Weiner Resigns! GOP Takes NYC For 2012?? Could Be

Today Brooklyn Congressman Anthony Weiner Resigned From Public Office Amid A Twitter Sexting Scandal.

I Must Admit This Situation Is NOTHING To Laugh About & Quite A Sad Day For Brooklyn, New York.

To The Hecklers Who Disrupted Weiner's Resignation Speech, What A Bunch Of Idiots!!

Weiner An Advocate For His City's "Underdog" Citizens, Used His Political Prowess & Loud Voice To Fight For Social Issues Which Affected America's Senior Citizens, Veterans, Young People, Middle Class & Low Income Voters.

But Due To Perhaps Receiving Wrong Advice, Embarrassment & His Ego, Weiner Mishandled, Actually More Like Terribly Bungled The Way This Scandal Played Out.

Thus He Was Forced To Resign In Disgrace.

Had He Handled This Scandal Correctly i.e., NOT Lying!

I Believe He Would Have Been Able To Ride It Out Until November 2012.

He Didn't So He Was Forced To Resign.

Prior To Resigning Weiner Was On The Fast Track To Become New York City's Next Mayor In 2013, And I Don't Doubt He Would Have Won.

New Yorkers Love Courageous, Loud, Hardworking People Who Also LOVE NEW YORK!

Since Anthony Weiner Possessed All Three Attributes, He Would Have Easily Won The Mayor's Seat.

Do I Still Believe That Despite Weiner's Personal Foolish Decision To Sext Photos Of His "Private Assets", This Entire Scandal Was A Set Up Backed By The GOP?

YES I Still Believe It Was A GOP Backed Trap Weiner Walked Right Into!

Who Was Behind This Set Up?

I Don't Know.

Perhaps......

Mayor Bloomberg (Remember The Brooklyn Snow Scandal?)

Rep. Peter King

Donald Trump

Sarah Palin

Andrew Breitbart

It Could Have Been A Number Of People!

Whomever It Was, Weiner Just Happened To Walk Right Into Their Trap.

You See GOP Leaders Are Hoping To Persuade New York City's Largely Democratic Voter Base To Vote Republican In 2012.

Why Do You Think Sarah Palin & Gov. Rick Perry Recently Spent Time In New York City?

GOP Leaders Know They Already Have Most Southern Voters In Their Pockets. ("Southern Strategy")

But In Order To Whip President Obama They Need "Yankees" Too.

They Want To Persuade Northern Voters To Vote Republican Come 2012!!

Now Do You See Why Republicans Didn't Want A Powerful, Liberal Voice Like Anthony Weiner To Continue Representing Brooklyn Up Until 2012??

I Know Pres. Obama Suggested Weiner Resign & He Was Correct!

Why?

Had Weiner Remained In Public Office, The Mainstream Media Would Have Continued Nagging Democrats Until Either He Resigned Or Until The 2012 Elections.

So It Was Imperative He Resign To Allow Fellow Congressional Democrats To Focus On Stopping Those Discriminatory, Unfair, Unequal, Medicare Killing, Destructive Educational Budget Cuts Disguised As "Deficit Reduction" Proposed By Current Congressional GOP Lawmakers.

Weiner's Resignation Not Only Leaves Brooklyn (9th District) With NO Congressional Representation, But Its A Possibility The 9th District May Be Phased Out Altogether.

However Folks All Is Not Lost!!

What Better Time For Brooklynites To Come Together & Quickly Demand That A Special Election Be Held.

Who Should Continue To Represent The 9th District?

Either A Democrat Or An Independent!

Democrats Or Independents Who Largely Vote For Democrats, SHOULD Continue To Represent Brooklyn (9th District).

That Said, I Suggest Brooklynites Who Reside In The 9th District Unite, Mobilize & Fight For Proper Representation & Fight To Keep Their Congressional District Active.

What Person To Better Help Brooklynites Keep What Belongs To Them Than Former Congressman ANTHONY DAVID WEINER???

That's Right!

Anthony Weiner Should Continue Demonstrating To The People Of New York City Especially Brooklynites, That He Cares MORE About THEM, Than He Does About Himself.

Weiner Should NOT Give Up & Lie Down!

He Should Of Course Get Some Necessary Mental Health Treatment And Than Get Back In The Political Ring Of Fire!

Anthony David Weiner Was Born To Be A Political Powerhouse For America's Senior Citizens, Veterans, Young People, Middle Class & Low Income Citizens.

Such A Calling Is His God-Given Destiny!

I Know God Will Forgive Anthony Weiner & So Should Mankind.

How Dare Any Of Us Choose NOT To Give Weiner A Second Chance When NONE Of Us Are Perfect!!

You Heard Me!

NO Human Being Is Perfect! Only God!

Now That Weiner Has Temporarily Stepped Down, He Should Begin To Map Out A Plan To Get Back In The Ring As Soon As Possible.

Anthony David Weiner, The People Of New York & America STILL Need You!

Get Well & Get Going Again Soon!

Please!

We Love You!

God Bless You & Your Family!




Weiner Quits House Seat Over ‘Mistakes’


Representative Anthony D. Weiner, a high-profile New York Democrat who had been considered a leading candidate to be the city’s next mayor, said Thursday that he was resigning from Congress following revelations of lewd online exchanges with several women.

“I’m here to apologize for the personal mistakes I have made and the embarrassment that I have caused,” Mr. Weiner said, adding that he had hoped to be able to continue serving his constituents. “Unfortunately,” he said, “the distraction I created has made that impossible.”

Mr. Weiner announced his resignation in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, at a senior center where he announced his first campaign for City Council in 1991. But while that moment was filled with promise and excitement, his resignation occurred in a raucous and circuslike atmosphere, punctuated by shouting from a group of hecklers.

Mr. Weiner tried to deliver his brief statement in a restrained manner, but struggled to be heard above the din of the hecklers, some of whom shouted vulgarities and one of whom called him a “pervert.”

The departing congressman, who did not take any questions, said he had been proud to serve the people of his district who “represent the same middle class story as mine.” He said he was stepping down so that he could “continue to heal from the damage I have caused.”

Mr. Weiner’s decision reflected more than a personal failure, but followed an intense push from top Democrats who worried that the scandal was a distraction and was hurting the momentum they believed they were gaining against Republicans in the budget battle as they prepared for elections next year.

On Wednesday night, Mr. Weiner called Representatives Nancy Pelosi of California and Steve Israel of New York while they were at a White House picnic to inform them he had decided to resign, a top Democratic official said.

The news came as Democratic leaders prepared to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to strip the 46-year-old congressman of his committee assignments, a blow that would severely damage his effectiveness.

