The head of the state's Republican Party said Friday that he has been told the competition to host the 2020 Republican National Convention is down to about three cities, with Charlotte one of the strongest bids.
N.C. GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse, who is attending the Republican National Committee meeting in Miami, said he has been told by numerous national Republicans that they were impressed by the city's Democratic leadership teaming up with statewide Republicans.
Woodhouse said he believed Las Vegas is a strong competitor.
CNN reported that Nevada GOP chairman Michael McDonald made a presentation this week to a site selection committee.
Woodhouse said Las Vegas appears to have placed a late bid to host the RNC.
Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the city of Las Vegas said they weren't aware of a bid.
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said Thursday that Republicans asked the city to bid, but it had to decline because it "doesn't have the facilities to accommodate the event."
On Friday, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said it was surprised by the story that Las Vegas was bidding.
It said it turned down the GOP with a letter earlier this year.
Las Vegas considered bidding for the 2016 RNC, but dropped out.
But the state Republican party appears to be moving forward with a bid, even if tourism officials aren't on board yet.
On Thursday, the San Antonio City Council decided in a closed session meeting not to bid.
"There's a reason that San Antonio has not pursued a political convention for the past 20 years and why so few cities seem interested in this convention," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, citing disruptions to traffic and neighborhoods.
As San Antonio council members prepared to consider a late bid, some Democratic activists said the city shouldn't seek the RNC.
They said the Trump administration's push for a border wall would damage the city's close ties with Mexico.
The bids for the RNC were originally due Feb. 28, but that deadline was pushed back.
In past years, cities have been vocal about wanting to land a political convention, which are said to be worth tens of millions in dollars in economic impact.
But this year only Charlotte and Las Vegas have said publicly they want it.
Charlotte hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Woodhouse said he was told that as many as seven cities had expressed interested to the RNC, but some dropped out.
He doesn't know what the other city is, though he said he has heard Texas.
A tourism official in Dallas said the RNC approached the city about bidding, but the city declined.
A spokesperson for the Houston mayor's office declined to comment, but a City Council member said it had not been discussed.
"They were really impressed that a Democratic city and Democratic leaders have come together with Republicans to host the RNC," Woodhouse said.
He said the RNC will meet again in August. A decision could be made then, he said.
A proposal that codifies a statewide nondiscrimination policy in employment and public accommodations and prohibits North Carolina cities or towns from enacting stricter guidelines was signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory late Wednesday after clearing the General Assembly in less than nine hours.
"I have signed legislation passed by a bipartisan majority to stop this breach of basic privacy and etiquette which was to go into effect April 1," McCrory said in a statement. "Although other items included in this bill should have waited until regular session, this bill does not change existing rights under state or federal law.
"It is now time for the city of Charlotte elected officials and state elected officials to get back to working on the issues most important to our citizens."
All Democratic members of the Senate walked out of the chamber in protest Wednesday evening, leading to a 32-0 vote for the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act.
"This bill essentially ties a noose around the necks of the cities and counties, and it smothers their ability to govern in a way that their citizens think they ought to," Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue said as other Democrats left. "We're not participating in this effort that you make to roll back the clock in this state, to take away powers from local governments."
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger criticized the walkout. "Running out and ducking this vote is a serious breach of their duty to their constituents," he said.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House voted 84-24 in favor of the bill as state lawmakers rushed to push it through the General Assembly in a one-day special session.
"This is historic," said Rep. Dan Bishop, R-Mecklenburg, noting that North Carolina has never had a nondiscrimination statute.
The bill excludes gays and lesbians from discrimination protections, however, prompting an outcry from LGBT advocates, some corporations and Attorney General Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate for governor.
Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality North Carolina, called it the "worst anti-LGBT bill in the entire nation."
"The bill tears away at the fabric of my community by overturning and pre-empting vital protections for gay and transgendered people," Sgro said. "He [McCrory] goes back on his word again by signing legislation coming out of an expensive and unnecessary special session."
"That the North Carolina legislature would convene a costly special session specifically to invalidate and prohibit the expansion of civil rights for LGBT people is disgraceful," Eric Wachter, associate regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. "Equality, fairness and the desire to stand on the right side of history are reasons enough for legislators to reject this odious and discriminatory legislation."
