Charlotte and Mecklenburg County officials are breathing a sigh of relief after voters approved the county’s new transportation sales tax on Tuesday — but it was a close call. About 52% of voters supported the measure, while 48% voted against it.
The narrow margin suggests city and county leaders still have work to do to build trust in the transit plan.
Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts was among those urging voters to reject the tax. She spoke with WFAE’s Nick de la Canal and said she and other transit tax opponents weren't entirely surprised by the results.
Jennifer Roberts: We're disappointed, but we also recognized there was $3 million of support and advertising and consultants that were in support of it and that we had less than $10,000. So, we recognized it was — I think we called it a David versus Goliath sort of attempt. And we also want to remind those who spent all that money to support this that it was not a mandate — 52% to 48% is pretty darn close. I remember in 2007 when there was the attempted repeal of the half-cent transit tax that passed — not to repeal it — by 70%.
Nick de la Canal: I know you were vocally opposed to this referendum, and you wrote an op-ed in The Charlotte Observer laying out your arguments against it. But just to recap, what was your single biggest concern with the plan?
Roberts: There are really two main areas. One is the method of funding at this time in this economy — increasing the tax on a lot of things that people need to buy every week. And the second thing is the plan itself. I do think there is room in the plan to help shape, especially when it comes to road improvements, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bike lanes — (but) if you look at the booklet the City of Charlotte put out, almost everything in there is TBD — as they say, 'to be determined.' There’s not a prioritization, there’s not a cost estimate, there’s not a list of projects per se. They’re just vague areas where things need improving.
De la Canal: And that leads to my next question. What do you think the city and county need to do to convince skeptics like you and others who voted against the plan? What could they do to win you over in the next few months or year?
Roberts: Well, first of all, the authority needs to have somebody who is a community person. And I would say probably at least two people out of 27 who are frequent public transportation riders. Maybe one of them is even a captive rider — someone who’s disabled, who has to always take public transportation, bus or rail. Maybe someone who’s blind. That would be one thing.
The second thing would be preparation for displacement — and not just the regular money that the city puts into affordable housing, which is great — but directed money from this tax that goes to perhaps land banking or subsidies to put affordable housing near transportation lines, near those corridors, near the transit stops. That is something that the Blue Line has failed to do because there wasn’t preparation ahead of time.
De la Canal: So what would your message be to the 48% of voters who, like you, voted against this tax increase? How should the opposition engage over the next few months?
Roberts: I’ve already been in touch with a couple of folks on the “yes” campaign and suggested that there be a series of listening sessions where they listen — and not tell people what they want to see happen, but listen to what people need to see happen.
And so what I tell people who voted against this is: we still have a voice. We can continue to advocate for a system that works for everyone — especially for those who don’t have other options.
