Introducing The Ledger's Election Hub
Plus: Handcrafted boats hit the whitewater; City Council to vote on future of I-77 toll lanes to S.C. line and the historic designation of a Steele Creek church; See what's new in Mountain Updates
Good morning! Today is Monday, October 14, 2024. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Today’s Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by T.R. Lawing Realty:
We’ve got the details on 200 candidates in 5 Charlotte-area counties — a comprehensive, unbiased, user-friendly resource for voters
by Tony Mecia
By now, you have probably heard that there’s a big election coming up. And you’ve probably heard that you should vote.
But do you know what you haven’t heard? You probably haven’t read all that much about the dozens of candidates who will be on your ballot who aren’t named Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
I’m happy to tell you that for the last few months, The Charlotte Ledger has been working to help fill this gap in knowledge and solve the very real problem that voters face in trying to learn about candidates in state and local races — the people who will set your property tax rates, determine funding and set policies for your children’s schools and enact laws on everything from the environment to affordable housing to public safety. Impartial and trusted information on political candidates is tough to come by in a single place.
With early voting starting this Thursday, we’re excited today to unveil our Charlotte Ledger Election Hub for the 2024 general election. We’re not usually ones to toot our own horns, but we think it’s the most comprehensive information you’ll find in the Charlotte area on what are known as “down-ballot” candidates and races. (Don’t believe us? Google “Mecklenburg voter guide” and see how inadequate the results are in informing you about the dozens of candidates on your ballot. Almost all the “guides” are either from interest groups, behind a paywall or are woefully incomplete — or almost impossible to navigate because of an avalanche of aggressive ads.)
We’re trying to do it right.
Our Election Hub covers about 200 candidates in five Charlotte-area counties: Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Gaston and Iredell. We also provided the information to our valued partners at WFAE to help with their voter guide. In addition, we supplied research to our good friends at The Assembly, a statewide digital magazine, on about 300 additional candidates in six other counties in central and eastern North Carolina — so if you know people in Greensboro, Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Fayetteville or Wilmington, or the counties those cities are in, be sure to pass along The Assembly’s voter guide.
Sure, you probably have a sense of who you’ll vote for in the presidential and governor’s races. But for agriculture commissioner? The state legislature? County commission? Register of deeds? And — everyone’s favorite — soil and water conservation district supervisor?
We researched and are providing information on all those candidates, arranged in an intuitive, easy-on-the-eyes format, with candidate photos, short biographies and maps of the districts. Our aim is to provide voters with unbiased and trusted information that they can use when they head to the polls. We don’t tell you who to vote for. That’s your job. Our job is to arm you with facts so you can make an informed choice.
Variety of sources: Another crucial feature of the Election Hub is that it links to information about the races and candidates from a variety of other reputable sources — bonus material such as articles on candidate debates or candidate questionnaires, from The Ledger or from other media or interest groups.
That’s why we call it a ”hub” — it connects you with additional resources from other places, if you want them. As races heat up and more information comes in, we’ll update it. It’s a living document.
You can watch a video tutorial on how to use the hub here:
Free to all: We’re also making the Election Hub free to all, with no paywall and no advertising. Some might consider that a foolish business decision, but our team believes this is vital civic information that’s important for our democracy and should be available to every voter.
To be honest, this was a complicated, labor-intensive project stretching over the last four months that involved research, writing and web design. It’s supported financially by The Ledger’s paying subscribers and sponsors. If you believe that having this information is a valuable service to the community, we’d love for you to support it with a Ledger subscription or a one-time gift.
The hub was assembled through the hard work of many people, especially The Ledger’s director of elections coverage, Sucharita Kodali, and a talented team of summer interns: Morgan Boonshaft, Zach Kahn, Meha Khanna, Anish Vedantham and Ginevra Voltolina. (Four of the interns were students at Providence Day School, which wrote a nice article about their experience interning with us.) Our business manager, Brie Chrisman, designed the website to be as user-friendly as possible.
Let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions for improving the hub. And if you find it helpful, please share it with a friend.
Early voting runs Oct. 17 to Nov. 2. The election is Nov. 5. Happy voting!
—Tony Mecia, executive editor
The Charlotte Ledger
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by By George Communications, an award-winning public relations firm. We love shaping stories and helping our clients gain coverage in local and national news outlets. Telling your story isn't a “nice to have.” It’s essential business strategy. What are you waiting for?
Trying not to flip
Thousands gathered for the Build Your Own Boat competition at the U.S. National Whitewater Center on Saturday, an annual contest in which teams of 1 to 4 people go down the rapids in vessels they created themselves. Some 48 boats took to the water, many with costumed paddlers (some of whom ended up whitewater swimming).
Key vote planned for tonight on adding toll lanes to I-77 south of uptown
The Charlotte City Council is scheduled to take an important vote tonight on the future of toll lanes on I-77 between uptown and the South Carolina line.
For years, transportation planners have been eyeing widening that 11-mile stretch of I-77 by adding toll lanes. But it’s an expensive proposition: an estimated $3.7B to add two lanes in each direction. The high cost stems from the number of intersections and bridges that would need to be rebuilt.
In our driving experience, that section of I-77 seems to be congested just about all the time — even when you’d think it should be clear. The N.C. Department of Transportation says that stretch of interstate has a crash rate 2.5 times higher than the state average.
The question confronting the council is whether to support building the toll lanes as a “public-private partnership,” like the lanes on I-77 north of uptown that are operated by I-77 Mobility Partners, which is owned by the Spanish company Cintra. The other option would be to have the state build the toll lanes, like the ones on the 19-mile Monroe Expressway in Union County, or the ones under construction on I-485 in south Charlotte.