“Congressman Weiner exercised poor judgment in his actions and poor judgment in his reaction to the revelations,” Ms. Pelosi, the House minority leader, said in a statement. “Today, he made the right judgment in resigning.”

Mr. Weiner began telling his most trusted advisers about his decision on Wednesday night by phone, informing them that it no longer seemed fair to his constituents and his colleagues for him to remain in office.

Mr. Weiner, a Democrat, came to the conclusion that he could no longer serve after having long discussions with his wife, Huma Abedin, when she returned to Washington on Wednesday after traveling abroad with her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Ms. Abedin did not appear by his side on Thursday.

“I’m sorry it has come to this, but I think it’s best for both him and his family and for the Congress,” said Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a fellow Democrat from New York. “While the disclosures of his behavior have been incredibly disappointing, I’m going to choose to remember all the good things he’s done for his district and our city.”

A special election to fill his seat will be called for by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and can occur 70 to 80 days after he makes the call, according to election law experts. The winner would serve out the rest of Mr. Weiner’s term, through 2012.

But the victor might have a brief political career since the district is a strong candidate to be eliminated as part of the redistricting process that is already under way.

The scandal involving Mr. Weiner erupted last month after a photograph of him wearing tight-fitting underpants was sent to a college student in Washington State. Mr. Weiner denied having anything to do with it, but during an emotional news conference on June 6, he admitted to having sent the image and to having had inappropriate online exchanges with at least six women.

Friends said that Mr. Weiner, who has been distraught for much of the past 10 days, seemed at peace with his decision on Wednesday night as he drafted his resignation speech.

Despite his decision, Mr. Weiner still had some supporters in his district, which includes neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.

“He did nothing to hurt the public interest,” said Arie Ciuraru, 55, as he stood outside a pizza restaurant in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, where he works. “To face his wife, he paid already. I feel sorry for him.”

Pressure on Mr. Weiner to leave the House has been building for days, with top House Democrats, including Ms. Pelosi, coming forward over the weekend to urge him publicly to spare himself, his family and his party any more embarrassment.

But that pressure intensified earlier this week when President Obama publicly suggested that Mr. Weiner should step down and Ms. Pelosi told reporters that she was prepared to strip Mr. Weiner of his committee assignments if he did not leave.

At the same time, the House ethics committee had formally opened an inquiry into Mr. Weiner’s conduct, including trading private messages with a teenage girl in Delaware. The investigation raised the prospect that he would face formal charges and sanctions, including expulsion. But with his decision to resign, the investigation is expected to end, because the committee has jurisdiction only over the actions of members of Congress.


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Sources: CNN, Fox News, LA Times, MSNBC, NY Times, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps

Anthony Foxx's Charlotte Mayor's Win May Create "White Flight"...Shift In Demographics (Ex: Atlanta, Detroit, LA)

Foxx's victory may signal shift to Dems in Charlotte


When Pat McCrory first ran for mayor of Charlotte in 1995, the Republican Party enjoyed a home-field advantage: 73 percent of the city voters were white, many of whom reliably chose the GOP on election day.

But the electorate that Republican John Lassiter faced against Democrat Anthony Foxx last week was different.

Whites are down to 57 percent of voters, a result of more minorities moving to Charlotte and white families moving to outlying counties. The percent of registered Republicans has also declined, from 36 percent to 26 percent.

In the wake of Foxx's 3,239-vote victory over Lassiter on Tuesday in the Charlotte mayoral race, both political parties are asking whether the city's demographic shift will give Democrats a significant advantage in future local elections.

Besides capturing the mayor's office, Democrats now have eight of 11 seats on the Charlotte City Council for the first time.

"This is a blue city in a blue county now," said Democratic political consultant Dan McCorkle.

Some of Charlotte's changes, such as a drop in registered Republicans, mirror the nation. But there are other unique forces that are transforming the city.

One is that Charlotte has become an attractive destination for African-Americans from across the country. A Brookings Institution study earlier this decade found that from 1995 to 2000, the Charlotte metropolitan area had the third-highest numbers of black migration in the nation, trailing only Atlanta and Dallas.

The result: The percent of black Charlotte voters has increased from 26 percent in 1995 to 35 percent. African-Americans historically vote for Democratic candidates, and they supported Barack Obama nationwide by 96 percent, according to CNN.

In 1995, a little more than 1 percent of voters classified themselves with the Mecklenburg Board of Elections as other than black or white. Today, 8 percent of city voters are Asian, two or more races, or refuse to identify their race or ethnicity.

Another factor is that Charlotte is running out of room to grow.

The strength of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Republican Party is the so-called "Wedge" - a pie-shaped area of the city, between Independence Boulevard and South Boulevard. Those south Charlotte precincts are filled with affluent subdivisions that historically gave Republican candidates margins of hundreds of voters.

Over the last 30 years, that Republican wedge has grown southward - from Pineville-Matthews Road to Ballantyne - as the city annexed formerly rural areas. But there is little undeveloped land in which to build new subdivisions that's not in Union County or South Carolina.

"There are still new red (precincts) down there, but they aren't in Charlotte," said Robert Bryan, the chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party.

Charlotte City Attorney Mac McCarley, who handles annexations, said he doesn't expect the city to annex areas outside Mecklenburg County unless it's a sliver of a subdivision straddling a county line. He said there aren't many areas of undeveloped land in the city, except for areas of west and south of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

Precincts near those areas showed almost a 50-50 split for Foxx and Lassiter.

Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the Democratic-leaning Center for American Progress, said Charlotte is "hitting a wall" in how much it can expand with new single-family homes.

The people who choose to live in a more urban city - often young and single - tend to be Democrats, he said.

"Density (in housing) equals Democrats," Teixeira said.

Teixeira said few metro areas in the nation have seen a larger swing from Republican to Democratic as Charlotte in the last 30 years.

Democratic registration in Charlotte has been consistent. It was 51.5 percent of voters in 1995 and is 49.5 percent today. But today's Democrats are more likely to vote with the party than Democrats 15 years ago, some of whom were white "Dixiecrats" who regularly voted for Republicans, McCorkle said. Unaffiliated voters jumped from 12 percent to 25 percent over the same period.

The editor of the Web site Qcitymetro, which covers the city's African-American community, wrote an article last week that asked whether McCrory was the city's "last white mayor." The article, written by Glenn Burkins, a former Observer deputy managing editor, argued that a future mayor could still be white but would have to "recognize and embrace" the city's diversity.

McCorkle said such bold pronouncements are premature.

He said Foxx benefited from the party's voter registration efforts leading to the 2008 presidential election, and that Foxx was an excellent, well-funded candidate.

