gaston and Mecklenburg won't discuss Tiffany's case or answer questions about what steps they took to protect her.

But friends and family say Tiffany was eventually placed in the care of foster parent Susan Barber, in a townhome off Mallard Creek Road in Derita.

By July, it was clear Tiffany was pregnant, friends say.

Barber tried to shield Tiffany from talking to those she believed might be bad influences, according to Tiffany's cousin Brittany Page. But a source close to the investigation said Tiffany and Mitchell continued communicating.

Despite repeated attempts, Barber could not be reached.

As the school year approached, Tiffany prepared to change schools again, this time to Hawthorne High in Charlotte, which offers a special program for pregnant students.

Delayed investigation

On July 27, social workers reported to police that Royce Mitchell might have committed statutory rape with Tiffany.

It took eight days for a detective to look at the case, and three days more for it to be officially assigned to Teresa Johnson, a detective with CMPD's youth crime and domestic violence unit.

Another 12 days passed before Johnson interviewed Tiffany.

It's unclear when detective Johnson discovered Mitchell's background, but it wasn't enough to ramp up the investigation. Investigators say they believed Tiffany was safe in a foster home and faced no threats from Mitchell.

Police say their performance in the case followed procedure and met standards.

Police interview alleged victims immediately if the crime has occurred within the previous 72 hours, so they can gather evidence that may remain. But in cases like Tiffany's - where months had elapsed since the alleged offense - police try to arrange just one interview when children and teen victims of abuse are involved.

Police acknowledge that strategy takes time but minimizes trauma and reduces the chances that young victims might be led into inaccurate testimony by repeated questioning.

Police also let such victims decide when they want to be interviewed at the county's child-victim center called Pat's Place. There, specially trained interviewers talk to victims, while social workers, psychologists, police and others watch from another room.

Tiffany chose an Aug. 19 interview. She didn't say much during the formal interview. But later that day, Johnson won her trust and obtained enough information to move forward with the investigation.

No response from Mitchell

The next day, Aug. 20, the detective made her first call to Mitchell to ask him about the charge, she says. Johnson left a message and gave him a few days to call back.

When Mitchell didn't respond, she made calls over the next two weeks to social workers and a federal probation officer to ask Mitchell to come talk to police.

Police say they didn't immediately arrest him because they believed they could get better information if he talked voluntarily.

On Sept. 9, a federal probation official told Johnson that Mitchell was not coming in.

On Sept. 10, a team of social workers, police and other agencies held a standard follow-up meeting to discuss how to proceed in Tiffany's case.

On Friday, Sept. 11, detective Johnson phoned Mitchell's wife and left a message. She asked her to call back to discuss Tiffany, Johnson says, but didn't give details of the rape allegation.

That Monday, Tiffany was shot and killed.

As emergency vehicles rolled to the scene, Tiffany's school bus was diverted from its normal route. But the students could see flashing lights. Tiffany's friends on the bus, Cimone Black and Tamia Corpening, began to worry.

"I kept texting her phone...," Cimone said. Then she started calling, but all she got was voice mail.

The bus continued on to Hawthorne. For Tamia, the hourlong ride was excruciating.

Nobody said a word.





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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, The State, WCNC, Google Maps

Anthony Foxx Hijacks City Budget To Save Roberts' Job & Jones' Bonus

Anthony Foxx's questionable "leadership" in his new political role as Charlotte's Mayor is the result of Charlotte Voters allowing the Charlotte Observer fool them into electing an Arrogant, Inexperienced Rookie.

Slick Politicians like Foxx helps to prove my theory that just because someone has an embellished, polished resume doesn't mean he or she is qualified to lead a company, a city, county, state or nation.

NOTHING trumps Experience which is what Foxx lacked prior to becoming Charlotte's Mayor.

However Foxx's blunders are a Blogger's dream!

The more he keeps proposing foolish "hairbrained" ideas disguised as "leadership", I'll just keep blogging away.

Check out the videos and articles below of Jennifer Roberts and Foxx's new scheme to help save Harry Jones' job.

Apparently Foxx is now threatening to Veto the City Budget unless his colleagues around the city council dais agrees to give the County money.

Excuse me didn't Roberts vote to give Jones a $38,000 Bonus last Fall?

Yes!

Which is why I don't agree with the City bailing she nor Jones out.

What's my solution?

Fire Harry Jones and vote Jennifer Roberts out of Public Office in the next general election.





Anthony Foxx Vows To Veto City Budget If It Doesn't Aid County Libraries



The Charlotte City Council tentatively approved 2 percent raises for city employees on Wednesday but disagreed sharply about whether to give the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library one-time financial help.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx told the Observer he would veto a budget that doesn't have money set aside to help Mecklenburg County, which would most likely use it for libraries. Even though the libraries aren't a city responsibility, he said the possible closing of 12 branches due to budget cuts is too severe.

But five council members - including Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess, one of Foxx's fellow Democrats - said they are adamantly opposed to giving Mecklenburg County money.

The library system said it will close the branches in July unless it receives $8 million from local governments. It has proposed that $5 million come from Mecklenburg County, $1 million from the county towns and $2 million from the city.

