The vision difference

"There's a vision difference here," Anthony said Tuesday night during a mayoral debate at Johnson C. Smith University.

Yes, there is. If one thing emerged from the debate, it's this: Anthony Foxx thinks big. His opponent, John Lassiter, thinks small.

(Lassiter also thinks he found a way to pay for 70, rather than 35, extra police officers during budget discussions three years ago. He did not. We'll get to that.)

Time and again, asked about public safety, transportation, jobs, education and other critical issues, Anthony spelled out his record and plans in specific terms. Lassiter related anecdotes only tangentially related to the question; talked vaguely about "find(ing) a way" to solve the problems at hand; and, when he did suggest specific ideas, proffered some seriously underwhelming ones.

Example: Co-moderator Erica Bryant of WSOC-TV related a question on how each candidate would influence public education.

Now, the mayor of Charlotte has no direct say over education; Mecklenburg County funds Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and the school board makes policy decisions. But the mayor can publicly state support for certain policies and rally school support through example.

Anthony, having grown up on the west side, credits his schooling with lifting him out of a difficult situation. "I am passionate about education, because I feel that has made a difference in my life," he said. He has vowed to tutor a CMS student once a week as mayor and encourage others to do the same. "We need a mayor," he said to rising applause, "who is showing us how education makes a difference in this community."

Lassiter, who spent 11 years on the school board, said, "We've got to find a way to work collaboratively with CMS," then offered this grand idea: Since CMS is planning to move its offices into the Government Center, the city, county and school district should find a way to consolidate their Information Technology, payroll and other administrative functions, thereby saving money.

Inspiring, no? This may be a perfectly good idea, although it wouldn't be such good news for the low-paid IT and payroll workers who'd be jettisoned. But more important, seriously, is that the best he can come up with? We're looking for someone to lead the city, and he's talking about merging administrative duties?

It went on like this all night.

Question: What would you do as mayor to enhance the Beatties Ford Road corridor?

Anthony: I've already started that process through the business corridor plan I championed on the City Council, which aims to create jobs and business opportunities not just on Beatties Ford but on Wilkinson Boulevard, Central Avenue, Rozzelles Ferry Road and North Tryon Street. I was the one who told the council that we needed to ditch the complacency surrounding our business corridors outside of uptown.

Lassiter: I was recently at the new West End Market, which the city had nothing to do with. "It's going to take a lot more than that." I was talking recently with (JCSU President) Dr. (Ronald) Carter, and I suggested that if someone opened a bookstore on Beatties Ford, we'd "do what we can" to lure businesses to Beatties Ford.

Who has the vision here? Who's thinking big? Who has the entire city in mind?

Question: Would you help bolster the budget for the underfunded District Attorney's office, and how?

Anthony: Yes, but it's not just a matter of hiring more prosecutors. The DA's office has outdated computers and other technology, which drains valuable time away from prosecutors and staff. That's why I recently proposed an increase in funding, which passed, for the DA's office specifically to address technology needs.

Lassiter: The night I won the primary, a poll worker came up and told me someone had broken into his house. This put a damper on the celebration. (Ed. note: This was the second time in as many debates that Lassiter has related the poll worker story.) "We need to find a way to make sure we do the kinds of things locally to do the things we need to ..."

We lost track. So did Erica Bryant. "Is that a 'yes'?" she said.

Which brings us to public safety, and police officers, and paying for them, and the budget.

Three years ago, the City Council overrode a mayoral veto to pass a budget that included money for 70 new police officers, the number the then-chief requested, and $398 million for street, neighborhood, housing and other improvements. It was a party-line vote. All seven Democrats, including Anthony, voted yes; all four Republicans, including Lassiter, voted no.

The Republicans had proposed their own budget that would have paid for 35 new officers, half of what the chief had asked for, and $82 million in capital improvements.

Anthony accurately said he was on the side that provided the services the city needed, and Lassiter wasn't. Lassiter responded by dissembling. He said the Republicans had found savings in the budget that would have paid for the 70 officers.

If they did, they kept it a secret. Lassiter was flat wrong. Anthony called him on it.

"The truth of the matter is, the police asked for 70 officers, and my Republican colleagues would've hired 35," he said. "We took the step of making sure our community stayed safe."

It's worth noting that every year since then, the council has fully funded the police chief's request for officers. Whose vision prevailed?