"I think the Democrats had the right candidates and raised tremendous money," McCorkle said. "Had Lassiter run against some of our candidates from the past, he would have won with tremendous margins."

Bryan said local Republicans may have gotten "fat and happy" after so many McCrory landslides in mayoral elections. Turnout in a number of Republican strongholds was lower than expected.

"If we had gotten outstanding turnout in our bigger precincts, it could have made more of a difference," Bryan said. "We have to have a better, stronger party infrastructure."

He also said future Charlotte candidates must be able to reach out to minority voters, who are growing in the city. But at the same time, he acknowledged, Lassiter did that, campaigning in all parts of the city.

He still lost badly in predominantly African-American precincts, losing one by 1,037 to 3.

Bryan said some Republicans said Lassiter shouldn't have campaigned in African-American areas and instead focused on exciting his base.

"But I sent him an e-mail and said he did the right thing," Bryan said. "It's good from a long-term sense of the party."

One of the most prominent local Republicans in office is now Charlotte City Council member Edwin Peacock, who was re-elected to his second term Tuesday.

"The party hasn't been ahead of the curve on early voting, and No. 2, we haven't had real strong candidate recruitment," Peacock said. "My role, as a party leader, is to find other good candidates."

Tom Jensen of Public Policy Polling in Raleigh said Republicans could struggle no matter which candidates run.

"If Charlotte's growth in the future is in infill rather than sprawl, and in uptown condos," he said, "then Charlotte might not elect a Republican mayor again."



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Public Policy Polling, Yahoo News, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Mary Norwood Leads In Atlanta (Mayor's Race) Its Super Tuesday! Vote!

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Sources: My Fox Atlanta, Facebook, Youtube, Google Maps

John Lassiter vs Anthony Foxx (Charlotte) Its Super Tuesday! Vote!

(Media folks assume most people know At-Large Charlotte City Council members/ 2009 Mayoral Candidates John Lassiter (Republican) and Anthony Foxx (Democrat). Experts say that's not the case at all.)






Lassiter takes small lead


John Lassiter leads Anthony Foxx 50-46 in PPP's final survey of the Charlotte Mayoral race.

If Lassiter does indeed end up as the winner it will be his overwhelming support among white voters that made it possible. He leads 68-29 with them, up from 63-29 a week ago. Those numbers are a good deal more lopsided even than the McCain/Obama numbers in North Carolina. Foxx is up 86-12 with African Americans.

Not a lot more to say on this- the race is still within the margin of error and it's all going to be about who turns out tomorrow.

Susan Burgess, Edwin Peacock, Patrick Cannon, and Tariq Scott Bokhari continue to lead the City Council races with David Howard moving closer.



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Sources: Public Policy Polling, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte's Streetcar Issue Has Foes (NAACP) & Supporters Nationwide...Cincinnati Voters To Decide

Streetcars on the Ballot amid Trolley Revival


A streetcar revival in American cities isn't just kicking up sparks from the tracks, they're flying down at city hall, too.

In Idaho's capital, a proposed $60 million trolley plan has become a major theme of local elections Nov. 3. Likewise, mayoral races in Charlotte, N.C., and Cincinnati hinge at least partially on whether they should build lines of their own.

What links Boise, Cincinnati and Charlotte – and Salt Lake City, Dallas, Atlanta and Kansas City, where streetcar tracks abandoned in 1953 still poke through the city's weathered asphalt – is they're among dozens of local governments hoping their modern street projects will benefit from federal grants, including $1.5 billion in stimulus funding due to be awarded by mid-February 2010.

In all, some 80 U.S. cities have streetcar proposals, the American Public Transportation Association says, a trend bolstered by President Barack Obama's signal he's more inclined to pump federal dollars into streetcars than was President Bush.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been revising policies that had favored applications for projects that moved people further and faster, like rapid-transit buses, but downplayed attributes like economic development.

"The bottom line is, this administration wants more transit options for more people and that includes streetcars," LaHood told The Associated Press last week.

In late October, his agency chipped in $75 million to help expand Portland, Ore.'s 7-year-old streetcar system, marking the first time the Small Starts grant program for small-scale urban transit projects has been used for streetcars.

Still, the availability of federal cash hasn't quelled local debate.

Proponents see streetcars as economic development engines that will reduce congestion and air-pollution by turning back the clock: Streetcars largely disappeared from U.S. cities by the 1950s, as automobiles bullied them to the margins.

In Portland, for instance, its streetcar system is credited with helping create $2.5 billion in construction since the line was announced in 1997, including 7,248 new housing units within three blocks of the tracks.

Foes, however, dismiss trolleys as "toy trains" that benefit special interests and promote profligate public spending. The rush for easy federal cash, they argue, is obscuring the reality that cities will eventually rely on taxpayers to subsidize lines; federal dollars go only for construction.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory favors his city's $128 million streetcar plan, after traveling to Seattle and Toronto to see their urban rail projects. Brad Wenstrup, Mallory's challenger, calls the project "ill conceived" and compares it to Cincinnati's failed early 20th-century subway, where miles of tunnel were dug but no track ever laid.

Foes like the Cincinnati NAACP got a measure on the ballot seeking to require a popular vote before any streetcar could proceed.

"This is some kind of a dream sequence of people who want to pretend they are in Portland, Oregon," said Dusty Rhodes, the Hamilton County auditor and a vocal Cincinnati streetcar opponent.

Meanwhile, in Charlotte's mayoral race, Republican candidate John Lassiter said he likes the idea but insists there's no money to pay for it. Democrat Anthony Foxx contends a 10-mile line that could cost $400 million will help boost downtown's fortunes; last month, he voted to override the current mayor's veto of a $4.5 million engineering study.

The streetcar is one of the few areas where the two Charlotte candidates part ways.

Just days before Tuesday's city council election in Boise, David Litster, a Harvard-educated businessman who wants to kill the city's proposed 2.3-mile downtown line, mailed flyers suggesting his opponent TJ Thomson is in cahoots with streetcar backers like Mayor Dave Bieter. Bieter has endorsed Thomson.

"The streetcar is really just a symptom of a problem – keeping a careful eye on spending and keeping taxes low, and listening to voters," Litster said. "This trolley fails on both accounts."

Thomson, an Idaho Power Co. auditor who worked on Obama's 2008 campaign, counters Litster is misrepresenting his stance: Thomson is undecided whether to back the streetcar, especially before an economic study, and wants the matter to go to a vote.

He's also waiting to see if Boise gets $40 million of the proposed $60 million cost of the trolley system from the stimulus act, because it's competing with transportation proposals nationwide totaling $57 billion, 38 times what's available.

Litster "has run a one-issue campaign," Thomson said. "It's just not that simple. But he's done a good job of keeping it in the spotlight."