"Discrimination is wrong, period. That North Carolina is putting discrimination into the law is shameful," Cooper said in a YouTube video posted by his campaign.
"Our commitment to the fair treatment of all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, has not changed and is at the core of our NCAA values," NCAA spokeswoman Gail Dent said. "It is our expectation that all people will be welcomed and treated with respect in cities that host our NCAA championships and events."
Greensboro and Charlotte are scheduled to host regional games in the NCAA men's basketball tournament in the next two years.
A similar religious rights measure is pending in Georgia, where corporations and even the NFL have said they'll avoid doing business in the state if it becomes law.
The North Carolina bill also doesn't include disabled people among the groups protected from discrimination, but Bishop said other state statutes already protect them.
Rep. Grier Martin, D-Wake, tried to amend the bill so it included gays and lesbians among the protected groups, as well as veterans, but the Republican majority voted to table that suggestion.
The Senate Judiciary II Committee likewise tabled an attempt Wednesday evening by Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, to add gender identity to the bill for protections against discrimination.
Bathroom debate prompted bill
The legislation is in response to an ordinance passed last month by the Charlotte City Council that broadly defines how businesses treat LGBT customers. The ordinance includes a provision that allows transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Social conservatives have railed against the Charlotte ordinance for weeks, saying it violates the religious freedom of business owners and puts women and children at risk by allowing sexual predators to go into women's bathrooms.
"If God didn't give you access to a male or female bathroom via your anatomy, neither should we give you access via either ordinance or legislation," John Amanchukwu, executive director of Upper Room Christian Academy in Raleigh, told members of the House Judiciary IV Committee on Wednesday morning.
Chloe Jefferson, a junior at Greenville Christian Academy, called the prospect of a boy in the girl's bathroom or locker room at her school "completely frightening," adding that dealing with body image is hard enough for teen girls without having boys around when they change clothes or go to the bathroom.
"I am not the only girl scared," Jefferson said.
Charlotte business owner Heather Garofalo encouraged lawmakers to outlaw local anti-discrimination ordinances, saying they threaten her religious right to choose not to serve LGBT customers.
"Business owners like myself, we would be forced to check our deepest-held beliefs at the door or suffer fines of $500, jail time, lawsuits," Garofalo said. "I am asking for a right to provide for my family."
But several transgender people pleaded with lawmakers to defeat the proposal, saying they are just as scared to go into bathrooms where they don't feel comfortable.
"I can't use the men's room. I won't go back to the men's room. It is unsafe for me there. People like me die there," said Madeleine Goss, a Raleigh woman who said she was bullied as a boy in Hickory because of her gender identity.
"I have the right to be safe too," a sobbing Angela Bridgeman told lawmakers.
"I feel bullied by you guys," Skye Thomson, a 15-year-old transgender boy from Greenville, told senators. "Imagine yourself in my shoes, being a boy walking into a ladies room. It's awkward and embarrassing and can actually be dangerous."
"Are you really interested in me being spit on and pushed around and shoved because of who I am in a restroom?" asked Rev. Michael Slack, a transgender man. "Legislating mistreatment, hatred and misunderstanding is shameful."
The bill would require people to use the bathroom that aligns with the gender listed on their birth certificate. Backers noted that North Carolina law allows people who have undergone a sex change to amend the gender on their birth certificates. California and Texas also allow people to amend their birth certificates, but it was unclear Wednesday whether other states had similar regulations.
"This is really not about bathrooms. It's about fear," said Rep. Rodney Moore, D-Mecklenburg. "The spirit of the bill is not what it says it intends to do."
Rep. Tricia Cotham, D-Mecklenburg, said the bill resorts to fear-mongering and "flies in the face of" attempts to move North Carolina forward.
"We must be a state that is inclusive and welcomes in North Carolina and protects everyone," Cotham said. "You are absolutely not protecting children, and you're not protecting women."
But Rep. Dean Arp, R-Union, said "prisoners have more privacy" than people in public bathrooms under the Charlotte ordinance.
"How compassionate is it to strip North Carolina citizens of their right to privacy?" Arp said.
Cotham was able to amend the bill to allow parents or caregivers to take children under age 7 into a public bathroom with them, regardless of gender.
Lawmakers draw line on municipal power
In addition to voiding the bathroom provision of Charlotte's ordinance and spelling out state policy on discrimination in employment and public accommodations, the bill also would prohibit cities and counties from adopting so-called living wage ordinances because that would require businesses to pay workers more than the state-established minimum wage.