The debate comes as Mecklenburg County has proposed trimming its budget by $81.1million, which would result in deep cuts to schools, libraries and parks. The city of Charlotte, on the other hand, is in better financial shape, and budgeted $6.1 million for the controversial raises.

Republican council member Edwin Peacock, like Foxx, is strongly in favor of helping the libraries. Four other council members said they would consider a one-time payment.

"We need to do what's right," Peacock said. "This body has the financial strength. Why won't we do it?"

Said Foxx: "We can build roads, we can hire police. But a community is built on more than that."

But several council members were unmoved.

Democrat Patsy Kinsey said she can't in "good conscience" give the libraries city money.

"How can I vote for the library and not parks and rec?" Kinsey asked.

"The county's problems aren't going to go away in a year, and we are already cutting basic (city) services," Burgess said. "I love the libraries ... but we ought to stay in our lane. It's a slippery slope."

The city is financially healthier than the county in part because it gets more money from property taxes and relies less on volatile sales tax revenue. The city also saved more money to pay off debt.

City Manager Curt Walton has proposed making about $10 million in cuts to balance the budget and also give employees a raise. Employees didn't get a raise in fiscal year 2010, and Walton said he believes it's important to give modest raises for fiscal 2011, starting July 1.

The proposal would include a 2 percent raise pool for regular city employees. Public safety employees would have a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a 2.5 percent step increase. The usual step increase is 5 percent.

Walton said that police officers start working at what he called "low levels." Not giving them a step pay increase for two consecutive years would be "inappropriate," he said.

"It's not the employees vs. the community," Walton said. "The employees are the community."

During Wednesday's straw vote on raises, the council's three Republicans - Peacock, Andy Dulin and Warren Cooksey - voted against the raise package. Democrat Warren Turner is also opposed.

But the majority of council members backed what many called "modest" raises.

To help fund raises, the city is making a one-time reduction in its 401(k) contribution from 3 percent to 2 percent. Much of the pay hike will be consumed by employees' rising health care premiums, members said.

Roberts sends letter

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is already planning to close three branches, and a fourth temporarily. If 12 more branches are closed in July, the library system would be left with six regional branches, the Main Library uptown and a location at ImaginOn.

Foxx said any assistance must include all Mecklenburg municipalities, and the county must show the city how the money would be spent. He said it would be one-time help.

County Commission chairwoman Jennifer Roberts sent City Council members a letter Wednesday asking for money.

Roberts, speaking on behalf of the commission's at-large representatives, wrote: "I do not know what amount you might be able to support to help become a bigger partner with our library system, for example, which bears both the city and the county's names, but if you would like to contribute any amount whatsoever, it would be welcome. If you want instead to support teachers in our schools, and help us close the $21 million gap there, any amount there would be welcome as well."

Later Wednesday, Roberts said a survey of the small-town mayors suggests those governments may only be able to give a combined $200,000, at most, for the libraries.

Democrat Patrick Cannon said his business, E-Z Parking, has a contract with the library system and that he will not vote on the library request. If a library vote is tied, Foxx would cast the deciding vote.

If Foxx vetoes the budget, the council could override his veto with seven votes. If there is no override, the City Council would have until June 30 to pass a new budget.

On affordable housing

The council also increased the amount it will ask voters to approve for affordable housing in a November bond referendum. The city staff had proposed asking voters to approve $10 million for the Housing Trust Fund. The council increased that to $15 million.





Charlotte Leaders Give Harry Jones A Bonus


Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones will receive a $38,400 performance bonus, but his total compensation remains the same as last year, under a deal unanimously approved Wednesday by county commissioners.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners praised Jones for, among other things, leading the county during a difficult economic time.

The "pay-at-risk" money - which commissioners have in previous years called a performance bonus - is part of an overall $302,854 compensation package. It also includes $215,655 in base salary.

The pay plan keeps Jones' compensation the same as in 2008-09, though a board committee determined he actually would have been due more money this year, said commissioner Dumont Clarke.

Jones, however, asked that his pay be kept level. "That was his request," said commissioners' Chairman Jennifer Roberts. He "wants to be treated like all the other county employees." The county didn't award any merit raises this year.

Jones' evaluation has been in the works for weeks, with talks largely being kept private initially as allowed by state law.

But some commissioners acknowledged last month that paying the money could raise questions in light of steep budget cuts across the county. Two other local public officials - Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman - declined merit raises or bonuses for themselves and staff to help save money.

Jones is eligible for a higher bonus than Gorman or Walton, up to 30 percent of his base salary.

Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts said the board had a "difficult conversation" about the pay plan because of the economic conditions.

Still, commissioners also have said they wanted to reward Jones for meeting goals previously outlined by the board.

Clarke said Jones told commissioners earlier Tuesday evening that 2008-09 was both his most challenging and best year as manager.

Roberts said Jones "has done a very, very good job, an excellent job as manager in a very difficult year." She cited Jones' work addressing budget cuts because of falling tax revenues and his work on the Critical Needs Task Force to help address social services needs in the community.

