July 9, 2024

There was talk about minority contracting, facilitating jobs, the Bank of America stadium renovations. All issues that are well within the wheelhouse of the chair of Charlotte City Council’s Economic Development Committee.

But Malcolm Graham is a district representative on Council, and Forum participants routinely raise questions about streets that are littered with 18-wheelers parked over the weekend and debris abandoned by contractors fixing city crews. And trash.

Graham says he would like for the city to have power to fine and “boot” illegally parked trucks. He said he often calls out city crews to clean up neighborhood streets. The crews work hard, he said. The debris is often even on private property. And it is dispiriting for all when the same street is littered the next morning. The litter did not fall out of the sky, he said.

The emotional high point of the presentation came when, in answer to a question about how he felt about the November election, Graham not only said he wanted everybody to vote and personally would prefer to vote for Biden than Trump, but placed the election period’s destructive tone to the divisions among Americans that he said were the worst he has seen in his entire life.

Destiniee Jaram’s report on Graham’s comments in QCityMetro is here. Erik Spanberg’s report in the Charlotte Business Journal is behind a paywall here.