Bishop and other supporters said North Carolina needs consistent regulations for business and that Charlotte overstepped its authority by passing its ordinance.
"This is not new law," Bishop said. "It's a clarification."
His characterization of the Charlotte City Council as "a handful of radicals under the influence of an activist group" and the ordinance as "the picture of the subversion of the rule of law" drew sharp rebukes from House Democrats.
"Government is best when handled at the lowest level possible," said Rep. Marvin Lucas, D-Cumberland, who called the bill "micromanaging."
"Even the authority you have given them in the past, you have taken away from them," said Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham, noting the General Assembly has stripped cities of power several times in recent years.
Reps. Mike Hager, R-Rutherford, and Nelson Dollar said the legislature needs to act when Charlotte or another jurisdiction oversteps its authority.
"These cities and counties, especially in this case, have operated outside their boundaries, and they're into the boundaries of the state," Hager said.
"We do not need any municipal government acting outside of its appropriate authority, particularly when they are seeking to make political statements," Dollar said.
Other issues raised
Opponents to the bill also argued that not prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity could put $4 billion in federal education funding to the state at risk under the Title IX gender equity law.
Similar legislation has been defeated in Tennessee and South Dakota because of such concerns, but Republicans in the General Assembly argued Title IX has exemptions that would preclude any loss of funds to North Carolina.
Democrats also questioned whether the bill would eliminate some protections for wrongful termination claims by fired workers. Republicans disagreed on whether that was the case, with some saying it didn't and others saying people were better off filing a federal lawsuit anyway.
"A rushed process leads to mistakes, leads to omissions," Martin cautioned his fellow House members.
Under the bill, discrimination complaints would be handled by the state Human Relations Commission, but some Democrats pointed out that Republicans gutted the commission's budget last summer, which would render it ineffective.
Legislation becomes campaign issue
Lawmakers called themselves into session on Tuesday after McCrory declined to do so. McCrory said he thought the issue could be addressed during the regular 2016 legislative session, which starts April 25, but legislative leaders wanted to pre-empt the Charlotte ordinance, which is scheduled to take effect April 1.
Cooper said McCrory sparked the debate by publicly denouncing the ordinance shortly after it passed.
"Gov. McCrory got us started down this path by promising legislative action for political gain," he said. "The governor lit the match and then stood aside as the fire grew out of control."
McCrory's campaign responded by accusing Cooper of not doing his job in fighting the ordinance himself.
"Roy Cooper supports forcing women and young girls to use the same restrooms and locker rooms as grown men, all in the name of political correctness, and he refused to act as attorney general to protect our privacy and defend our state's laws," Russell Peck, McCrory's campaign manager, said in a statement.
Berger and Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, the Republican candidate for attorney general, also criticized Cooper for his inaction on the Charlotte ordinance, which Newton called "a radical and dangerous policy."
"Frankly, if the attorney general would do his job, we wouldn't be here today," Newton said. "It would be easy for him to put a stop to this."
The Attorney General's Office has said no action is necessary because cases of indecent exposure and sexual assault can already be prosecuted under state law.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed stepped up his attacks on Sanders as Sanders' Atlanta visit neared. Our AJC colleague Katie Leslie reports that he predicted a Sanders thrashing in Georgia on March 1.
Our AJC colleague Katie Leslie reports that at a press conference on Tuesday, he predicted Sanders would be clobbered on Georgia’s March 1 primary.
“He’s never led anything in the U.S. Senate. What has he led? How many bills has he passed? He’s no Senator Kennedy,” Reed said of Sanders, comparing his rallies to Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s raucous events.
“We are not going to put our party in the hands of someone who is not even a Democrat and watch him take this party over a cliff,” he said. “He is not going to get away with this foolishness in Georgia or South Carolina.”
He added: “Stop treating Bernie Sanders like he’s something special. He’s not going to be the nominee.”
According to Mayor Reed, 461 individuals were responsible for 10,000 crimes last year and only 16 of them, or 4 percent, spent time in jail.
"Not only are we going to be tough on crime, but we are going to be smart on crime."
Reed said repeat offenders are no longer getting a "free pass." Approximately 55 percent of repeat offenders are now receiving jail time, according to Reed.
