Charlotte: "Strong libertarian, anti-tax sentiment"

Really?

So says Mecklenburg County Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts in explaining why CMS’ $616 million school bond has not been automatically embraced by local residents.

And here I thought it was all Meck Deck’s doing.

Seriously, I do not know if Charlotte is any more or less libertarian in outlook than other similarly sized, growing cities. They all tend to have lots of young families concerned about the cost-of-living, generally suspicious of large institutions, and not wedded to any particular party politics machine.

What has struck me about Charlotte since moving back here in 2003 is the steadfast unwillingness of leaders like Roberts to level with local residents and treat them like adults. Instead everything is spun. Official Charlotte is one big marketing campaign.

Look at the spin in Roberts’ threat to pull the school bond from the November ballot if the political debate over the bond is too “bitter.”

What is that really about?

Democrats do not want “their” school board candidates up in November along side a “Vote No” on the school bond campaign. In addition, there remains great fear that a bond along side the transit tax repeal makes it too hard for supporters of the bond and opponents of the repeal to mount a simple, effective campaign. A “yes” vote on transit tax is a vote for repeal.

Also, I believe that there is sentiment in local Democratic circles to delay the bond vote until 2008, which they presume to be a Democrat-tide year. Up ballot support along with help from groups like ACORN would then, the thinking goes, be able to assure enough turnout to pass a bond of $900 million or more.

Nothing else explains the unwillingness to meet the GOP somewhere around the $515 million number Republican officials have proposed.

Bonus Observation: When comparing Wake County to Char-Meck and ruminating on the latter’s inability to come to consensus on school funding needs, one has to consider the differing election rules for the school boards. Wake has a nine-member board, each from a district, serving staggered four-year terms. This means that Wake, unlike CMS, has no at-large members, smaller districts, and no “all at once” election years.