October 1, 2013
 Dear Friends,
Ten years ago, the City and the County joined together to pass the Charlotte-Mecklenburg public art ordinance, which sets aside 1 percent of eligible capital improvement funds for public art projects. Since the ordinance’s passage, more than 80
artists and 70 works of art have been commissioned for our community.
In honor of the ordinance's 10th anniversary, I joined together with several community leaders to produce a video celebrating public art and the integral role it plays in our region.
On Saturday, I also announced a new partnership between the City,
the Public Art Commission, and the Arts and Science Council (ASC) to promote public art in our neighborhoods. Under the “Neighborhoods
in Creative pARTnership”
program, the
City is pledging $118,000 to help fund five public art grants that neighborhoods throughout Charlotte can compete to win. Keep an eye on ASC's website for more details coming soon.
Public art helps create livable neighborhoods, strengthens
neighborhood identity, and boosts economic development and tourism in our community. The first decade under the public art ordinance has been a great one. I hope you'll join me in continuing to support public art in the years to come.
As always, it's an honor to serve you.
Sincerely,
As you may know, the City received a letter from the FAA last Thursday stating that the FAA will make no decision concerning the airport's operating certificate until the City's lawsuit challenging the State Legislature's airport bill has been resolved in court.
The FAA's decision represents a major victory for our community in the City's fight to retain control of the airport Charlotte built and validates what we have said about the bill from the beginning--it is significantly flawed.
The City remains in charge of the airport and will continue to press the legal claim that the Legislature violated the State Constitution in the way it attempted to create an airport commission.
The Council and I remain fully committed to ensuring the legal proceedings have no impact on the airport's daily operations, and continue to work to ensure Charlotte Douglas is one of the best-performing, lowest cost airports in the country.
 On September 17, I joined District 5 City Councilman John Autry and Martique Lorray for a press conference to celebrate the preservation of Eastland Mall's iconic "rising sun" signs.
The four signs that adorned the mall for decades were headed for demolition until Martique and the Eastland Area Strategies Team stepped in to save them. Now the group is working with the Arts and Science Council to repurpose the signs as public art on the East Side and is seeking to have one of the signs designated as a Charlotte historic landmark.
I applaud the members of the East Side community who came together to find a way to save these signs and preserve a part of the neighborhood's history. I look forward to continuing to work with them to revitalize the East Side and ensure that the neighborhood is all it can be.
Historic Charlotte
Please join me in supporting Historic Charlotte’s Blast for the Past on October 17 at the Bechtler Museum of Art from 6-8 pm. This annual event showcases the year’s top innovative historic preservation projects and advocates in our community.
Affordable Care Act
ACA enrollment began today for coverage that starts on January 1, 2014. For up-to-date information regarding the entire process, call 1-800-318-2596 or click here.
Exercise Your Right to Vote
On October 8, Charlotte will hold Democratic 2nd Primary Elections for City Council Districts 2 and 4. For more information, click here.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
One in four women will report violence at the hands of an intimate partner. October is a time to raise awareness about domestic violence through a host of events across Charlotte. For more information, click here.
Mental Health Matters!
It's time to talk. Join me in a powerful campaign to break mental health stigma one conversation at a time. Watch this video and take the pledge to remove stigma. |