At the briefing, Reed also said officials are working to improve safety on the city's Westside, which will consist of adding more than 1,000 cameras in the area.
"Today gives us an opportunity to keep our eyes focused on repeat offenders, and to let you know what we have planned to keep you and the city of Atlanta safe in 2016."
The briefing was held at the Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters. Reed was joined at the briefing by the city's Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Police, Fire Chief and the head of the city's Department of Corrections.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, long rumored to have his sights on higher political office, said he has “another election” in him before retiring from public life.
“I think I have another election in me, because I love public service,” Reed told WABE radio hosts Denis O’Hayer and Rose Scott on Tuesday.
Reed wouldn’t reveal just which office he’s eyeing, though he’s widely believed to desire a gubernatorial run, if not U.S. Senate. Reed has said he plans to return to the private sector after leaving Atlanta City Hall in 2018, but on Tuesday left open the possibility of another campaign.
He could face stiff competition if he runs in 2018. Former gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter and House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams could run on the Democratic ticket, and several Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Attorney General Sam Olens are said to be considering a bid.
Reed could also wait out until 2022, when shifting demographics could play more into the Democratic Party’s favor. An influx of minorities and newcomers has analysts predicting Georgia could become a purple state by the decade’s end.
"Soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be President of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it," Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show.
"I mean, there are so many murders with guns every day, it's just got to stop.
"And instead of the two people -- President Obama and Gov. Romney -- talking ... about they want to make the world a better place, okay, tell us how."
Bloomberg's call to action on his WOR show with John Gambling came hours after a lone gunman turned a Colorado cinema showing "The Dark Knight Rises" into a shooting gallery.
The NYPD stationed officers at city theaters showing “The Dark Knight Rises” on Thursday as some Batman fans admitted the shooting at a Colorado cinema had left them unnerved.
“It was in the back of my head,” said Jim Thalman, 38, an actor who saw the film at the Regal Cinema in Union Square just hours after a gunman killed 12 people at a midnight screening of the movie outside of Denver.
“When a guy came in with a bag, I thought if he puts a mask on, I was going to crack him.” But his pal, Scott Nawrocki, 42, said he wasn’t worried about a replay of the ambush in Aurora.
“I’m so New York,” the Brooklynite said. “I’m jaded.” Two uniformed officers stood in the lobby of the Manhattan movie house. A total of 40 theaters around the five boroughs will getting extra police protection, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.
“We're concerned that someone, perhaps seeking notoriety, will attempt to do something similar,” Kelly said adding that the security boost was meant “to address the potential of a copycat event and to reassure moviegoers, particularly parents.
“We know a lot of young people are going to see this movie,” he said. “These are judgments that we have to make. We think it’s appropriate at this time.”
Kelly said most of the theaters would have at least two cops and a vehicle posted in front. At the AMC Empire 25 theater on W. 42nd St., Heidi Harding, 32, said she was “not scared” as she waited on line to purchase tickets for an evening showing.
“You don't have any control over these types of situations,” said the Bronx assistant teacher. “You just have to live your life.
With a week to go until North Carolina's primary, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton is leading the Democratic field for governor, while former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory should capture the Republican nomination with ease, according to a new WRAL News poll.
SurveyUSA polled 461 likely Republican voters and 560 likely Democratic voters between last Thursday and Monday and found that a large segment remains undecided about most races.
McCrory would win 65 percent of the votes in the GOP primary, while none of his five opponents would top 3 percent, according to the poll. Twenty-one percent were undecided. The Republican poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percent.
Dalton is leading former Congressman Bob Etheridge by 32 to 23 percent, and the other four candidates were in single digits for support, according to the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percent. Nearly a third of voters remain undecided.
Dalton leads among most demographics, although independents favor Etheridge by 43 to 27 percent and the two candidates are in a dead heat for voters who identify themselves as moderate.
Etheridge also holds a slight lead in the Triangle, while Dalton dominates in the Charlotte area, the Triad and eastern North Carolina.
In a WRAL News poll in mid-March, Etheridge held a narrow lead over Dalton in terms of approval rating.
"All these numbers are moving. They're soft," Etheridge said. "I think the voters are just starting to pay attention (to the race) in the last couple of days."
Dalton wasn't taking his late lead for granted. "The only poll that matters is on May 8," he said.
