Charlotte North Carolina’s 2017 Democratic Mayoral Debate Kickoff

Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts
Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts

The Democratic Party of North Carolina will kick off its Charlotte Mayoral Debate, Saturday April 22, 2017. The debate will be held at Weeping Willow AME Zion Church, located at 2220 Milton Rd, Charlotte NC. The event will be hosted by Sir Lawrence Lee-Conley, MBA, The moderators, April Harley and Rachel Johnson.

Charlotte’s current Mayor, Jennifer Roberts has a couple of highly capable contenders in the race. Vi Lyles, is currently a City Council member in Charlotte, and Joel Ford is currently the State Senator in District 38.   This will be the first debate, offering Charlotteans a glimpse of the candidates, and where they stand on issues that matter to them and impact their daily lives.


Having a Democratic Governor and Mayor in the largest city in North Carolina has offered a bit more leverage for legislation. Jennifer Roberts is well known not only in her city, but on a national level, with high profile appearances with political powerhouses like the first women to obtain the Presidential Nomination of a major political party, none other than Hillary Rodham Clinton. In addition, she is consistently visible in the community, and has connected with businesses, and citizens alike to understand best practices and policies that benefit long-term growth and sustainability in regards to education and jobs.

Much of the Mayor’s agenda appears to focus on empowering the people. Most recently she reached out via Twitter to gain feedback from her constituents regarding allocating city budget towards funding a new stadium. The overwhelming response, no. At least, not right now. She heard them, no stadium funding.


In addition, she has been very outspoken about the controversial House Bill 2, or what’s become a popular hashtag of #HB2 that has garnered national attention. Her position is ensuring there are no hints of discriminatory provisions, or violations of the LGBTQ community’s equal rights. This bill dubbed by the media as the ‘Bathroom Bill’, prohibits Transgender individuals from using public bathrooms they identify with. The bill however, goes far beyond this aspect and the Mayor is not supportive of the recent repeal, and replace solution, as provisions still exist that may be in violation of equal rights for all.

So, the question for citizens may be, do you stay with a proven leader and voice your views on opportunities where she can improve, and monitor and hold her accountable to those expectations. In addition, engage and lend support along the way for a collaborative commitment to change what they wish to see in their city. Or take a chance on introducing new candidates in the fold during a time the political climate is highly volatile.

This debate will be a great opportunity for citizens to take action, and ‘Get Involved’, and be informed about candidates before going to the polls to vote.

Voter Resource Guide

The 2017 Charlotte Mayoral election is set to take place on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, with primary elections scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, 2017, and second-round primaries for Tuesday, October 10, 2017 if necessary.

Must register to vote no by August 18, 2017.

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