The tolls on privately built toll lanes tend to be higher than those on state-built toll lanes.
The problem is that NCDOT says it “cannot currently fund” such an expensive project on its own. If toll lanes are to be built on I-77, NCDOT says the project will have to involve a private vendor. Otherwise, the wait could be until who-knows-when.
Sustain Charlotte, which advocates for transit, greenways and bike networks and often has the ear of some council members, says that widening roads “has been proven not to solve congestion long-term” and that it “generates significant harmful environmental impacts.” It also says toll roads have a “lack of equity.”
The council will vote on how to instruct its representative on a regional planning board to vote on whether to pursue the public-private partnership option. That planning board meets on Wednesday. Charlotte has 31 of the 68 votes on the panel — not quite a majority, but enough to have a substantial say in the outcome. It might be interesting to watch whether Mecklenburg’s northern towns, which are generally not enamored of their I-77 toll lanes, vote to support an extension of those same toll lanes through the middle of Charlotte.
Conventional wisdom suggests that the council will support the private-builder option, though not unanimously. —Tony Mecia
Related articles:
“Plenty of questions about I-77 toll plans” (Oct. 27, 2022)
“Making the case for I-77 toll lanes” (Aug. 4, 2022)
“The cost of widening I-77 keeps rising” (April 25, 2024)
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Also on the agenda: Steele Creek church preservation/development near airport
The City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on amending a historic landmark designation for the former Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, which would pave the way for a deal to build warehouses on a portion of the church land while preserving the church and a related nearby historic house. Some nearby residents are wary of the deal, which is supported by the Historic Landmarks Commission.
The decision was postponed in August after the airport demolished an unrelated nearby century-old house over the objection of the Landmarks Commission. Council members said they needed more time to study the issue.
Related Ledger articles:
“Deal near airport would allow nearly 1 million s.f. of warehousing and preserve historic structures” (🔒, Charlotte Commercial Real Estate Whispers, June 17)
“Historic buildings near airport face demolition by city” (🔒, Aug. 2)
“City bulldozes historic house near airport” (Aug. 5)
“Council members push for answers on demolition of historic house” (Aug. 28)
The latest Mountain Updates: Facebook as a lifeline, some counties appeal for visitors, 90,000+ without water
The Ledger’s new pop-up newsletter on the recovery in the N.C. mountains — Mountain Updates — kept readers informed over the weekend, with new editions each afternoon. We think it’s important to keep following this vital story as it continues to unfold.
Weekend editions of Mountain Updates looked into how residents in hard-hit areas are using Facebook, examined how some mountain communities are preparing to welcome visitors and shared the latest news — such as Asheville estimating Sunday that at least 90,000 people are without running water and the reopening of the Mast General Store Annex in Valle Crucis, west of Boone.
If you want to keep up with the latest developments just west of Charlotte — with a mix of news, human interest and relief efforts — feel free to sign up. You have to opt-in on your account settings page. Mountain Updates is free and comes out every afternoon (though we will eventually scale it back as events warrant).
The latest issues of Mountain Updates:
“When Facebook is a lifeline” (Oct. 13)
“Mountain businesses are seeking relief” (Oct. 12)
“Gas trucks roll onto the scene” (Oct. 11)
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
TUESDAY: “Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce Community Impact Summit,” 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Goodwill Opportunity Campus, 5301 Wilkinson Blvd. Join us for an exclusive opportunity to explore meaningful ways individuals can engage with local nonprofit organizations throughout various personal and professional development phases. This event will feature valuable insights from distinguished leaders within Charlotte’s nonprofit sector, representing organizations of varying missions, sizes, and budgets. Members: Free. Non-members: $25.
WEDNESDAY: “Trinity Episcopal School Middle School Open House,” 9-10:30 a.m., Trinity Episcopal CCA Auditorium, 750 E. 9th St., Charlotte. Our open houses are an opportunity to hear from our admission team as well as senior leadership about our approach to academic excellence, which incorporates spirituality, diversity, leadership, service, and respect. We welcome you to visit our campus to experience firsthand a community where each child is known and loved and where our hallways extend into Uptown Charlotte through service learning, community partnerships, and learning opportunities. Free.
SATURDAY: “Pop Up Picnic,” 4-7 p.m., Ballantyne’s Backyard, 11611 N. Community House Road, Charlotte. Enjoy an evening outside at this free, family-friendly picnic. Pre-purchase a picnic, bring your own, or get a meal from a food truck to enjoy while listening to live music. RSVP requested. Benefiting Catawba Lands Conservancy and Carolina Thread Trail. Presented by Ally. Free.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
Useful resources from The Charlotte Ledger
🇺🇸 Charlotte Ledger Election Hub — 2024 N.C. General Election Voter Guide
🌆 Charlotte Starter Kit (free newcomer email course)
In brief:
Threats against aid workers prompt safety evaluation: Federal officials responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the N.C. mountains have been advised to “stand down” because of ongoing threats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is evaluating safety precautions. (Axios)
In memoriam: Former Charlotte Observer columnist and author Dannye Romine Powell passed away last week at age 83. (Observer)
Seth Curry buys Foxcroft mansion: Charlotte Hornets player Seth Curry and his wife bought a $6.4M newly built house in Charlotte’s Foxcroft neighborhood, according to real estate records. The 9,500 s.f. home on 0.7 acres has 7 bedrooms and a pool, among other amenities. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman