Charlotte Center City: South End Taxes vs Uptown Lobbying

Historic South End Sends $500K To Center City Partners, But What's It Getting?


Two of Charlotte’s oldest, richest and most historic neighborhoods are engaged in a kind of behind-the-scenes, tug-of-war over tax dollars generated by special municipal tax districts.

The dispute arose after the Historic South End merged with uptown’s Center City Partners. Now some South End property owners complain their tax dollars are going to promote uptown rather than their own neighborhood.

“Their priorities are uptown,” said Wayne Powers, who ran a tea shop in the South End called “Tea Rex.” “They took us on as a poor cousin. Oh yeah, you can be in the club but sit in the balcony.”

Powers accuses Center City Partners of merging with the South End “…to expand their power base; It’s not where their commitment lies.”

The special “municipal service districts” were created more than 30 years ago by state lawmakers to allow main street businesses to tax themselves to boost development. Charlotte has five of the districts – three overlapping in uptown, one in the South End and one in the University City area.

The South End will generate more than $560,000 in special taxes from its service district this fiscal year, according to the city’s Department of Neighborhoods and Special Services. But according to documents provided by Center City Partners in the last year the group spent less than half that amount, or about $273,000, directly on the South End.

The remainder goes to administrative costs at Center City Partners, which in turn raises a quarter million dollars in private grants and sponsorships, a portion of which goes to the South End.

Administrative employees spend a portion of their time working on South End projects but do not report their time by district.

When Center City Partners began lobbying for a million dollars in local taxpayer funding for a public market uptown at the site of the former Reid’s Fine Foods, some South End property owners took it as a slap in the face. South End already hosts a fledgling public market in Atherton Mill without taxpayer funding.

“If these uptown financial wizards want an uptown lobbying group, let ‘em do it with their own money,” said Powers.

But Michael J. Smith, the CEO of Center City Partners, says his organization provides a valuable service for the South End.

“We have a unique program of work for uptown and a unique program of work for South End,” said Smith. “Those dollars by statute have to be invested in that district.”

Smith says Center City Partners can promote public markets in both uptown and the South End at the same time.

“We do represent Atherton Market. We're big fans of the market. We promote the market,” said Smith, adding that the proposed uptown public market is “something different.”

“You know what?” counters Powers. “If I were making $350,000, I’d come up with that kind of story too.”

Powers is referring to Smith’s salary, $88,000 bonus and benefits totaling $347,000 this year, recently reported by WCNC’s news partners at the Charlotte Observer.

Some South End property owners complain that inequities were built into the structure of the merger. The Historic South End contributes about 18 percent of the property taxes which support Center City Partners but gets only 8 percent of the votes on CCCP’s board of directors, holding only two of 25 voting seats.

Tony Pressley, a developer who led the way in turning Charlotte’s oldest industrial district into a distinct neighborhood of condos and design centers.

“Two board positions; that’s not adequate,” said Pressley.

Pressley says it’s time for his neighbors to re-evaluate the merger.


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Sources: WCNC, Charlotte Center City Partners, Google Maps

Charlotte Light Rail Passenger Station Crime Increases: Robberies

Robbery At Knife Point In Lynx Charlotte Light-Rail Station


A Charlotte man was robbed at knife point at the I-485/South Boulevard Lynx light-rail station Friday evening, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police.

The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. The suspect hit the victim, took his wallet and fled on foot.

Police said two suspects were found in the bathroom of the Target store in the nearby Carolina Pavilion Shopping Center. Both were taken into custody, but officers had not released their names Saturday afternoon.

A CATS representative said she was not aware of any other recent armed robberies or major crime at light-rail stations.

In May, police suspected a man used the light-rail to get away after two robberies along the Lynx line, though authorities later said the man never got on the train.

Those robberies happened around 11 p.m. on a Friday in late May, police said. An employee at the Greek Isles restaurant on East Bland Street leaving work and a man walking out of Sullivan’s steakhouse were both robbed at gunpoint within minutes of each other.