Lassiter, Foxx stick to their streetcars


In their first televised debate, Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican John Lassiter Tuesday night continued to disagree over a $4.5 million streetcar study and the effect it has on an overall transit plan.

They met for an hourlong debate at Shalom Park, broadcast by WBTV and sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte.

The candidates agreed on some things: the need to diversify the city's economy while retaining current jobs, and to improve relations with Raleigh. They recounted differences over the 2006 city budget. Lassiter opposed its 9 percent property tax hike. Foxx supported the additional police officers and road improvements the tax allowed.

But while they both support a proposed streetcar, they parted ways on the council's decision last month to spend $4.5 million on an engineering study.

Foxx led Democrats in overriding Mayor Pat McCrory's veto of the money. He said a study showed that the streetcar, which would run from the Rosa Parks Transit Center on Beatties Ford Road to Eastland Mall, via Trade Street uptown, would bring $1 billion in investment to parts of town that badly need it.

"It would be the one investment the city could make that would trigger" revitalization, he said Tuesday night.

But Lassiter said he opposed the study because the city doesn't know where it would get the money to actually build the streetcar line, which is expected to cost more than $450million in local and federal money.

In addition, Lassiter said, it upsets what had been a carefully planned expansion of Charlotte transit that includes light rail to the UNC Charlotte area and commuter rail to Lake Norman. He said it sends the wrong signals to Washington and to commuter rail advocates in north Mecklenburg.

"It's a misplaced priority," he said of the streetcar. "We're seeing confusion in Washington about what our priority is."

Asked about that later, Foxx called it "ridiculous." He said officials in north Mecklenburg have assured him they have no problem with the streetcar.

The Charlotte Area Transit System originally planned to build all the rail lines but the recession has hurt revenues. The towns of Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson recently began their own lobbying effort in Washington on behalf of the north commuter line.

Their decision has rankled some on the Metropolitan Transit Commission, which plans where and when transit will be built, and which seeks a unified voice.

Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte, a member of the MTC, said Tuesday night that he's more worried about competition for dollars from the proposed northeast light rail line. But he said moving ahead with the streetcar complicates the whole transit equation.

"John's right in that it adds a complexity and it throws a little bit of curveball at us," Tarte told the Observer. "Anthony's right that a streetcar is a good thing."



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Sources: Huffington Post, Cincinnati Ohio NAACP, Wlwttv, McClatchy Nrwspapers, Charlotte Observer, Youtube, Google Maps

NC Republicans Push For Campaign Finance Reform...Eliminate NC Public Corruption

(The North Carolina Republican Party released a video entitled "How the Other Half Lives" contrasting the lives of former Democrat Governor Mike Easley and his wife to the lives of the rest of North Carolina's citizens.)







NC Republicans will push for Campaign Finance Reform


Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger said NC Senate Republicans intend to advance a slate of legislation meant to curb Campaign Finance Corruption.

Berger said he was happy to hear a suggestion from State Board of Elections chairman Larry Leake that candidates be held personally liable for fines issued by the board.

I applaud the State Board of Elections for their service and investigation into the former Governor’s administration and campaigns. Their suggestions about campaign finance reform are welcome as Senate Republicans will soon offer comprehensive legislation to address corruption in campaigns. The $100,000 levied against the Mike Easley Committee and referral of evidence to the Wake County District Attorney were necessary and appropriate steps to take. The information uncovered in these hearings will undoubtedly be helpful as state and federal authorities continue their investigations. At some point the people of North Carolina will have the full truth about this sad episode.





Bob Hall: Dems were not exonerated


Bob Hall, the director of the nonprofit organization Democracy North Carolina, a watchdog over government in general and elections in particular, is one of the reasons the State Board of Elections held a series of hearings last week that wound up with the board penalizing former Gov. Mike Easley's campaign $100,000 (a $60,000 forfeiture for air flights that were not reported and a $40,000 fine for the cost of the board's investigation) and sending evidence it received to the Wake District Attorney's office to determine whether criminal charges should be pursued.

Hall had filed a complaint with the board arguing that a review of campaign finance disclosure reports showed evidence of a plan to raise contributions beyond the legal amount from individual contributors to Easley's campaign by channeling them through the state party.

The board also ordered the State Democratic Party to forfeit $9,000 in contributions that that the Easley campaign had sought. The contributions were to be sent to the party and earmarked for Easley's use, according to testimony. The State Democratic Party took note of the fact that the State Board of Elections did not single out the party for any wrongdoing, and said that amounted to the board's exoneration of the party.

Not so fast, says Hall. In a Saturday afternoon e-mail to reporters and editors at the News & Observer and the Observer, Hall said the evidence made it clear there was "sufficient evidence" to show that the scheme worked as planned -- and that the Easley committee, two contributors and the party had violated state law. He also took issue Monday with a line in an Observer editorial that said the board did not find the Democratic Party at fault.

Here’s what he said Saturday:

I don’t think it’s right to say the State Board of Elections cleared the Democratic Party of all wrongdoing. The unanimous vote to order the Party to forfeit $9,000 resulted from concluding that there was sufficient evidence to show that donations had been solicited for Easley’s benefit, made payable to the Party, and used to pay expenses for the Easley campaign – i.e., that the donor, Easley Committee, and Democratic Party were all involved in a type of earmarking that violates NCGS 163-278.14(a): “No individual, political committee, or other entity shall make any contribution anonymously or in the name of another. No candidate, political committee, referendum committee, political party, or treasurer shall knowingly accept any contribution made by any individual or person in the name of another individual or person or made anonymously.”

The statute of limitations has expired on misdemeanor charges, but not on a civil penalty. The Board decided that it had evidence regarding the donations from Lanny Wilson and Nick Garrett, but testimony did not support charges involving other donations. The penalty could not have been assessed unless there was evidence the Party participated in the earmarking scheme for the Wilson and Garrett donations. I’m not asking you to write more about all this, except that in your Correction section, I think it would be good to say that beyond two cases of illegal earmarking involving the Wilson and Garrett donations, the Party was cleared of any further wrongdoing.

That way, the clarification will appear when somebody retrieves the original story some months from now. What do you say?

BTW, here’s how Fayetteville Observer reports it: “The board ordered the state Democratic Party to forfeit $9,000 in campaign funds for two donations that were solicited by Easley's campaign committee. Easley supporters Nick Garrett and Lanny Wilson, both of Wilmington, testified that they gave the Democratic Party donations above the $4,000 individual campaign limit with the understanding that the money would be returned to Easley's committee. The board ruled that the party violated campaign finance laws because a $4,000 check from Garrett and a $5,000 check from Wilson had been earmarked for the Easley committee.”

