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Forum
Charlotte, NC
www.tueforumclt.org
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Quizzing elected officials
Feb. 2, 2010
In a jam-packed two hours, the Forum on Tuesday heard from seven elected officials serving on the CMS school board, City Council, County Commission and the N.C. House of Representatives.
Come into the room and listen to what these elected officials had to say on a range of topics. The speakers are listed in the order in which they spoke. Under each name are lines summarizing the questions the speakers were asked. Click on a line to open a new window with an audio file you can listen to. Each audio file represents the entire answer given, unedited. The numbers in parentheses represent the length of each file, in minutes. Each audio file is mounted on a separate page to minimize download times.
After listening to an audio clip, use the "back" or "left arrow" button on most browsers to return to this page.
Richard
McElrath
McElrath represents District 2 on the CMS School Board.
1. Is CMS spending large sums in high-poverty schools in order to educate � or to maintain segregation? (2:00)
2. On equity and teacher assignment (1:15)
3. School boundary debates as symptomatic of system of good schools and bad
schools. (2:10)
4. On building consensus to close the gap. (1:50)
5. Performance-based pay must work for parents of District 2. (:50)
6. On whether African-Americans should abandon CMS as a Eurocentric school
system that harms black children. (:50)
7. On declaring vocational education as core classes so they won't be cut in budget. (1:20)
Michael
Barnes
Barnes represents District 4 on the Charlotte City Council.
1. Opening statement: City budget not bleak. (1:50)
2. On traffic jams on Back Creek, Rocky River, Hood, Caldwell Roads. (2:10)
3. On his race to be elected District Attorney. (1:12)
4. On full-time workload for Council members. (2:05)
Patrick Cannon
Cannon is an at-large representative on the Charlotte City Council.
1. Opening statement: Rape crimes; predatory towing; Council 4-year terms.
(5:10)
2. On whether Council at-large could be 4-year terms and Council district seats
2-year terms. (2:16)
3. Would four-year terms bring full-time Council service and higher costs for
staff? (2:05)
4. What about full-time pay for full-time service on Council? (:45)
Kelly Alexander
Alexander represents District 107 in the N.C. House of Representatives.
1. On pushing City Council to put local needs on its legislative agenda; and on
redirecting federal dollars to small business. (2:40)
2. On term limits and keeping officeholders accountable. (3:15)
3. On N.C. revenue shortfall; new tax increase unlikely; stimulus money won't
last. (3:15)
4. Responding to assertion of "savage inequalities" inflicted on
African-Americans and lack of leadership; recollections on aftermath of the
bombing of his family's home in 1960s. (1:55)
Harold Cogdell
Cogdell is an at-large representative on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
1. Opening statement: Difficult budget cycle; school achievement data; economic
development and type of jobs being added (4:20)
2. On four-year terms and a two-term limit (1:55)
3. Response to McElrath on value of vocational education (1:10)
4. Responding to assertion of "savage inequalities" inflicted on
African-Americans and lack of leadership. (2:30)
Dan Murrey
Murrey is an at-large representative on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
1. Opening statement: New approach to budget discussion; how to collaborate with
school board; connecting human services, creating a communitywide vision, for
human services, and how to finance them. (6:35)
2. On four-year terms and a two-term limit (1:25)
3. Response to McElrath on value of vocational education (1:10)
4. Responding to assertion of "savage inequalities" inflicted on
African-Americans and lack of leadership; about growing up in the birthplace of
Ku Klux Klan. (2:10)
Vilma Leake
Leake represents District 2 on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners.
1. On coordinating county services with the private sector to provide homeless
services. (4:35)
2. On four-year terms and a two-term limit (1:40)
3. On use of testing (:50)
4. On whether county officeholders should be part-time or full-time, and on
all-at-large elections (1:05)
5. On group researching how to improve the life of young black males (2:05)