CATS spokeswoman Krystel Green said the company would work to continue making sure law enforcement officials were visible.

There are a total of nine company police officers and four CMPD officers stationed along the light-rail line, she said.

“We want to remind people to continue to be aware of surroundings…and to stay in well-lit areas, just like you would anywhere else,” Green said.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, Google Maps

Obama Promotes Clean Energy & Health Care To Celgard Audience

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

Obama: "We Are Beginning To Turn The Corner"


President Barack Obama on Friday hailed a new government report showing the most jobs created in nearly three years. "We are beginning to turn the corner," he told employees of a Charlotte, NC Battery Manufacturing plant that received government stimulus money.

"We've broken this slide," Obama said several hours after the U.S. Labor Department reported businesses adding 162,000 jobs to their payrolls in March. He said the new figures point the way toward "helping us climb out of this recession," the deepest in 80 years.

Obama told workers at a plant that makes high-tech battery components that his aggressive — if unpopular — policies helped add jobs. He spoke at the Celgard LLC factory, which received a $49 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department last August.

The president said the grant was creating nearly 300 direct jobs for the company and more than 1,000 jobs for its contractors and suppliers. He also pledged that a new emphasis on oil and gas drilling will not undercut alternative energy work.

"I've often had to report bad news during the course of this year as the recession wreaked havoc on people's lives," Obama said. "Today is an encouraging day. The economy actually produced a substantial number of jobs instead of losing a substantial number of jobs."

Yet, the positive news reported by the government was tempered by some sobering statistics. For instance, many of the 162,000 new jobs went to temporary Census workers. And more than 40 percent of those without jobs have been unemployed for more than six months. Since the recession began in December 2007, some 8.4 million have lost their jobs.

"That's a staggering sum," Obama said.

"We shouldn't underestimate the difficulties we face," he said. "We're still going through a hard time."

Taking questions from the audience, Obama was asked whether his decision earlier in the week to open the door to offshore oil and gas drilling would hurt development of alternative energy sources.

He said it wouldn't, and that there was room for both.

"We can't drill our way out of this problem," he said.

Obama said a top priority remains improving energy efficiency and promoting clean energy.

But during the transition, he said, the nation needs to find ways to use traditional energy sources in the "most efficient and most environmentally friendly ways."

Reversing two decades of policy, Obama earlier in the week voiced support for lifting drilling bans off the southern Atlantic coastline, in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and in parts of Alaska.


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Sources: MSNBC, Whitehouse.gov, WCNC, Google Maps

Obama Talks Jobs To Charlotte, NC Voters @ Celgard (Live)

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

Obama Talks Jobs To Charlotte Audience



President Barack Obama is pushing his administration's plans to create jobs, a crucial campaign issue for Democrats as they look toward November's midterm elections.

Obama planned remarks Friday at a North Carolina company, Celgard that has hired new workers and expanded its operations with grants from the economic stimulus program. Obama's team wants to marry much-needed job creation with the politically sour stimulus, hoping that will help Democrats gain favor with voters after a bruising, yearlong battle with Republicans over health care.

Before Obama left for Charlotte, the Labor Department reported that employment improved significantly in March, with businesses adding 162,000 jobs to their payrolls. But the improving economy was only strong enough to accommodate the tens of thousands of workers who flocked into the labor force. Thus, the overall unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7 percent.

White House economist Christina Romer said in a statement that while Friday's jobs report showed signs of a gradual economic recovery, the American labor market remains "severely distressed." Romer said Americans should expect the unemployment rate to remain volatile, and warned of bumps in the road ahead.

Republicans have created a steady drumbeat of criticism of Obama's stewardship of the economy and against his health care victory in the hopes voters blame Obama at the ballot box in November.

"If President Obama were serious about job creation, he would be spending less time on the campaign stump trying to sell Americans on a health care bill they don't like and can't afford and more time focusing on putting our nation back to work," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Katie Wright said.

