Politics
Miltich, four incumbents will be sworn in Monday night
Dec. 6. The five members of the Cornelius Town Board—all men—will be sworn in Monday night at Town Hall. Commissioners are expected to officially say farewell to outgoing board member Bruce Trimbur who is moving out of town. NC Rep. John Bradford will administer the oath to Mayor Chuck Travis and commissioners Jim Duke, Dave […]
Tarte, Bradford file for re-election; Marcus not saying if she will run
Dec. 2. By Dave Vieser. NC Sen. Jeff Tarte and Rep. John Bradford, both Republicans from Cornelius, filed to run for re-election Dec. 1 at the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections in Charlotte. Tuesday was the first day of filing which remains open until noon Dec. 21. Tarte represents the 41st senate district, which covers […]
You say you want a revolution
By Dave Yochum. “Target Acquired.” That’s the subject line on a recent email that race team executive Greg Wallace sent to his cohorts in the I-77 Business Plan, a high-level group of mostly Cornelius business leaders who are fighting the 50-year contract the NCDOT has inked with Cintra, a unit of Ferrovial. A room at the […]
After toll summit, Cornelius, Davidson mayors outline success of managed lanes in Texas
Nov. 24. NC Rep. Charles Jeter will file a bill in the legislature that would cut Charlotte’s virtually insurmountable 46 percent weighted vote on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Organization to no more than 37.5 percent. Meanwhile, after a fact-finding trip to visit managed lane projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the mayors of Cornelius and […]
Temporary Restraining Order stalls; I-77 work begins at 10 pm
Nov 16. By Dave Yochum. Sen. Jeff Tarte over the weekend said there was no forward motion in getting a Temporary Restraining Order in time to stop construction of the I-77 toll lanes which begins at 10 pm. Tarte huddled with other members of the I-77 Business Plan—a group of key anti-toll business and political leaders—and two […]
Governor to LKN: Drop Dead
Nov. 13. UPDATED. By Dave Yochum. Although four North Carolina legislators have called on the governor to exercise the termination provisions in NCDOT’s I-77 contract with Cintra, a Spanish company, Pat McCrory is sticking to his guns. Within an hour after the four said they will seek a temporary restraining order to stop the project, McCrory’s NCDOT […]
Chamber chair on tolls: ‘It’s not a done deal until we lay down’
Nov. 12. By Dave Yochum. A public relations executive with I-77 Mobility Partners, the controversial public-private partnership that plans to build toll lanes between Charlotte and Cornelius, today announced that construction will begin in four days. Jean Leier, director of corporate affairs at I-77 Mobility, said “I-77 Mobility Partners is excited to begin construction.” The $650 […]
For whom I-77 tolls: Summit planned in next 10 days
UPDATED 6:40 PM Nov. 9. NC Rep. Charles Jeter will convene an I-77 summit within the next 10 business days to hash out ways to fix the controversial toll plan. The divisive issue led to resounding defeats on Election Day for officials like Mayor Jill Swain and Commissioner Sarah McAulay in Huntersville. Jeter said that “in direct […]
Tarte advises ‘bullet vote’ for Stephenson for CMS board
Nov. 3. By Dave Vieser and Dave Yochum. NC Sen. Jeff Tarte last night urged voters to “bullet vote” for Jeremy Stephenson, apparently the only school board candidate to go on record in opposition to busing students in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. On his campaign committee letterhead, Tarte said “it is important for those of us […]
EarthTalk: Our Environment – Republican Candidates on Climate Change
Dear Earthtalk: Where do the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination stand on environmental issues? Answer: In recent decades, Republicans have certainly been far less sympathetic to environmental causes than the Democrats, and this year’s batch of candidates for the party’s Presidential nomination is no exception. Donald Trump has remained skeptical of environmentalists and […]