And here’s what he said Monday:

Maybe quoting the Board’s adopted motion itself will be helpful, which I have below. I see CO’s weekend editorial also says “the board did not find the party at fault,” which I’m sure delights party’s spinners. Maybe a correction that will ride with that editorial into Google-land would be appropriate. Illegal earmarking includes the party spending the money for the earmarked candidate.

Leake motion, unanimously adopted, about the 2 cases of earmarking ended with him saying “. . . the sum of $9,000 and, as there has not been sufficient evidence shown of any OTHER violations of North Carolina law on the part of the North Carolina Democratic Party, that the remainder of the complaint as to that entity be dismissed.”

See 1:38 into video of his motion at: http://www.wral.com/news/video/6314210/





DSS hires politically-connected during "Freeze"

While Mecklenburg County is cutting some jobs, the county's Department of Social Services has been hiring.

The NewsChannel 36 I-Team discovered DSS has hired 30-40 positions, many of them managers and several filled with candidates who have political connections.

The DSS hiring freeze was in effect when Mary E. Wilson joined the department as director last July. But in the name of reorganizing the department, DSS has hired dozens of new employees, including the daughter of Charlotte's police chief, the daughter of a Superior Court judge and the wife of a city councilman who is running for mayor.

DSS hired Samara Foxx, the wife of at-large councilman and mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx, last July.

Her salary as Division Director II was $100,000 a year.

Foxx's hiring raised questions among some DSS staffers since the position was posted on July 17 and taken down the very next day.

For months, the I-Team has asked DSS in writing for public records showing when the job was posted. At first a department spokeswoman told us that legal counsel had advised her the records were confidential personnel records. After our repeated requests for only the public portion of the records, DSS sent us a two-page letter detailing the job posting.

The letter says in part, "The creation of Ms. Foxx's position was an initial step in the re-organization of DSS, which was approved by the county's executive team."

Charlotte-Meck. County Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts told us by phone from Washington, "I did not realize that opening was posted for such a short period of time. It's concerning. We pride ourselves on being open, transparent, equal and fair. I can't imagine why the posting period would not be available to reporters."

After DSS Director Mary E. Wilson gave Samara Foxx the job, Wilson's husband Cornell donated $4,000 -- the legal maximum -- to Anthony Foxx's mayoral campaign.

Foxx Campaign Manager Bruce Clark said Wilson and Foxx had worked together in the past but declined comment on the hiring, saying it was a county decision.

Foxx is not the only person with political connections to be hired by DSS since the "hiring freeze" went into effect.

Public records show DSS hired Hollye Monroe, the daughter of CMPD Police Chief Rodney Monroe, on Jan. 14 as a Management Analyst. Her salary: $46,613.60 per year. Our phone messages to Monroe's public information officer and chief of staff were not returned.

DSS also hired Tracey Evans, the daughter of Superior Court Judge Yvonne Mims-Evans, on Feb. 11 as a Social Services Manager at a salary of $57,380.95 per year. Judge Mims-Evans told us in a brief telephone interview that she had nothing to do with the hire.

County Manager Harry Jones e-mailed us a two-line response saying, "These individuals were hired within our policies and without regard to who their parents or spouses are."

Neither Jones nor DSS Director Mary E. Wilson responded to our requests for an on-camera interview.

But County Commissioner Bill James says the hiring smacks of political patronage and in his words "just smells bad." Commissioner James says the hiring should be investigated.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, News & Observer, Under The Dome, Charlotte Observer, Charmeck.org, NCGOP, WCNC, Google Maps

Lassiter = Key Difference Charlotte Needs; Foxx = Status Quo, Taxing Politician...Get Out & Vote!

(Media folks assume most people know At-Large Charlotte City Council members/ 2009 Mayoral Candidates John Lassiter (Republican) and Anthony Foxx (Democrat). Experts say that's not the case at all.)







There are quite a few "Key" differences between the 2009 Charlotte Mayoral Candidates John Lassiter (Rep.) and Anthony Foxx (Dem):


1. JOBS and Understanding Business:

Lassiter = Is a Business Owner whose company helps individuals find jobs - he knows what businesses wants and where there is growth. He understands how to run and manage a business which is what government is (a business of providing services to the community). He knows how to make business decisions where his money is at risk.

Foxx = A part time Lawyer who has never run a business but volunteers for government programs where his money is not put at risk.


2. Police / Community Safety:

Foxx = Has voted for every request for police and jails that has come before council and has state he would support every request as mayor as well.

Lassiter = Acknowledges the need to address the community safety and the legal system to improve efficiency and not just continue arresting and re-arresting the same people. Coupling the appropriate mission for the police with the legal system

Author: Charlotte Observer Reader Comment - Dschonder



Lassiter getting a bounce from McCrory's coattails: Excellent!!

A new poll shows Republican John Lassiter is being helped in his bid for mayor against Democrat Anthony Foxx by current Mayor Pat McCrory's popularity across party lines.

Here is the take from Tom Jensen, an analyst with Public Policy Polling in Raleigh:

Charlotte's a Democratic city but John Lassiter is hanging in there and one person he really owes for that is Pat McCrory.
Last year George W. Bush was an anchor on Republican candidates across the country as he left office but McCrory's continuing popularity seems to be helping Lassiter secure the crossover support from Democrats and independents that he needs to be competitive. McCrory's approval rating is 60%. For the occasional grumbling from the right over the years he has the support of 85% of Republicans. His 69% approval with independents is one of the best we've measured for any politician in the country this year and even Democrats are pretty evenly divided with 37% giving him good marks to 44% disapproving.
Let's put Lassiter's Democratic support in perspective- only 14% are voting for him but that's still a lot better than the 6% of Republicans Foxx is getting. 80% of the Democrats who support Lassiter approve of the job McCrory's doing. That speaks to the fact that McCrory has shown a moderate Republican can be a reasonable Mayor, even across party lines, and there is at least some segment of the Democratic electorate that's content to keep on that way.
79% of the independents who think McCrory's doing a good job are voting for Lassiter. Only 42% of the rest are. It's safe to say Lassiter's 20 point lead with that group would be considerably more narrow if not for McCrory's popularity with them.
Let me put it simply: if Pat McCrory's approval rating was only 50%, still well above average for politicians these days and particularly in North Carolina, this race would be over. The only question would be Foxx's winning margin. But with him at 60%, this contest is a dog fight. In this tossup there's not much doubt Pat McCrory is John Lassiter's best friend.

