EDITORIAL: Primary Choices: Here Are Our Recommendations for City Republican Slate

By The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Sep. 7–Primary choices Here are our recommendations for city Republican slate In Tuesday’s primary, Charlotte Republicans (and unaffiliated voters who choose to participate) will pick GOP nominees for mayor, four at-large seats and one district seat on Charlotte’s City Council. The winners face Democrats in the Nov. 6 general election. The city’s Democrats have no primary contests.

For mayor: Choose experience

Incumbent Pat McCrory, 50, an economic development advisor for Duke Energy, is seeking a record seventh term. He is being challenged for the nomination by Ken Gjertsen, 41, an information manager for Bank of America who is serving his first four-year term on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board.We recommend Pat McCrory.

Mr. Gjertsen says he would focus on crime and transit. He favors spending local money to hire additional district attorneys and court officers and favors repealing the half-cent transit tax that pays for the city bus system and South Corridor light rail line. He says he would solve congestion by targeting road bottlenecks and raise bus fares to help pay for service.

Mr. Gjertsen’s concerns about crime are widely shared, but his proposals aren’t practical. Charlotte needs adequate state funding for courts. It doesn’t need to divert scarce local dollars away from basic city services such as police and fire protection in order to take on the state government’s financial responsibilities.

Mr. Gjertsen is something of a protest candidate, giving disaffected Republicans an alternative to Mayor McCrory but offering neither the government experience nor the proven leadership skills needed to be Charlotte’s mayor.

Mr. McCrory, during his six terms, has been a strong leader on issues such as transportation and economic development. In particular, he has pushed a comprehensive long-term transportation strategy involving a combination of bus service, light rail and street cars plus road building and traffic improvements. That combination won’t get rid of road congestion, but it’s the smartest way for our fast-growing city to keep from being overwhelmed by it. The half-penny sales tax is a fair, logical way to help fund that plan.

Mr. McCrory insists on fiscal prudence, and that’s on target. Yet he has chosen not to confront some deep-seated problems, such as the need for funding sources to add police and fire resources to keep pace with growth.

The mayor’s record is a good one. Republicans can enthusiastically nominate Pat McCrory for a seventh term.

At-large: Four top picks

Four members of Charlotte’s City Council serve at-large. That means they’re elected citywide, not by districts. Republicans will choose their at-large nominees to face four Democrats in November.

To be effective in a seat that represents all citizens requires a broad view of the city’s concerns and the ability to work in a bipartisan setting.

Six candidates seek the nomination.

A. Chris Bakis, a first-time candidate, is a welder. Incumbent John Lassiter is owner and president of a small business. Geraldine “Jerry” Mudge, also a first-time candidate, is retired and founded an organization for parents who have lost children. Edwin Peacock III, another political newcomer, markets insurance and investments. Dan Ramirez, a Mecklenburg county commissioner, does mapping and surveying for Government Information Systems. David Romero, another first-time candidate, is a self-employed benefits consultant.

We recommend John Lassiter, Edwin Peacock III, Dan Ramirez and David Romero.

Mr. Lassiter, 52, is seeking a third term on City Council. He came to the dais seasoned by 11 years on the school board, and has been a strong leader. He asks probing questions, is able to garner bipartisan support and successfully seeks common ground to move issues forward. Mr. Lassiter has earned his party’s nomination.

Mr. Peacock, 37, grew up in Charlotte and returned here after living in Washington for eight years. He offers a broad view of the city’s needs and business, favoring a comprehensive transit system and development decisions that carefully follow long-term land use plans. He is a bright and energetic man with considerable potential.

Mr. Ramirez, 60, became the county’s first Latino commissioner in 2002. He is a serious man with a business background who lists public safety and transportation as his focus. As a commissioner he has shown a willingness to seek consensus and action rather than be content with partisan stalemate on such challenges as meeting our schools’ capital needs.

Mr. Romero, 34, brings enthusiasm that offsets his lack of political experience. He says public safety will be his priority, and correctly notes more spending is needed for police, though we don’t think his idea of a bond referendum to raise money to pay for it is workable.

District 7: A solid choice

Don Lochman is retiring after representing District 7 well in his eight years on City Council. The district will be hard-pressed to replace his sharp pencil, keen eye for fuzzy numbers and willingness to read the fine print.

Seeking to replace him are Warren Cooksey, a financial officer for Wachovia, and Dick Yoder, who is retired from retail management.

Mr. Cooksey, 37, served seven years on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, including two as vice chair. That experience left him well-grounded in the complex considerations that go into land-use decisions, an important city responsibility. He has solid ideas for improving both the process and outcome of development. In addition, he an avid student of government, as evidenced by his work as an instructor in the League of Women Voters’ Civics 101 program.

Mr. Yoder, 74, served on the Mecklenburg County Board of Adjustment and has run for seats on both City Council and the board of county commissioners. He brings a keen interest in development and refreshing desire to be an independent voice on those issues. He says he has run his campaign entirely without campaign contributions.

Both men are intelligent and capable, but we recommend Warren Cooksey, whose calm demeanor, thoughtfulness and experience make him admirably prepared to serve.

EDITORIALS

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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