David McLennan, a political science professor at William Peace University in Raleigh, said the positive message Dalton has put forward in his ads has helped his campaign. On the other hand, he said, Etheridge needs a new message.
"He's got to move away from the kind of advertising he's doing, which is associating himself with (President) Barack Obama and educational policies of 20 years ago," McLennan said.
Although McCrory has a huge lead in funding, McLennan said he expects a tight race in November.
The poll also found that North Carolina voters are fairly split on the idea of raising the state sales tax rate by 0.75-cent to generate more money for public schools. Forty-six percent oppose the increase, while 43 percent support it. The poll of 1,636 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Gov. Beverly Perdue chose not to seek re-election so she could lobby for the increase, and both Dalton and Etheridge favor it, while McCrory is against raising taxes.
In the races for lieutenant governor, 41 percent of Republican voters and 36 percent of Democrats remain undecided, according to the poll.
Among those who have made up their minds, state personnel director Linda Coleman tops state Sen. Eric Mansfield on the Democratic side by 41 to 23 percent. Wake Forest architect Dan Forest holds a 17 to 13 percent lead over state Rep. Dale Folwell on the Republican side, with Wake County Commissioner Tony Gurley and state Rep. Grey Mills close behind Folwell.
The current $3.7 billion budget deficit facing North Carolina presents a golden opportunity to re-evaluate the size and scope of state government. Presented with this opportunity, however, Governor Bev Perdue has failed to clearly articulate her vision for government’s role in society.
For instance, Perdue recently revealed a broad outline of her “reorganization plan” for state government. The plan included consolidating or privatizing some state agencies and a hiring freeze of “non-critical” state positions.
In an email to state employees discussing her reorganization plan, Perdue stressed that her priority is for state government to focus on its “core priorities.”
Readers of the email eager for Perdue to clearly define her vision for what she believes to be the state’s “core priorities” were left wanting. Perdue’s message disappointingly included only a vague and principle-free passing reference to “jobs, investing in our children’s education and safer and healthier communities.”
Unsurprisingly, Perdue’s lack of vision has resulted in confusion from state agencies as they try to define which positions are “critical” in their agency so as to implement a hiring freeze of non-critical positions. As mentioned in a Raleigh News & Observer article, “Perdue’s call for state agencies to voluntarily impose a hiring freeze for noncritical positions is being met with varying degrees of support, wariness and questions over what state jobs should be subject to a freeze.”
It seems that without a clearly stated vision of the proper functions of state government, assignments to identify “critical positions” can quickly become an exercise in futility.
Perdue’s lack of a clear vision has also created much uncertainty regarding two significant issues facing North Carolina: privatizing the ABC system and legalizing video poker. Perdue is waiting for the results of a consultant’s study on the impact of privatizing the ABC system before committing to a position on the issue, saying “I’m not quite there. I need to know what its worth. I need to know what its worth to the taxpayer.”
Similarly, Perdue remains uncommitted about the legalization of video poker, even though she admits she is not “philosophically opposed” to gambling.
If the governor was interested in defining her core principles and beliefs regarding state government, the answers to these questions wouldn’t require any studies; they would be quite simple. State control and monopolization of liquor sales is either a “core priority” of state government or it is not.
Furthermore, if she is not philosophically opposed to gambling (and in fact she was the tie-breaking vote in favor of the state lottery as lieutenant governor in 2005) she would find no reason to criminalize video poker.
But it does seem that, in spite of her reluctance to clearly state her beliefs on core functions of government, Perdue has recently offered some significant clues as to the principles that guide her decisions.
First was on the issue of legalizing video poker. Perdue sent her chief of staff, Britt Cobb, to a video poker parlor to report on the atmosphere at such locations. In response to Cobb’s report that the parlor was smoke-filled and “the saddest thing he’s ever seen,” Perdue said "I don't believe I'm the mother of North Carolina, that I should ...regulate people's personal choices, but I don't like what I heard from Britt and I don't like what I see.”
Have you ever noticed that the word "but" often reveals someone's true thoughts? For instance, a person may start a sentence saying "I'm not a racist, but...." and then proceed to say something extremely racist. In other words, injecting the word “but” in such a way is an indicator that whatever was said before “but” is untrue and the speaker’s true intentions are revealed after it.
In this case, we can see Perdue does believe she's "the mother of North Carolina."
