N.C. Sen. Joel Ford provided for Forum readers the text of a North Carolina Department of Transportation report dated March 31, 2014 that indicated that, for the 2013 fiscal year, 2.76% of DOT contracts and other spending had been awareded to minority-owned firms, well short of the DOT goal of 6.7%. ... Continue Reading →
Legislators report at Open Forum
The need for an agenda for change in the African-American community. Problems with a road project. Nurturing minority contractors. Broadening the Forum's list of topics discussed. There was a lot on the table today. But we begin below with a discussion with three members of the ... Continue Reading →
Trevor Fuller on sales tax referendum
Trevor Fuller, chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, argued Tuesday that commissioners have given the people a choice to authorize use of what powers commissioners have to raise funds to supplement teacher salaries. Among his arguments for the quarter-cent sales tax increase now ... Continue Reading →
Trevor Fuller on budget, fall referendum
Trevor Fuller is an at-large member and currently serves as chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. In the comments below at today's Forum, he addresses the county budget, which was approved later in the day, and the decision to put a sales tax increase on the November ballot. The ... Continue Reading →
Theo Nixon on the ‘big lie’ on fracking
Theo Nixon is a Mecklenburg District Court judge and regularly attends the Forum. He rose at the June 17 Forum to add legal background information on several matters under discussion during the day's Forum, particularly on gun laws and the impact that fracking will have on Eastern North Carolina. ... Continue Reading →
Charlotte budget presentation
In this budget presentation on the Charlotte budget, Budget Director Randy Harrington was joined by Council members Greg Phipps, LaWana Mayfield and Ed Driggs. The three serve with Vi Lyles and Patsy Kinsey on the council's budget committee. The first video below was slide 18 of the PowerPoint ... Continue Reading →
New County Manager discusses budget process, steers clear of issues
Dena Diorio brought a prepared text with her, but apparently few positions she wanted to stake out for herself, when she addressed the Forum today on the county's current budget process. She described her budget "road show" as an investment in listening. And perhaps she got an earful, mostly ... Continue Reading →
Clodfelter: ‘Help me out here’
Dan Clodfelter, who was named Monday night by City Council to be the next Mayor of Charlotte, was at the Forum this morning and made the comments above. He was to resign his N.C. Senate seat today, and be sworn in Wednesday to succeed Patrick Cannon, who resigned after he faced public corruption ... Continue Reading →
Dougas Wilson on Hagan’s Senate bid
Douglas Wilson, Sen. Kay Hagan's political director, addressed the Forum on Sen. Kay Hagan's re-election campaign. ... Continue Reading →
Trevor Fuller on Mecklenburg government
Trevor Fuller, new chairman of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners, addressed the Forum today. Below are videos from his presentation and the Q&A that followed. Part 1 Part 2 From the Q&A ... Continue Reading →