This analysis is also available on PPP's blog.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Public Policy Polling, Charlotte Magazine, Google Maps

Black Voter Turnout Declines Again...Tired Of Fake Black Leaders

(Sheila Crump Johnson, Democrat, Co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, local Middleburg Business owner, Noted philanthropist and Entrepreneur, recently endorsed Republican Bob McDonnell in his campaign for governor.)





(Media folks assume most people know At-Large Charlotte City Council members/ 2009 Mayoral Candidates John Lassiter (Republican) and Anthony Foxx (Democrat). Experts say that's not the case at all.)






Dems ponder drop in black voter turnout


Democrats are bracing for a precipitous drop in black voter turnout next month and beyond.

Alarms are being rung about just how many African-Americans will vote without President Barack Obama on the ballot, and the New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races in three weeks will provide the first major test since the 2008 election.

A recent Washington Post survey estimated the black turnout in Virginia’s governor’s race at 12 percent, which would be about a 40 percent drop from last year’s general election. Other polling has shown both its and New Jersey’s black population unmoved about the off-year election.

The question at this point isn’t so much whether black voters will turn out at 2008 levels, but how big the drop will be — and then, whether it carries into the 2010 midterms.

Tom Jensen, a spokesman for the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling, has been among the most outspoken. He said the high number of Democrats with districts that are significantly black means such a turnout shift could be disastrous for Democrats.

“If what looks like is going to happen in Virginia plays out on a national level, I do think Democrats will lose the House,” Jensen said.

“We really don’t find that many people who voted Democratic in 2008 are switching sides; they’re just becoming complacent,” he added. “And that’s particularly true with black Democrats, which is the party’s most dependable voter bloc.”

Virginia is about 20 percent black, and New Jersey is about 14 percent black. Both percentages are higher than the 12 percent national average. And in both states, polling shows the race could come down to the final days.

David Bositis, an expert on black turnout at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said not too much should be read into the results on Nov. 3, because the two campaigns are unique. While Virginia Democrat Creigh Deeds has virtually no connection to the black community, he said, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has made plenty of inroads with African-Americans over the years.

Whatever the case, he said, the stretch run in both states is sure to feature plenty of black outreach, and then the party will have to confront the problem going forward.

“It’s going to be a stretch to say that what happens in Virginia will, in any way, be telling about next year,” he said. “But it definitely is something they are going to be concerned about in terms of 2010.”

While others might view the state as a foreign political universe, though, the commonwealth features at least two Democratic freshmen who could train a keen eye on the turnout models in the governor’s race.

Reps. Tom Perriello and Glenn Nye both rode into Washington in districts that are nearly one-quarter black. Nye won by 5 percent, while Perriello won by fewer than 1,000 votes.

The third freshman Democrat in the state’s delegation, Rep. Gerry Connolly has a 10 percent African-American district. He said he, Nye and Perriello will be watching the results, but that it’s a yearly exercise in the state to re-evaluate the electorate.

He noted that not only are black voters expected to drop significantly, but so is another key Democratic voter group: young adults.

“That’s a huge change in the composition of the electorate. That’s not easily made up on the run,” Connolly said. “So, yeah, we’re watching the electorate, but this is not a new phenomenon in Virginia.”

Many other freshman Democrats come from districts with black populations similar in size to Nye’s and Perriello’s, including Alabama Reps. Bobby Bright and Parker Griffith, North Carolina Rep. Larry Kissell and Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus. Many of the rest come from districts with about 10 percent black populations, like Connolly’s.

“It’s going to be hard to get African-Americans to vote without Obama, but there’s going to be lower turnout across the board,” said a consultant who works with candidates in the former group.

The limited evidence so far is a little frightening for Democrats. Apart from the voter models in Virginia’s governor’s race, Louisiana Democrats lost two December House races in significantly black districts — including one in majority-black New Orleans. And Georgia Democrats saw Senate nominee Jim Martin lose to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) by 15 percentage points in a December runoff, after losing by just three points the month before.

All three losses were attributed, in significant part, to drops in black turnout.

Emory University Professor Merle Black said that, much like with Deeds and Corzine, it can depend on how much a candidate has to offer black voters, and that’s what Democrats will have to work on.

“There were efforts to turn them out [in the Senate runoff], but the main driving force is whether voters think candidates are going to do something for them,” Black said. “The difference between Obama and Martin was a chasm. The real election was in November.”


READER'S COMMENTS:

Ont thing liberals and democrats do not want to recognize is that Blacks vote for Black candidates and Black issues exclusively. Their block vote is something that democrats have "BOUGHT" through giving them something. When these voters finally realize that they have been taken for a ride, the love affair will be over. Blackwater Ken on 10/14/2009 at 09:14

Oh my God…blacks voting for black candidates regardless of the candidates experience or even criminal record (mayor Berry, Washington D.C.), I AM SHOCKED!! Blacks voting against even the teachings of their faiths and for the candidates that will enact programs to enslave another generation in the welfare snare?? Blacks voting (nearly 100%) for a man whose lineage is only partially African for president? I guess in this case the old "one drop" rule is ironically enforced these days by black Americans…for shame. Dr. M on 10/14/2009 at 10:00

As a mature (over 60) black voter, I'm sorry that Americans think that all of us have been fooled or bought off. I love this country. I love the fact that when we are wrong, we admit it. I have accepted the genuine apology of those who feel that slavery was wrong and then re-enslaved us with welfare. I am sorry that those in power believe that more welfare is the answer. Poison is poison, I hope our community learns to be self sufficient and free. Obama should be able to unite us. He seems more interested in uniting his power base. There are a lot of young black voters who were excited at the possibilities of a black president, who are now becoming cynical. You can't blame blacks for wanting hope. This is clearly not the hope we were looking for. grey deitrich on 10/14/2009 at 11:06

Neglecting one issue. Voter registration. More blacks and young voters registered in 2008, hence there will be more of them available to vote. Persons who have voted before are more likely to vote again. While turnout may be lower, it may not be as low as some are predicting. It will be interesting to watch. Al, KS on 10/14/2009 at 11:06

AA should and must turn out and defend President Obama's if we want to see his vision and policies enacted otherwise they shouldn't be complaining about Lardbaugh's racist vitriol. Because now is the easy part, the country I fear will become more obstructionist if the dastardly Repukes ever get a chance to gain any seats in the next election. They are a party of N-O, disaster (witness 8 years of Bush and GOOP control) and WARS, against Iran, Iraq, and all of Israel's enemies. Nazim Hussein on 10/14/2009 at 11:25

Wait 'till they find out the FREE health care isn't free. Discouraged on 10/14/2009 at 11:36

The playbook of the progressives. Stop free speech by name calling. Attack the person, not the opinion. No opinion is valid but mine. The posting would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Is there any hope of uniting? NH doesn't want it. No one else matters. Just as long as he gets what he wants. Like little children, take your ball and go home. Grey on 10/14/2009 at 11:40

