Bare Breasts Ain't the Problem

In the latest chapter of the Jim Black saga, let’s get that issue out of the way upfront.

Black, or any politico, is perfectly welcome to take campaign cash from topless club owners. Such clubs are part of the, ahem, hospitality industry after all. Snicker, snicker. Ha-ha. Seriously, if you don’t see a connection between convention business and topless clubs, you should go to more conventions. On second thought, don’t.

But the convention biz starts to point us to the real scandal hiding in plain sight:

On the same day as the two contributions from club owners, Black received $2,000 from a Charlotte-based tourism political action committee run by Mohammed Jenatian.

Jenatian runs the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance. The alliance’s members include both [topless club owner] Fairchild and [topless club owner] Baucom. Baucom and one of Fairchild’s employees are on the alliance’s board. Baucom gave $4,000 to the tourism PAC three weeks before the PAC made its donation to Black. Baucom also gave $2,000 to Black in both 2000 and 2001.

“He (Jenatian) says Black is a strong supporter of the hospitality and tourism industry,” Baucom said. “The stronger the hospitality and tourism industry, it benefits us.”

Yes, yes he is. Black is a strong supporter of the hospitality and tourism industry. And that is huge problem for Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte. In fact, it is helping to drive the city into the ground.

I’ve said this before, but it cannot be said enough right now. Charlotte can either be a great place to live or a great place to visit. Pick one. Is Charlotte’s greatest aspiration to be the next Orlando? Don’t the people who live and work and raise their kids in Charlotte deserve the best?

Or are we saving that for ooglers on a three-day bender?

And another thing… I’ll point out one more time that the Uptown crowd needs Jim Black to flog an increase in the local hotel-motel tax past opponents in Raleigh to fund the NASCAR Hall/convention center expansion, hence their silence on his various adventures.