Well, that didn’t last long. So much for John Lassiter wanting to undo the 2006 9-percent city property tax hike.
On Tuesday, Lassiter said he wouldn’t necessarily try to roll back the entire tax hike but would try to curb city spending.
Yeah, that’s a toughie. Try to curb spending. Make city staff accountable. Say no. We are asking for the near impossible, I suppose. And then there is this bit of cynicism, as Jim Morrill neatly details:
“Throughout the campaign you have spread false information about my record,” Lassiter told Foxx.
In particular, he cited the Democrat’s comments about the CIAA basketball tournament. Foxx has said Lassiter voted against city money for it.
In closed session in 2007, the council reauthorized a $200,000 contribution to the CIAA, a group of historically black colleges that brought its basketball tournament to Charlotte in 2006. The vote was 9-2 with Foxx in support and Lassiter against.
Lassiter, who had long supported the tournament, has said the vote reflected a difference on how – not whether – the city would make its contribution. When the issue came to a public vote last February, the council unanimously backed it.
Lassiter is practicing undiluted McCroryism right here. Play both ends against the middle and accuse anyone who calls BS on that of distorting your record. It should go without saying that the fiscally conservative amount of city money to spend on a basketball tourney is zero.
Whether any significant portion of the Charlotte electorate agrees remains to be seen.