Nazim,Thanks for the positive message of hope and change. I am sure your words of issue-driven intellect will pursuade thousands. Thanks for not engaging in bitter, vitriolic attacks not grounded in any principle other than ideological hatred. The Democrat Party is very fortunate to have you their side. Brian on 10/14/2009 at 11:45

It seems to me if white voters voted for white people the way black voters vote for black people, we would all be deemed racists. Blacks need to wake up and realize that they are being taken advantage of by the dumbocratic party. The Dums simply pay off the blacks to be their slave voters. Blacks wake up and refuse to be their lackeys any longer! Mark on 10/14/2009 at 11:51

Based on a billboard that I recently snapped a photo of, I pointed out an incredible example of just how accurate the claim that Democrats are fearful of how a drop off in the African-American vote will negatively effect their elections. The photo shows billboards purchased by New Jersey Democrat Governor Jon Corzine. They simply show a picture of President Obama with Corzine standing behind and to the side of him. The caption reads "Keep It Going". This billboard is being displayed in predominantlt Africa-American neighborhoods and it does nothing other than try to tie the unpopular, uninspiring Governor to the overwhelmingly popular President, who is obviously a particularly inspiring figure among African-Americans. Tieing one to popular figures is not new but Corzine has based his entire campaign on nothing other than Barack Obama. This billboard just demonstrates that fact all the more. Below, I am attempting to post the image of that billboard. I do not know if html will translate on this platform but I will try it. If it does not, you can follow the link below to see the billboard in question.http://politics247.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/new-jerseys-race-for-governor-an-unbelievably-pathetic-political-exercise/(If the html does not translate, please excuse the exposed code that will show up in its place) Kempite on 10/14/2009 at 12:15

The real path to health care reform should begin with tort reform. It's the lawyers that drive up health care cost. The behemoth insurance corporations you talk about make about 3 - 4% profit. When lawyers make tons of money by suing the health industry, who do you think pays? Adding millions of people to the health insurance policies who don't pay in. And running off good doctors that can make more money by becoming a pet doctor, is not the answer. It's all supply and demand. Low supply of doctors for a larger supply of customers will only drive the cost up. Force them to take less and they will move to greener pastures. MARK X on 10/14/2009 at 12:17

It amazes me that people think that Black voters are so ignorant. Since when do we ONLY go to the polls when there is a black candidate. For the record, ignorant people, regardless of race, make ignorant choices… Let's not run down the line of all the bad choices white people (especially our recent former president) have made and how those choices have affected our country. It's so easy to point at the actions of others while totally ignoring your own flaws. Democrats AND Republicans use their respective constituency as pawns in a super-selfish political game that usually helps very few. say what? on 10/14/2009 at 15:05

There is ANOTHER element that 'The Hill' and Democrats are forgetting. That is the elderly. They tend to vote more for Democrats because they got SUCKED into the trap of, "The GOP wants to cut your social security and medicare".Well? The Democrats ARE going to cut the elderly Medicare. And more and more seniors are SEEING that! And two things about seniors, 1. We go to bed early, 2. WE VOTE, in fact we count more in off year elections than any other group. Say GOODBYE to the Democrat hold in congress…The NIGHTMARE will be over Nov. 3, 2010. Old Guy on 10/14/2009 at 15:18





How much is race a factor in the Foxx - Lassiter race?

Just before Election Day, the race for Charlotte mayor appears all tied, according to two recent polls.

Republican John Lassiter and Democrat Anthony Foxx are tied at 45-45, according to a poll from Public Policy Polling in Raleigh. A poll from Cornerstone Solutions shows Lassiter with a 42-37 lead, but that is within the margin of error, meaning the poll shows "essentially a dead heat," said Chris Sinclair, a partner with Cornerstone.

The PPP poll broke down largely along racial lines. White voters back Lassiter 63-29 while Foxx leads among black voters 80-9. That suggests that the outcome could hinge on turnout, particularly the racial breakdown of people who go to the polls.

"If excitement about the possibility of the city having its first black Mayor since the '80s results in African Americans turning out at a higher rate than whites Foxx will win. But black turnout has tended to lag in local elections and if that turns out to be the case Lassiter is the likely winner," PPP's Tom Jensen says on his organization's blog.

PPP has done work for Democratic candidates, but was not hired by the Foxx campaign and has had one of the better track records among polling organizations over at least the past year.

Cornerstone, a GOP-leaning firm in Raleigh, has not been hired by either campaign either. Its poll showed Lassiter winning about 25 percent of likely black voters.


READER'S COMMENTS:

FULFILLMENT said: Wow. It really is sad how this nation appears to be segregating their votes to only specific individuals of a particular skin color. Shameful really.

FAVOR said: My vote my choice. Like it or not, I vote how I want and for whom I want. Fulfillment, you need to mind your business and stop worrying about others.

FLY-SWATTER said: This type of pedestrian thinking is keeping our society behind on many levels.

KARL said: Keith Larson had a great guest on today. He was a black man who wrote a book called "What White People Want to Know About Black People." In essence his position was that no matter what your race is, if you make a judgement/decision based solely on a person's skin color, you are a racist - plain and simple.

KELLY said: Karl, it's really not that simple. To truly be a racist, there inherently has to be some "power" aspect included. Racism is not merely hating another race. A true racist has to be able to assert some oppressive power over the race because of that hate. And by the way, love for one's own race does not inherently mean that person hates all others.



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Sources: The Hill, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, Public Policy Polling, Cornerstone Polls, Flickr, Youtube, Google Maps

Lassiter Maintains Slight Lead Over Foxx...Dirty Politics Didn't Work

(Media folks assume most people know At-Large Charlotte City Council members/ 2009 Mayoral Candidates John Lassiter (Republican) and Anthony Foxx (Democrat). Experts say that's not the case at all.)





Lassiter, Foxx Horserace


A Public Policy Polling poll shows Republican John Lassiter and Democrat Anthony Foxx tied 45 to 45 in next Tuesday’s mayoral election. This is the closest mayoral race Charlotte has seen in years as Mayor Pat McCrory won all seven of his terms pretty handily. Demographically, Lassiter leads among white voters 63 to 29 and Foxx leads among black voters 80 to 9. 59% have a favorable view of Lassiter while 52% have a favorable view of Foxx.

A Cornerstone Solutions poll shows Lassiter leading Foxx 42 to 37 with a margin of error of plus or minus five points, which for all intents and purposes makes this a tied race as well.

PPP is a Democrat pollster and Cornerstone Solutions is a Republican pollster, so wading through a bit of the bias that could be present, I think Lassiter has a slight edge over Foxx going into Tuesday, which is what I’ve been predicting pretty much since both candidates were formally declared.