But the county also faced questions about inadequate accounting at the Department of Social Services, including an investigation into possible misused money in a charity program for Foster Children. The county announced steps to help shore up practices within DSS, including putting its finances under control of the main county finance department.

Mecklenburg has offered bonuses to the manager for years, but decided five years ago to restructure the pay system to reflect a CEO-style package of a base salary with another piece of pay tied to performance.

Under the plan, Jones is eligible for a bonus of up to 30 percent of his annual salary based on a series of criteria, including how well the county performs on annual goals and a management plan approved by commissioners. Based on his current salary, he could have received a bonus up to about $65,000 this year.

Jones has not received the full bonus since commissioners approved the new pay structure in 2004.

Clarke said Jones' performance in the past year earned him more money. He said he's being paid about 10 percent less than what his performance score called for.

Cuts in mental health

Also on Tuesday, commissioners approved about $2.76million worth of service cuts to the county's Area Mental Health department because of reduced money from the state. The state cuts were actually larger, but county staff has promised $3.7 million to help make up the gap.

Jones said he hasn't yet identified where the money would come from.


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Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Google Maps

Charlotte Observer Tries To Sway N.C. Elections, Again (Cunningham vs Marshall Run-Off)

Charlotte Observer Tries To Sway N.C. Citizens From Voting During The Cunningham-Marshall Run-Off Election On June 22



On June 22, a runoff election between Democrats Cal Cunningham and rival Elaine Marshall for a spot on the November ballot for U.S. senator - and three congressional run-offs plus one state Senate runoff - will cost the state an estimated $5 million.

The cost to Charlotte-Mecklenburg County's taxpayers will be $350,000. Maybe, finally, the horrendous budget crunch facing the state and the counties will bring a long-needed end to the state's archaic runoff election system.

It's a relic of the old one-party days, when the Democrats so dominated state politics that at least a run-off gave voters something akin to a two-person election.

Those days are long gone in North Carolina, swept out in the 1970s. At least the state in 1989 dropped the percentage of the votes a candidate needs to escape a runoff from 50 to 40 percent.

Even so, in the last statewide run-off, in 2008, fewer than 2 percent of voters showed up to choose between two Democratic candidates for state labor commissioner.

In Mecklenburg, turnout was .58 percent - for a cost to local taxpayers of $121 per vote. Statewide, elections officials estimated the 63,662 votes cost $55 each.

There must be a better way. Not only can better uses be found for that money, it's nuts to have such a minuscule proportion of the voters having such disproportionate sway.

One option might be to lower, again, the percentage of votes needed to avoid a run-off - perhaps to 35 percent? Another idea with merit is to use what's called "instant runoff voting." Voters choose a No. 1 and No. 2 choice.

If no candidate wins 40 percent, then the top two advance to the "instant run-off." Officials review ballots for candidates who didn't make the cut, and those voters' second choice votes are allocated.

Whoever ends up with the most votes wins. Instant run-offs are already used in England, Ireland, San Francisco and Minneapolis, among other places.

Some kinks would have to be worked out and questions answered. Software could be a problem in the approximately 20 N.C. counties, like Mecklenburg, that don't use optical scanners with paper ballots.

Would the need for new software cost counties more than the hundreds of thousands it costs for the runoff elections? Could voters figure out the more complicated system?

In 2006 the state authorized a couple of experiments in instant runoff voting in Hendersonville and Cary. The Henderson County elections director says it's worked well in mock elections but hasn't yet been used in a real one. Cary tried it in a 2007 election but hasn't tried it again, as it required both machine and hand-counting.

No balloting method is going to be perfect, of course. A winner-takes-all method might allow a fringe candidate who can scrape together a clump of voters to win out if a number of other, saner candidates split the rest of the vote. Instant runoffs raise questions of cost and confusion. But come June 22, N.C. voters who bother to go to the polls at all (and we predict few will) will be costing us all millions of dollars. We vote for a change.








Elaine Marshall Tries To Talk (Force) Cunningham Out Of Run-Off (Dirty Politics)


N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said Wednesday that she still hopes that her rival Cal Cunningham reconsiders his decision to call for a run-off in the Democratic Senate primary.

“I hope he will put the best interests of the party and the best interests of the people front and foremost rather than this his own personal ambitions,'' Marshall said in an interview at campaign headquarters in Raleigh.

Marshall said she thought there was some pressure on Cunningham to rethink his decision to call for a run-off which would be held on June 22nd, Rob Christensen reports.

"There are people in the state who have not been happy about Washington interference and the success I've had at the ballot box yesterday has only increased that," she said.

She was referring to Cunningham's support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Marshall led the primary with 36 percent of the vote to Cunningham's 27 percent, short of the 40 percent needed to clinch the nomination.

Marshall suggested the run-off might get a little rougher.

"Once you get down to a two-person race it some times becomes a little more hard-edged," she said. "But we are going to be very positive. We are going to show distinctions. We are going to campaign for the best interests of North Carolina."

Marshall spent part of the day in her campaign headquarters, calling supporters and donors.


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Sources: Charlotte Observer, F.E.C., McClatchy Newspapers, N.C. General Assembly, WRAL, Google Maps