SC: Where do Charlotte City Council candidates stand on new transportation tax?

A majority of Charlotte City Council candidates said on Saturday they support the proposed 1-cent countywide sales tax referendum expected to land on voters’ ballots this fall. Two candidates said they did not support the measure, while a handful of others declined to take a firm stance.

The referendum would raise billions of dollars to overhaul the region’s transportation system by expanding rail lines, addressing a backlog of road projects and improving the bus system. Critics argue the tax won’t benefit all people equally and could have unintended consequences.

Eighteen candidates who face primary elections in September spoke on Aug. 2 during a forum hosted by the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. At least five incumbents, including five new candidates said they supported the tax.

The issue hits close to home for at-large Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera. Her family relied on public transportation to travel to work, school and everything in between, she said.

“Our public transit system is broken. It is not safe. It is not reliable,” Ajmera said. “We can’t afford to have this kind of system that fails working families. Not everyone has a car in the city of Charlotte.”

The tax is estimated to raise $20 billion over the next 30 years. If passed, 40% of the new money would go toward road projects, 20% to the region’s bus system and 40% to transit projects, including rail. A 27-person board of trustees will lead a newly established public transportation authority to oversee the funds.

The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners will vote Aug. 6 on whether to place the referendum on ballots in November.

Ajmera’s fellow at-large council members James “Smuggie” Mitchell and LaWana Mayfield, District 1 councilwoman Dante Anderson and District 5 councilwoman Marjorie Molina also backed the tax.

City council will be responsible for appointing some of the trustees on the transit authority. Mayfield advocated for an interview process so council members can get a better idea of who is the right fit for the role.

Challengers who supported the tax include District 3 candidate Montravias King; District 4 candidate Wil Russell; and at-large candidates Matt Britt, Will Holley and Namrata Yadav.

Yadav said she would ensure the transportation authority has trustees who actually ride public transit and contractors that are from the communities being served by public transportation.

“Do I think it’s perfect? No. But do I think this investment is required for a city, especially a city that’s the 14th largest in the country? Yes, it is,” Yadav said. “We need to act like a big city. We need this transit to go through. We need to make sure it goes through in a very accountable way.” Only 2 Charlotte City Council candidates stand against new transportation tax

District 5 candidate J.D. Mazuera Arias was the first person to break from the pack and oppose the referendum. People in his district feel they would be left out of the plan, he said.

The Metropolitan Transit Committee in May selected a transit plan that would expand train lines across the county but leave most of east Charlotte untouched.

The plan builds the Red Line commuter rail from uptown to Lake Norman-area towns, extends the Blue Line to Carolina Place in Pineville, extends the Gold Line streetcar from the Rosa Parks Community Transit Center to Eastland, builds the Silver Line from Charlotte-Douglas International Airport to Bojangles Coliseum and includes improvements to the bus system.

Molina, the District 5 incumbent who is facing Mazuera Arias in a head-to-head campaign, supported the plan. Her district stretches nearly to Cabarrus County, which raises questions of feasibility.

“There is no way to get rail out there,” Molina said.

At-large candidate J.G. Lockhart was the only other person to oppose the 1-cent tax. The plan is not equitable for Charlotte, he said, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of Mecklenburg County residents and will therefore carry the tax burden to the benefit of neighboring towns like Pineville and Huntersville.

“We want to Band-Aid Charlotteans with a few more bus routes and microtransit. It’s not gonna work,” Lockhart said. “It is not for Charlotte. I promise you that.” Citing displacement, candidates remain neutral on 1-cent sales tax

Six candidates stayed neutral, including District 1 candidate Charlene Henderson El, District 3 incumbent Tiawana Brown and challengers Joi Mayo and Warren Turner and District 4 incumbent Renee Perkins-Johnson. Incumbent councilwoman Victoria Watlington was the only person in a crowded pool of at-large candidates who remained neutral or undecided.

“We have always got to make sure that we are not putting in front of the community false choices,” said Watlington, who formerly served District 3 in west Charlotte, where concerns about displacement are especially strong. “We need to make sure that we work with you to ensure that the plan that’s on the table is the best plan for us, not just a good enough plan.”

Mayo said west Charlotte does need more investment in transportation infrastructure, but the threat of displacement from the 1-cent tax plan gives her pause. The Silver Line that would run down West Boulevard means that some of Charlotte’s most vulnerable residents could be forced to move if the city doesn’t come up with a mitigation plan, she said.

Mayo suggested the city set aside land for affordable housing and invest in workforce development initiatives to help people in the area who might be affected.

King, who is running against Mayo in District 3, said that although the plan is not perfect and will likely uproot some people, the city has “tools in our toolbox” to address displacement. He was the first candidate to throw firm support behind the referendum Saturday.

“Our city cannot afford to do nothing,” King said.