Pat McCrory

Pat McCrory
File:PMccrory.jpg
Mayor of the City of Charlotte
In office 1995–present
Preceded by	Richard Vinroot
Personal details
Born	October 17, 1956
Political party	Republican
Height	270px
Spouse	Ann McCrory
Residence	Charlotte, North Carolina

Patrick McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and is currently the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. He is longest-serving mayor in Charlotte history and is a member of the Republican Party. Charlotte is governed by a "weak mayor" system of government.

McCrory was born in Ohio but grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and attended Ragsdale High School where he was President of the student body. McCrory graduated from Catawba College in 1978 with a B.A. degree in Political Science and Education and in 2001 Catawba awarded McCrory with an Honorary Doctorate Degree. After graduation, McCrory work with Duke Energy Corporation in various management positions.

McCrory began his political career in Charlotte in 1989 when he was elected as an At-Large City Councilman. Some of the issues he focused on early in his career included public safety. He was re-elected in 1991 and 1993, served as Mayor pro tem in 1993, and was elected as the city's mayor in 1995.

McCrory has been active, with successes in the areas of public safety, economic development, housing and transportation. He has also been a proponent of public transportation. He has been nationally recognized for his support in developing Charlotte’s 25-year transportation and land-use plan. He has been criticized locally for cost overruns associated with the light rail project on South Blvd. Originally estimated at $220 million, it is currently estimated to cost $468 upon completion in November 2007.

Ideology

Most people would consider Pat McCrory to be a right of center. Although many people on the far right consider McCrory more of a centrist, McCrory has vetoed more proposals by the democratic majority than any Mayor in Charlotte history. He has agreed with both the Democrat majority on the city council and the Republicans at times . Recently he had a major disagreement with the democratic majority over a 9% property tax increase. He vetoed the tax increase by the democrats only to have it overridden by the overwelmingly deomocratic majority. He does not align himself with either the far left or the far right. Many liberal interest groups do not think McCrory gives enough attention to public arts. They would like city money to be invested in more public art projects which McCrory has not always supported. Some local Republicans refer to Pat McCrory as a Republican In Name Only or RINO. This small amount of people think if your not an ultraconservative then your not a "real republican." They consider his positions on public policy "to be in line with liberal interests in downtown Charlotte."

Crime

Although crime has gone up all over the nation in recent years including in Charlotte, the crime rate has gone down during McCrorys tenure 32% overall. Crime nationwide has decreased since the peaks of the late 1980s and early 1990s when crack reigned. That trend held true in Charlotte, where violent slayings veered downward even as the population boomed. In 2004, the police district had the lowest homicide rate in a decade, with 60 slayings. The reduction in crime is partly in result to 330 new police officers being added since McCrory has taken office. This year the murder rate was at 83 leaving Charlotte to be rated as the eithe most dangerous big city in America for the year 2006. . The city of Charlotte is criticized by some for underspending on police and road infrastructure while devoting too much of the tax base towards light rail subsidies for development.(source?) Still, this year's slayings run well below the record 129 slayings Charlotte-Mecklenburg police investigated in 1993, when the police jurisdiction served more than a third fewer people. The rate then was almost 30 slayings per 100,000 people versus this year's rate of about 11. Charlotte police say most residents aren't in danger of being murdered."The general public, by and large, have little chance of being a victim of homicide if it's not at the hands of family or friends," said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Darrel Stephens. Few killed were attacked randomly by strangers, said Mulhall, the homicide captain. Those not killed by an acquaintance or family member were often involved in criminal activities such as prostitution or drugs that put them in danger, he said. Fifty of the 83 victims had prior criminal records locally, he said, accounting for 460 arrests. McCrory has criticized the state legislature for not funding enough prosicutors for the city. He says that the lack of jail space and prosecution is allowing criminals use the jail system as a "revolving door." McCrory says that he will put pressure on the state legislature to award more funding for jails and prosecutors since that is handled on a State level.

Transportation

Pat McCrory has been recognized for his support in developing Charlotte's 25-year transportation and land use plan, including his efforts to secure $200 million in federal funds for light rail in Charlotte. The 10-mile South Corridor light rail line is slated to open in fall 2007. However, if the light rail fails to open by December 31, 2007, the city could be at risk of having to repay the federal government $200 million. Also, $2 billion in local and state road improvements have been made throughout the City over the past decade.

Pat McCrory has also been criticized for his support of light rail. Originally estimated to cost $220 million, the current light rail construction project on South Blvd is approaching $468 million in total capital costs. The South Blvd official name is "The Blue Line" but has been nicknamed "The McCrory Line" by some right wing media due to Pat McCrory's devoted public support in the face of great criticism. The success or failure of this project could impact Pat McCrory's political future.

Pat McCrory faces the difficult prospect in 2007 of a repeal referendum on the 1/2 cent sales tax which funds light rail construction. There is a strong chance of a petition succeeding in gathering the required number of signatures to force a repeal vote for the county of Mecklenburg. It is generally accepted that such a vote, if it occurs, would result in the repeal of the 1/2 cent sales tax, thus ending the Mecklenburg light rail system with only the single corridor on South Blvd complete.

Mayor's Immigration Study Commission

In 2006 Mayor McCrory formed an Immigration task force, the first of it's kind. The commission is set to release the impact of legal and illegal immigration on a local level.

Although the report has not officially been released yet, the commission report identified many problems, but the members could not agree on needed solutions. In result to the findings the commission found, Mayor McCrory said he will demand action from Congress.

Ultraconservatives claim that Charlotte has a 'policy' of being a sanctuary city for illegal aliens.

Enviroment

Mayor McCrory has tried to impact the overall quality of life in Charlotte positively by the the Mayor's efforts to establish a Residential Tree Ordinance, which requires developers to save 10% of the trees in every residential development, the establishment of a Sidewalk Policy that requires sidewalks in every new subdivision and provides funding for sidewalks in neighborhoods without them. He has also worked to integrate Bike lanes in the City's transportation policy; established 36 miles of bike lanes throughout the City.

Nascar Hall of Fame

On March 6, 2006 Charlotte beat out Atlanta, Daytona Beach, Kansas City,and Richmond to be home of the Nascar Hall of Fame. Mayor McCrory worked with local business leaders, local officials and Nascar teams to bring the Hall to Charlotte. The hall, designed by world renowned architecture firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, is schudled to be open by spring 2010

Awards and Local Involvment

In 2003, McCrory was the recipient of the national Home-ownership Hero Award recognizing his innovative work in leading Charlotte to have one of the highest home-ownership rates in the country.

The Mayor founded the Mayor's Mentoring Alliance in 1995 and has personally served as a Mentor to two youth. In 2005, Charlotte was named in the 100 Best Communities for Youth by America's Promise. His Mayor's Mentoring Alliance has grown to include 40 youth-serving and mentoring organizations, including Time Warner Cable's "Time To Read" program. An additional partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department initiated "Gang of One," an after-school gang-prevention and intervention program that works to keep children from joining gangs or helps lead them away from gang life.

McCrory is involved in many local charity boards. He serves as the honorary chair for the Charlotte chapter of the Alzheimer Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation.

National Involvement

McCrory is involved in many national organizations, including: President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO) organization; chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Committee for Housing and Community Development; the past six-term Chair of the USCM Environmental Committee; and founder and inaugural Chairman of the North Carolina Metropolitan Coalition. McCrory is also the only elected official to serve on the national board of the Afterschool Alliance and is a featured Mayor in Harvard University’s Faith-based Executive Session. Since September 2001, McCrory has been heavily involved with homeland security efforts. He is also head of the US Conference of Mayors environmental committee and serves as President of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RRMLO) organization.

Possible Post Mayor Options

McCrory has not announced if he will seek a seventh term as Mayor of Charlotte. Possible future political options likely include North Carolina governor. The next election for governor is in 2008. The US House of Representatives is not an option for him at this time since Sue Myrick, a Republican, currently holds that seat. Also, since much of the congressional district is in neighboring Union and Gaston county, some say it would be very difficult for Mayor McCrory to find success in a contested Republican primary for the US House of Representatives.

Legacy

In December of 2001, Mayor McCrory joined Stan Brookshire and John Belk, Sr. to become only the third mayor in Charlotte history to serve a fourth (two-year) term. He was elected to a fifth term in 2003 and to a sixth in 2005. McCrory has enjoyed a wide margin of victory in all six of his elections for Mayor. However, his recent Democrat opposition has typically been weak and underfunded due to lack of organization.

External links

• Office of the Mayor
• PatMcCrory.com