Charlotte Observer----
Lassiter for Charlotte Mayor in Republican primary
Charlotte's most competitive mayoral race in close to 20 years hinges on the city's voters getting it right in the Republican primary on Sept. 15.
We strongly recommend a vote for John Lassiter over his primary opponents, Martin Davis and Jack Stratton.
This should not be a difficult decision for voters. Lassiter's record of achievement in public life and his command of the issues facing the city far outstrip that of Davis or Stratton.
Lassiter served on the planning commission and for 11 years on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board before beginning his three terms as an at-large member of the City Council. Over that time he has proven to be a serious student of public affairs and has developed an excellent grasp of the community and its needs. He is intelligent, dedicated and hard-working. And he typically sets partisan politics aside to focus on solutions.
His concern for Charlotte is obvious, and for 20 years he has worked hard to serve it.
Davis and Stratton, by comparison, have little record to run on. Davis is known best as “The Dirty Book Guy,” from the times he would appear before county commissioners to read from public library books, making the case that the library is a taxpayer-funded “pornographic bookstore.”
He has been nothing more than a gadfly since then. He is an ideologue running on a platform of cutting taxes and spending, but he doesn't offer realistic solutions to the city's needs, and has an abrasive, ineffective style.
Stratton, meanwhile, has admitted he's running only to regain custody of his children who social workers removed in 2001. “There's nobody worth voting for,” he says. “Every politician I've seen is corrupt. I didn't even vote for myself.” If he didn't, why should we?
This is a serious time for Charlotte, and voters have two serious choices: Lassiter and Democrat Anthony Foxx. Only those two have the wherewithal to tackle the significant problems challenging this city, including economic development, crime, transportation and affordable housing.
Voters need to get Lassiter over this first little hurdle, then turn to studying him and Foxx to determine who is best equipped to lead the city forward.
Party labels aren't enough. Voters need to explore the differences in philosophy and decide who has the beliefs and the leadership style needed to most effectively attack the problems our city faces at this critical time.
First, though, there's a primary. We believe John Lassiter is the clear choice.
Lassiter puts his cash to work on ads
With a nearly 3-1 cash advantage over Democratic rival Anthony Foxx, Republican mayoral candidate John Lassiter on Tuesday began an advertising blitz and took a swipe at Foxx's out-of-town donors.
New reports filed Tuesday showed Lassiter raised $374,700 through Sept. 1 and has $224,000 in the bank as he tries to succeed seven-term incumbent Pat McCrory, a fellow Republican.
Foxx raised $310,300 and has $85,000 heading into the last eight weeks of the campaign.
Lassiter has far out-raised two Republicans he'll face in Tuesday's Republican primary. Challenger Martin Davis has less than $700 in the bank. Jack Stratton has reported only that he plans to raise and spend less than $3,000.
While Lassiter said he's not overlooking the primary, he's clearly focused on a November race against Foxx.
Twenty-one billboards as well as radio ads for the Republican went up Tuesday, the same day the campaign sent mailings to about 16,000 Republican and independent voters.
Lassiter made a point to contrast his fundraising with that of Foxx.
“We have raised it substantially in Charlotte, and the money we've spent has been spent substantially in Charlotte, in contrast to some other reports,” he said. “We have not had to go out-of-market to solicit funds from folks who don't know much about the needs and problems of our city.”
An Observer analysis shows that Foxx raised about $34,000 from out-of-state donors, about 11 percent of his total.
Lassiter has gotten less than $7,000 from out of state, or about 2 percent of his money.
Foxx is working with AKP Message & Media, a Chicago-based firm started by David Axelrod, now a White House adviser. And he hired an Alabama polling firm that worked for President Obama and N.C. Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in 2008.
“The majority of our money has been raised and spent in Charlotte as well,” said Foxx spokeswoman Jill Santuccio.
“What's important to note is that, given this financial climate, the amount of money on both sides has been phenomenal.”
Some Foxx contributions came from Washington, where he once worked for the Justice Department and on Capitol Hill.
Santuccio said the Foxx campaign isn't worried about Lassiter's cash advantage.
“He's got a primary and we don't,” she said. “We've made some steady investments along the way and we're going to run a competitive race.”
Lassiter said he budgeted about $25,000 for Tuesday's primary.
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Sources: Charlotte Observer, Charmeck.org, votelassiter.com, anthonyfoxx.com, Google Maps
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