Similarly, Perdue had this to say about corporate welfare: “I don't like them (incentives), but they are part of the game.”
Translation: Perdue likes incentives.
It seems by these most recent statements that Perdue is unwittingly providing us with a glimpse into her belief system. And what we find is a person committed to the nanny state with a healthy dose of crony corporatism.
It all adds up to someone who favors the accumulation of power in the hands of the ruling class at the expense of individual liberty.
Although the next election is not until 2012, Republican Pat McCrory leads Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue by 15 percent, according to a new poll released today by the Civitas Institute.
According to the live caller poll of 600 likely voters, 51 percent of voters said they would vote for McCrory if the election for Governor were held today. Thirty-six percent said they would vote for Perdue, and 12 percent said they are undecided.
This is a 6 percent increase in McCrory’s lead from a June 2010 Civitas poll when he led Perdue by a 46 percent-37 percent margin.
“Support for Perdue is low as voters see job creation and economic recovery remaining flat,” said Civitas Institute Francis De Luca. “Despite press releases heralding new jobs and incentive giveaways, voters are not seeing improvement in the employment picture.”
McCrory leads among Republicans by an 83 percent-8 percent margin and among unaffiliated voters (53 percent-23 percent). Democratic voters support Perdue by a 64 percent-29 percent margin.
“Perdue has an uphill climb in light of the recent midterm elections, bleak jobs picture and the challenging state budget situation,” added De Luca. “In the next few months, the public will see whether she works with the new Republican leadership to balance the budget and improve the employment picture. If successful, that may prove critical to her reelection plans.”
In addition, 60 percent of voters said they think Perdue does not have a clear plan for creating jobs, while 25 percent said she does. Fifteen percent of voters said they do not know.
The Civitas Poll is the only monthly live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina.
“And although the next election isn’t until 2012… if the election for Governor were being held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were Pat McCrory, Republican and Bev Perdue, Democrat? And would you definitely vote for (choice) or just probably for (choice)?”
This poll of 600 registered voters in North Carolina was conducted December 15-16, 2010 by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Virginia. This survey has a margin of error of +4.0% in 95 out of 100 cases. To ensure a representative sample, interviews were conducted proportional to voter registration figures for each county in the state based on the most recent figures compiled by the State Board of Elections.
Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has a commanding lead over Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue in a new poll.
If a rematch up of their 2008 race were held today, McCrory would defeat Perdue by a 51 to 36 percent margin, according to a new survey commissioned by The Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based conservative think tank. Twelve percent said they were undecided.
McCrory's lead has expanded since a June Civitas poll which showed Perdue leading by a 46 percent to 37 percent margin.
Perdue defeated McCrory by a 50 to 47 percent margin in 2008, the closest governor's race in the nation that year.
The spin:
“Support for Perdue is low as voters see job creation and economic recovery remaining flat,” said Francis De Luca, the institute's president. “Despite press releases heralding new jobs and incentive giveaways, voters are not seeing improvement in the employment picture.”
The survey of 600 registered North Carolina voters was conducted Dec. 15-16 by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Virginia. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The City of Charlotte's spending on police officers and firefighters is "financially unsustainable without large budget cuts or increased taxes," according to a task force appointed by Mayor Anthony Foxx that presented its yearlong study into the city's finances Monday night.
The warning is cold water to the city, which has so far survived the economic downturn mostly unscathed, at least compared with other governments, including Mecklenburg County.
The task force, chaired by Cyndee Patterson of The Lee Institute, said that the city's biggest problem is that it gives public safety employees raises annually that exceed the growth rate for other city employees.
An additional problem is that the city will lose federal stimulus dollars that have helped pay for 125 new police officers, leaving a $5.6 million hole in the budget by 2014.
The report said that by fiscal year 2013, police and fire expenses would outstrip property tax revenue that primarily pays for them. Public-safety represents 65 percent of the city's general fund.
"You don't have a lot of time to fix this," Patterson said.
The report projected escalating deficits, from roughly $4 million in fiscal 2013 to $23 million in fiscal 2015. A small property tax increase would likely only delay the problem, Patterson said.
City budget director Ruffin Hall said after Monday's workshop that outside factors could alter the expense and revenue lines, which project a shortfall in three years.
It's possible the economy could bounce back, spurring development and generating more property tax revenues.