Between now and November, Democrats are looking to illustrate their economic accomplishments. The White House said Obama on Friday would point to the Charlotte company, Celgard LLC, an advanced battery technology manufacturer, as an example of the economic progress made since he took office and again call on Congress to act on job-creating proposals.

Obama has pushed Congress to use $30 billion that had been set aside to bail out Wall Street to start a new program that provides loans to small businesses, which the White House calls the engine for job growth.

Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported no change in the overall unemployment rate, which stood at 9.7 percent. It had dropped 0.3 percent, from 10 percent to 9.7 percent, in January. That had been the first drop in seven months but offered little consolation for the 8.4 million jobs that have vanished since the recession began.

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on NBC that administration officials were "very worried" about recovering the jobs lost in the recession. But he noted that business growth has been improving and he expected the economy to start creating jobs again.

More than 11 million people now are drawing unemployment insurance benefits, and the overall jobless rate of 9.7 percent understates the true level of economic misery because many people who have given up looking for work are no longer in the official count of the unemployed.

A report Thursday said initial claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week as the recovering economy moves closer to generating more jobs. The Labor Department said new jobless benefit claims dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000, nearly matching analysts' estimates. It was the fourth drop in five weeks.


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Sources: MSNBC, Whitehouse.gov, WCNC, Google Maps

Warren Turner (Absentee Politician) Shot At In Southwest Charlotte...His Forgotten District

Homicide detectives are investigating a quadruple homicide after four bodies were found inside a Southwest Charlotte (Warren Turner's district) condo complex.)




Charlotte police identify two of the four people killed in Southwest Charlotte (Warren Turner's district).







Earlier this evening Charlotte City Councilman Warren Turner was shot at in Southwest Charlotte while performing his duties as a NC State Probation Officer.

Although I'm glad he wasn't wounded or killed, the person shooting at him was probably angry due to Councilman Turner being an Absentee District Representative.

Now don't get me wrong on this one because I would never suggest or encourage Civil Disobedience in the name of doing harm to a Politician or anyone else for that matter, however...

I am demanding that Warren Turner explain to his Constituents why he is an Absentee Politician.

This is a man who spent $10,846. in Taxpayer money last year for "Political Job-Related" travel expenses but yet does absolutely NOTHING at all for his district (3).

In fact were it not for former Mayor Pat McCrory (Republican), Constituents of Southwest Charlotte wouldn't even have access to the Light Rail System.

So you think I'm exaggerating or just blowing hot air when I say that Councilman Turner does absolutely NOTHING for his Constituents?

Ok, I challenge you to drive through his district (3) and tell me what you observe.

That's okay I'll do it for you:

No Economic Development

No Jobs

No paved roads (Except for a few half-paved ones. Terrible work!)

Hardly any sidewalks

High Property Taxes

High Crime

Poor Schools

No After School Programs

No Parks for Children

Nothing Constructive! Nothing Positive! Nothing Beautiful.

Yet this Public Servant used Taxpayer money ($10,846) for "Political Job-Related Trips" last year!!

How can you use almost $11,000 in Taxpayer money for "Political Job-Related" travel expenses if your NOT representing the Constituents in your district or doing anything Constructive for your district??

Now that Anthony Foxx (Democrat) is Charlotte's new Mayor sadly enough I don't expect to see much of a difference in Turner's district (3).

This includes investing Stimulus money into Turner's district.

Foxx only appears to care about Charlotte's Elite and Wealthy constitutents, not Middle Class or Low Income citizens.

Except when its time for Re-election and he needs their votes.

Just another clear example of Crooked, Self-serving North Carolina Democrats and Public Corruption.

Councilman Turner how dare you even have the nerve to show your face in Southwest Charlotte (HIS DISTRICT)!

Why do you keep running for Public Office anyway?

Oh I get it! Prestige and extra cash.

The only reason Councilman Warren Turner continues to be re-elected is because his Constituents are too poor to run against him, so he basically wins by default.

He doesn't even campaign! He just wins by default.

