Visions of Charlotte – Jennifer Roberts

Jennifer Roberts, Chairman, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
Jennifer Roberts is an at-large commissioner serving her third term on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. She is currently an adjunct professor in the International Studies Department at UNC Charlotte.

Is Charlotte as polarized right now as the rest of the country? What are the things that polarize us?
In some ways we represent that and in some we don’t. If you look at the last two budgets the county passed, we had unanimous votes. When you look at the transit issue, you had Republicans and Democrats who were coming together to say we need transit and this is going to be a great way for our community to address a number of things, and again there was a lot of working together. If you look at the Chamber of Commerce, and the way it has targeted certain industries we need to develop to bring jobs back to Charlotte, that is a message that Republicans and Democrats are singing together. There’s a lot more focus on some of those key issues that matter, and a lot less use of partisan rhetoric than you might expect.

What are the important issues as we head into primary season?
Definitely the economy, you know. Jobs, jobs, jobs. We’re hearing that at every level. The state, which is focused on transforming North Carolina into a 21st century economy, has restructured its taxing and industries so that it can compete. And at the local level, you know, most of the economic grants we work on, we work on together. Some of the issues that we’re going to hear more about are access – you know, do we have enough programs for small business. The city and county are looking at things that have worked in the past in terms of small-business lending. We have positive programs for minority businesses, woman-owned businesses. And work force development and job training – is our community college keeping up with new technologies in the marketplace and the needs that there are? Are they keeping up fast enough? And I think they are. Those things are part of that conversation to make sure that we are thinking through every scenario and making sure we get companies to move here. If we want to attract businesses, we have to make Charlotte a great place for their employees.

Are we doing enough to attract a diverse population to Charlotte as it expands?
Well, we’re trying to attract targeted industry sectors.  We know our strengths. We’re trying to be more strategic in focusing on those industries we know we have the work force and infrastructure to support. We’re trying to get those new technologies: energy, bio-fuels.
In terms of looking at diversity from a personnel and employee standpoint, I think we can always do better. One of the things we emphasize in the contracting partners and the companies we bring here … we let them know that this is a community place. They’re expected to be part of that corporate philanthropy and our community. Part of that is being very accepting of a diverse work force, of a diverse client base. We’re doing a lot, and I think we have a good start.

What do current high unemployment rates mean for the immediate and distant future of Charlotte?
It’s pretty clear what high unemployment means. It means longer lines for services. It means we have people standing in line for food stamps and Medicaid and welfare systems that are much bigger than before. The numbers are much bigger than before, and we’re going to continue to see that. They’re coming to seek assistance as they bridge that time of being between jobs. We’re also seeing that as a decrease in sales tax revenue. That impacts the city, county and state budgets. When people aren’t working they don’t spend at the same rate. It also means they don’t pay income tax at the same rate. In December, we received $5 million less than we anticipated from sales tax. And that makes a big impact on your budget, no matter how big a county you are.

What can we expect to see in November?
I think the public is going to want to see people who are focused on getting jobs here. They’re going to want to hear from people about how they’ve supported assistance for people looking for work. There will be some people that are angry. It’s a difficult time to be leading. It’s one thing if you have a lot of resources to maneuver and negotiate. When we have few resources, it’s very stressful on current elected officials. I think there will also be people paying attention, because they have more time to read if they’re not employed, and because they feel the impact of what government means to them more.  Here are folks who are in the libraries using the Internet to look for jobs, and they’re going to appreciate those services. They’re going to take that appreciation into the voting booth. The economy makes a big difference on turnout and on the way people vote, because it all starts with what you have to survive. If you feel like you’re stretching it, you’re barely making it, that’s going to definitely affect your attitude towards who you think should be in charge.

What will Charlotte look like in 12 months? What will be different?
My hope is in 12 months that the job growth will have continued, that we’ll see that job growth come back, that we’ll see we’ve been able to manage through a tough time, that we haven’t had a drastic cut in those services we need, that the volunteers have stepped up, whether it’s tutoring or whatever. And corporations will have stepped up, too. My hope in 12 months is that we will have some optimism that comes from feeling like we’ve turned the corner. I don’t think anybody is saying the recession is going to end tomorrow, in terms of the impact on households, but I’m hoping that we’ll have some more optimism, some more business relocation, more grants come into the community, whether it’s from donations or the federal government – that really sustain that long-term infrastructure that we need to live and work.

~ Clay Whittaker