On the expense side, the City Council could choose not to give public safety employees a typical pay plan, which is a 3 percent annual cost-of-living increase and occasional 5 percent step increases. There are 10 possible pay steps over a career for police officers, and eight steps for firefighters.
For fiscal 2010, as the economy soured, the city gave no raises to any employees. (The City Council did vote to give bonuses to City Manager Curt Walton and City Attorney Mac McCarley.)
For the current fiscal year, the City Council approved a 2.5 percent step increase for public safety employees and a 2 percent cost-of-living increase. Other city employees received 2 percent raises.
The city made roughly $10 million in budget cuts to fund that controversial pay increase, which cost the city roughly $6 million. Most Democrats supported the pay hike, while Republicans argued against the pay raises, saying the money should be saved.
The debate this summer came as the national and local economy was struggling, and city staff said upcoming budgets would be uncertain. But the council members hadn't seen the gloomy projection that Patterson's group presented Monday night.
Council member Edwin Peacock, a Republican, asked task force members whether they thought police and fire staffing was at the right level.
"You are stating we have something unsustainable," Peacock said. "Are we operating efficiently?"
The task force didn't comment on the staffing levels for police and fire, and whether they are appropriate. It did, however, suggest that the city could reduce pay increases and still be within pay levels of peer cities.
It noted that recent public-safety voluntary turnover rate is 1.2 percent, and that applicants had submitted over 1,500 applications for 100 police and fire vacancies. It also said that other cities have smaller step increases, or no step increases at all.
There were no representatives from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police or the Charlotte Fire Department at Monday's meeting.
Peacock asked: "In what job can you get an 8 percent raise (referring to a 5 percent step increase and a 3 percent cost-of-living increase)?"
Sam Bowles, vice president of Carousel Capital and a task force member, said, "We got into pretty strong debates about raises, but we concluded it wasn't in our purview to make that value judgment. We did conclude, regardless of what you feel, the current structure is unsustainable."
Foxx appointed the task force a year ago in hopes that it would scour the budget, looking for savings.
Patterson said that overall the city's finances are in good shape. With departments being run efficiently, it made it difficult to search for savings to cover the projected police and fire shortfall.
Only a year ago, Zack Vonlagen was hailed as a hero by Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Today, he was filing for unemployment.
Vonlagen, 25, was among 167 Newark police officers who were ordered to turn in their guns at several precincts throughout the city today as part of the biggest layoff of city police since 1978 — at a time of year when crime is at its peak, and in a year where violence is trending upward.
A member of the last graduating police academy in March, Vonlagen said he doesn’t regret his time with the Newark police. "This is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’d definitely do it again even if I knew what the outcome would be. It was almost like a dream come true."
Richard Velez, a two-year veteran, turned in his gun this afternoon at the city’s South Precinct.
"Right now we’re going to sit down and balance out a budget," he said of his wife and two young daughters. "Unfortunately, Christmas time is here. It’s going to be a short Christmas list."
After a sleepless night, Robert Andrews, 23, rose at 7 a.m. today and started looking for work.
"I’m on the computer right now," he said from his home. Andrews graduated from the police academy in July 2008, having left a job that paid him $60,000.
When he was laid off today, he was making $47,000.
"It’s not about money with me with this job. I’m concerned with the citizens," he said. "If it took 167 of us to bring Newark back, how can they go on without us?" The potential threat to public safety prompted a group of 50 Guardian Angels, the well-known vigilante group based in New York City, to patrol Newark’s West and South Wards tonight — their first foray into the city in almost 30 years.
"We’ll make citizens’ arrests, we’ll make physical interventions, we’ll chase drug dealers," said the group’s founder and president, Curtis Sliwa.
He said he had been inundated with calls from residents to patrol Newark’s streets.
Although Police Director Garry McCarthy and the mayor both insist the police reorganization will provide for the same number of officers on the streets, finger-pointing continued today between the administration and the union.
Booker and union president Derrick Hatcher blamed each other for the layoffs.
Booker assailed Hatcher for not putting the city’s proposal of $6.8 million in department cuts to a vote of the union membership.
"This is a guy who was sitting in a bubble," Booker said, telling Hatcher to "be a man of your word."
Hatcher accused the mayor of hiding the city’s budget crisis until after the May election and then blaming the union for the layoffs.