Councilman Turner Sir I'm relieved you weren't wounded or killed but I'm extremely displeased with your lackadaisical, complacent, non-caring attitude and terrible job performance for the Constituents of Southwest Charlotte.

You should be ashamed of yourself!

Don't you care about your Constituents?

No of course not. He just cares about having his name in lights and spending Taxpayer money.






City councilman shot at


Charlotte City Councilman Warren Turner, who works as a N.C. probation officer, was shot at Friday as he went on a routine probation visit in southwest Charlotte, sources said.

Turner, a Democrat from District 3 who ran unopposed in Tuesday's election, wasn't injured. He briefly pursued but lost the man who shot at him.

Police arrested 18-year-old Derrick Alan Daniels in connection with the incident shortly afterward. The charges against him haven't yet been released.

During the incident, a man could be heard screaming over the police radio: "I am 10-4, I am 10-4," police code for affirmative, or OK. The man then gave a description of a suspect car, which he said was headed toward Interstate 77 near Tyvola Road.

Turner has been a city councilman since 2003. He heads the community safety committee, which oversees the fire and police departments.

According to one source, Turner was headed to a house in the Windsong Trail neighborhood on a routine probation visit when he approached two men. One man began shooting, then ran and fled in a tan car. Turner followed the man in his own car but lost him and radioed for help.

Reached on his cell phone early Friday evening, Turner didn't deny his involvement in the incident, but declined to comment.





City Council halves travel budget: Though the cut is a small amount, members say it's in sympathy with city workers facing pay freezes.


The City Council is scheduled to adopt a budget Monday that includes a cut in a personal spot: Their travel expenses.

Currently, the travel budget for the mayor and council is $50,790. Between July 2008 and May, about 90 percent of it had been spent. The fund generally pays for the mayor

and council members to attend city-related conferences and events held around the country by organizations such as the National League of Cities.

The council voted Wednesday to cut the travel fund in half, to $25,395.

The reduction represents a fraction of the city manager's proposed $1.78 billion budget. But Councilman John Lassiter called it a symbolic gesture in line with the pay freeze city employees will endure in the coming year.

It was a tight contest, with five of eleven members opposed to the cut -- Democrats Susan Burgess, Warren Turner, Patsy Kinsey, Nancy Carter and James Mitchell. Burgess argued that council members' participation in national organizations increases the chances that conferences will be held in Charlotte, bringing money to the local economy.

"I think this is not the time to keep us from going to the (National League of Cities) and the (North Carolina League of Municipalities)," she said.

Five supported the cut -- Republicans Lassiter, Andy Dulin and Warren Cooksey, and Democrats Michael Barnes and Anthony Foxx. Republican Councilman Edwin Peacock was absent, and Republican Mayor Pat McCrory broke the tie.


To be sure, some council members travel more than others. The top travel spender this year was Mitchell, who spent $11,378, followed by Warren Turner, who spent $10,846.

Mitchell said his bills were high this year in part because he spent a week in Orlando, Florida, lobbying for a spot in line to be president of the National League of Cities. He won the officer's seat, which means that the organization -- not the city -- now pays for his league-related travel.

It also means that in two years, Mitchell will be president of the organization, and he hopes to bring the league's conference to Charlotte in 2015, he said. He said it also gives him an opportunity to publicize Charlotte and its successes.

"I'm in a very visible role now," he said.

Turner could not be reached Friday.

In addition to adopting the fiscal 2010 budget, the City Council is scheduled to vote Monday on a matter that could determine whether two pygmy goats are allowed to live in an uptown neighborhood.

The owner of the goats, Jeff Koenig, hopes the council will exempt them from a current quarter-acre pasture requirement. He says they have plenty of room to graze on weeds at his Fourth Ward townhome.

But some of his neighbors object to the goats, and community leaders around the city are worried that a change to the city rules would encourage people to bring livestock and other farm animals into their urban neighborhoods.



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Sources: McClatchy Newspaper, Charlotte Observer, Allbusiness.com, Charmeck.org, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps