Politics
2 N. Meck mayors split from business community on I-77
June 9. By Dave Yochum. In defiance of the Cornelius Town Board, Mayor Chuck Travis has met with NC Sen. Philip Berger in Raleigh to argue in favor of the Public Private Partnership that is building toll lanes between Lake Norman and Charlotte. Travis, who lobbied against HB-954—the anti-toll legislation that passed overwhelmingly in the NC House June 2—met with […]
Jeter’s I-77 summit will bring top decision-makers together soon
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 to officials like Mayor Jill Swain and Commissioner Sarah McAulay in Huntersville. Jeter said that “in direct […]
New partner at Red Dome
Former NC Rep. Carolyn Justice has joined Cornelius-based Red Dome Group as a senior partner of the political consulting firm. At the same time, Red Dome’s co-founder and senior partner Todd Poole has taken a leave of absence to serve as chief of staff for US Rep. Richard Hudson. Justice was the first woman ever elected to the General […]
Cintra hints of possible legal action against critic of toll plan
By Dave Yochum. The fight against the plan to widen I-77 with the help of a company whose roots are in Spain continues to escalate, with a lawsuit, another bill in Raleigh and even the threat of legal action against someone who has spoken out against I-77 Mobility partners, the new entity that will build the […]
Andy Yates ‘Rising Star’ in national publication
Andy Yates, senior partner of Red Dome Group, has been named a “Rising Star” in the political campaign world by Campaigns and Elections magazine. Yates managed NC Rep. Charles Jeter’s closely watched campaign last year. Below is part of a Q&A with Yates from Campaigns and Elections http://campaignsandelections.com C&E: How do you become a self-made […]
Aneralla, incumbent Jill Swain file to run for mayor of Huntersville
July 10. UPDATED 12:15 pm. It’s official: Both incumbent Jill Swain and John Aneralla have filed with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections to run for mayor of Huntersville. Swain, who filed Thursday, may be tough to beat. Swain is in her fourth term as mayor. She served four previous terms on the Huntersville Town […]
Point counterpoint: I-77 toll lanes
By Kurt Naas. Now that local governments and businesses have lined up against the I-77 toll lanes, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has been offering up three more rationales why they must move forward with this project. First, we’ve been told it’s “tolls or nothing for 20 years.” That may have been true in […]
Memo to LKN Chamber: ‘NCDOT is simply delivering the project requested by local authorities’
In advance of the Lake Norman Chamber’s board meeting, the NCDOT Undersecretary Nick Tennyson outlined some of the ramifications of cancelling the $650 million contract with I-77 Mobility/Cintra/Ferrovial and opting for a general-purpose lanes project instead. As a former chamber [of commerce] executive, I know that your organization has a wide range of business and […]
I-77 toll controversy highlights worries about clout in Raleigh
By Dave Vieser. With Pat McCrory’s election in 2012 and Republicans holding a majority in the state legislature, things seemed to be looking up for Lake Norman. With a strong GOP lineup came expectations of increased help from Raleigh for critical infrastructure needs, especially in the transportation spectrum. Two years later, town boards around Lake Norman, […]
Cornelius to NCDOT: Tear Down This Contract
June 2. By Dave Vieser. The Cornelius Town Board unanimously passed a strongly worded resolution calling on the asCDOT to terminate its contract with Spanish based Cintra/I-77 Mobility Partners to build toll lanes on I-77. The board also said it would consider joining the lawsuit filed by Widen I-77 seeking to halt the toll lanes planned for […]