"We didn’t hire these individuals. He did, " Hatcher said. "He should put on his big-boy pants and say, ‘I’m going to take this on the chin.’"
Laid-off cops blamed both Booker and Hatcher for not putting aside their differences in the interest of saving jobs.
"We supported this city for a long time and committed to turning it around for a long time," Vonlagen said. "Our good effort and spirit were stomped on. A lot of hearts were broken. I lost faith in the city today. "
Respondents to a survey organized by a Charlotte community organization disagree with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police statistics showing a dropping crime rate in the city.
About 80 percent of the approximately 500 people who participated in the survey said the crime problem in Charlotte is either unchanged or has gotten worse over the past two years.
The study was conducted in recent weeks by Neighbors For A Safer Charlotte, a grassroots organization founded in April 2008.
Their study results contrast with a steady stream of monthly crime statistics from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, showing -- for the most part -- that the crime rate has been dropping over the past 12 to 18 months. Earlier this week, CMPD statistics through March showed the overall crime rate is down 15 percent since the same time a year ago.
The survey results show that if CMPD statistics are correct, the perception among residents is that crime remains a big problem.
Respondents did not fall into the "lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key" category, as most of them said they support more mental health and substance abuse programs -- and said they believe only violent offenders should be put in jail.
Here are results from some of the organization's questions:
How much of a problem do you feel crime is in the Charlotte area?
75% rated it "serious" or "very serious"
In the past two years, has crime in Charlotte increased, stayed the same, or decreased?
42% said it is worse. Another 38% said it has remained the same.
Do you own a gun for protection?
31% said they owned a gun. Another 18 percent said they are considering buying one.
Which factors tend to increase the crime problem locally?
91% said gang and drug activity.
83% said the absence of a responsible parent or role model tends to increase crime activity among juveniles.
75% said lenient sentencing equals more crime.
50% said racial tensions were not likely to contribute to crime.
Not rated as significant factors were unemployment and poverty, and the lack of a police presence.
Have the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County done enough to deal with the crime problem?
79% said more needs to be done.
Are the courts too lenient or too tough?
78% said they are too lenient.
Do you plan to vote in the District Attorney race in November?
91% said they plan to vote in that contest.
What would help solve the crime problem?
96% said tougher sentencing.
88% said more programs for juveniles outside regular school hours.
85% said more mental health and substance abuse programs.
70% said only violent offenders should be incarcerated.
Charlotte city officials are trying to pretend Crime is decreasing, however area residents can't be fooled.
We know that Crime within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region is actually getting worse!
Now here's some positive news from Urban America:
Thanks to Bold, Outstanding Leadership and a United Community effort (all ethnic & socio-economic groups working together) Newark, NJ's Murder rate is down.
In fact Newark was completely Murder-Free (March 2010) for the first time in 44 years!
Kudos to Mayor Corey Booker!
On the other hand Charlotte, NC’s Crime and Murder rates continues to rise.
Let’s see Newark is located in the heavily Diverse yet densely populated Northeastern United States, while Charlotte rests in the South with a population of less than 1 million people and is much less Diverse.
Could it be Mayor Booker actually knows what he's doing and actually cares about ALL his Constituents not just Wealthy, Caucasian citizens?
Could it be Mayor Booker, his Chief of Police and the County D.A.'s Office all realize it takes more than just locking up all Blacks & Hispanics to help resolve a citywide Crime crisis?
Or....
Could it be due to Mayor Booker investing useful, Academic type resources into the lives of his city's Minority Youth?
For example: After School programs, College Prep programs, Mentors, Summer Camps, Summer Jobs, etc.,
Perhaps all three efforts have contributed to Newark's recent dramatic drop in Crime.
Take a hint Charlotte!
Obviously our local "Leaders" don't know what the heck they are doing or they may need to just dump their Pride and communicate more with Mayors like Corey Booker for advice on how to fix Charlotte-Mecklenburg's growing Crime problem.
Hey I’m just saying, please don't hate the messenger.
Instead of becoming offended (Charlotte's local "leaders") over the contents of this revealing post, why not channel those energies into lowering the Crime rate in a Constructive, Unified manner?
To determine our list, we used violent crime statistics from the FBI's latest uniform crime report, issued in 2008.
The violent crime category is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
We evaluated U.S. Metropolitan statistical areas--geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by Federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics--with more than 500,000 residents.
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