Charlotte Mayor's race gets heated in final days


The race for mayor in Charlotte has been cool, if not downright civil -- until now.

Republican John Lassiter called a morning news conference to complain about a mailer sent out that links him to wealthy developers at the expense of city homeowners.

"I think this is trying to reflect on my character and I take that as a personal affront," Lassiter told reporters in the lobby of the Government Center.

Lassiter estimates the mailing went to thousands of Democrats and unaffiliated voters.

The mailer was paid for and sent out by the state Democratic Party, headquartered in Raleigh.

Lassiter did not directly accuse his opponent Anthony Foxx of involvement but said, "This piece of mail has no mention of my opponent and states that no candidate or candidate's committee approved the content. Maybe."

A spokesperson for the Democratic Party could not say how much the mailing cost or how many fliers were sent out.

Kerra Bolton, a senior advisor did issue a statement saying Lassiter's comments "are a distraction from the truth." Bolton went on to say, "Lassiter knows that if he cries negative politics, no one will look at his record. All we're saying is that it's time that we do."

Late Friday afternoon, Foxx told Newschannel 36, "John doesn't have to worry about me attacking him personally because I never would."

The Democratic Party said Foxx had no role in putting the mailer together or sending it out. Foxx told NewsChannel 36 he had not seen a copy of it before it went out.

"I had no knowledge of that flier at all," he said.




NC Democrats "Dirty Politics" Mailing heats up Charlotte Mayor's race

Five days before the election, Republican mayoral candidate John Lassiter Friday lashed out at a state Democratic Party mailing that he said injected negative politics into what had been a civil campaign.

He called on Democratic rival Anthony Foxx to ask the state party to take itself out of the race.

"We have been applauded for the refreshingly clean campaign," he told a news conference. "The tone, the rhetoric and the content has suddenly changed."

Lassiter was responding to a Democratic Party mailer that apparently went to thousands of voters. It says Lassiter sides with developers, "hanging homeowners out to dry."

"Lassiter's developer donors get the royal treatment," it says. "Lassiter has taken thousands of dollars from big developers and then supported their agenda of unrestrained sprawl."

The line echoes criticism Foxx made in a TV debate Wednesday and amplifies his complaints that Lassiter is beholden to contributions from real estate and development interests.

An Observer analysis showed Lassiter has received $104,000 from such interests, 20 percent of what he raised. They gave Fox $28,000, or 5 percent of his campaign money.

Lassiter expressed skepticism about the mailing's claim to have no ties to Foxx or his campaign.

"This piece of mail ... states that no candidate's committee approved the content. Maybe."

In a statement Friday, Foxx said, "I am proud of the positive campaign we have run, and I have no intention of changing course now.

"I particularly appreciate Mr. Lassiter's acknowledgement that I had no role in sending any independent mailer."

State Democratic Party spokeswoman Kerra Bolton said the Foxx campaign had nothing to do with the mailing. She said she didn't know how much the party spent or how many mailings were sent.

"The question isn't just the money he's raised from developers," she said, "the issue is the actions that he took while on city council."

Lassiter compared the mailing to attack ads in national and statewide races, including the 1990 Senate race between Democrat Harvey Gantt and Republican Jesse Helms.

"This is an attempt to negatively attack me by folks who aren't in the community," he said, "using tactics we have not seen in this city."

Lassiter said he has refrained from personal attacks.

"Despite encouragement, I have avoided talking about the employment status of my opponent or his family," he said, an apparent reference to a job Foxx's wife got last year at the Department of Social Services. Some critics called it cronyism.

But county commissioners said this spring they were satisfied the hire of Samara Foxx and two other workers followed county policies and procedures.



DSS hires politically-connected during "Freeze"

While Mecklenburg County is cutting some jobs, the county's Department of Social Services has been hiring.

The NewsChannel 36 I-Team discovered DSS has hired 30-40 positions, many of them managers and several filled with candidates who have political connections.

The DSS hiring freeze was in effect when Mary E. Wilson joined the department as director last July. But in the name of reorganizing the department, DSS has hired dozens of new employees, including the daughter of Charlotte's police chief, the daughter of a Superior Court judge and the wife of a city councilman who is running for mayor.

DSS hired Samara Foxx, the wife of at-large councilman and mayoral candidate Anthony Foxx, last July.

Her salary as Division Director II was $100,000 a year.

Foxx's hiring raised questions among some DSS staffers since the position was posted on July 17 and taken down the very next day.

For months, the I-Team has asked DSS in writing for public records showing when the job was posted. At first a department spokeswoman told us that legal counsel had advised her the records were confidential personnel records. After our repeated requests for only the public portion of the records, DSS sent us a two-page letter detailing the job posting.

The letter says in part, "The creation of Ms. Foxx's position was an initial step in the re-organization of DSS, which was approved by the county's executive team."

Charlotte-Meck. County Commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts told us by phone from Washington, "I did not realize that opening was posted for such a short period of time. It's concerning. We pride ourselves on being open, transparent, equal and fair. I can't imagine why the posting period would not be available to reporters."

After DSS Director Mary E. Wilson gave Samara Foxx the job, Wilson's husband Cornell donated $4,000 -- the legal maximum -- to Anthony Foxx's mayoral campaign.

Foxx Campaign Manager Bruce Clark said Wilson and Foxx had worked together in the past but declined comment on the hiring, saying it was a county decision.

Foxx is not the only person with political connections to be hired by DSS since the "hiring freeze" went into effect.

Public records show DSS hired Hollye Monroe, the daughter of CMPD Police Chief Rodney Monroe, on Jan. 14 as a Management Analyst. Her salary: $46,613.60 per year. Our phone messages to Monroe's public information officer and chief of staff were not returned.

DSS also hired Tracey Evans, the daughter of Superior Court Judge Yvonne Mims-Evans, on Feb. 11 as a Social Services Manager at a salary of $57,380.95 per year. Judge Mims-Evans told us in a brief telephone interview that she had nothing to do with the hire.

County Manager Harry Jones e-mailed us a two-line response saying, "These individuals were hired within our policies and without regard to who their parents or spouses are."

Neither Jones nor DSS Director Mary E. Wilson responded to our requests for an on-camera interview.

But County Commissioner Bill James says the hiring smacks of political patronage and in his words "just smells bad." Commissioner James says the hiring should be investigated.



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Sources: Charlotte Conservative.com, Carolina Politics Online, Public Policy Polling, Cornerstone Polls, McClatchy Newspapers, Charlotte Observer, WCNC, NC Dems Party, Youtube, Google Maps