Pat McCrory

Infobox Officeholder
name = Pat McCrory


birth_date= birth date and age |1956|10|17
residence = Charlotte, North Carolina
office = Mayor of the City of Charlotte
term_start = 1995
term_end = present
predecessor = Richard Vinroot
successor = Incumbent
party= Republican
alma_mater=Catawba College
spouse = Ann McCrory
order2= Charlotte City Council At Large
term_start2= 1989
term_end2= 1995
width = 155px
height = 270px

Patrick "Pat" McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and is currently the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the longest-serving mayor in Charlotte history. McCrory was elected for a seventh term as mayor in 2007. He is the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2008 general election, running against Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue.

McCrory was born in Ohio but grew up in Jamestown, North Carolina, and attended Ragsdale High School, where he served as Student Body President. McCrory graduated from Catawba College in 1978 with a B.A. in political science and education. After graduation, McCrory worked with Duke Energy Corporation in various management positions.

McCrory began his political career in Charlotte in 1989 when he was elected as an At-Large City Councilman. Some of the issues he focused on early in his career included public safety. He was re-elected in 1991 and 1993, served as Mayor Pro Tem in 1993, and was elected as the city's mayor in 1995. Due to the regional boom in population since 1995, as many as 200,000 residents of Charlotte have never known another mayor. [ [http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/profiles/pat_mccrory>] ] In 2001, McCrory's alma mater, Catawba College, awarded him an honorary doctorate degree.

On January 15, 2008, McCrory formally announced his intentions to seek the Republican Party's nomination for the North Carolina Gubernatorial Election in 2008. [ [http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/882030.html newsobserver.com | McCrory announces run for N.C. governor ] ]

Record as Mayor of Charlotte

Economy

Since McCrory took office, the population of downtown Charlotte has increased to over 20,000 people. Charlotte is one of only 3 cities in the nation where home values have gone up in the past year. [ [http://www.charlotte.com/204/story/420456.html Charlotte home values up] ]

Crime

Although crime has gone up all over the nation in recent years, the crime rate has recently declined. Crime nationwide has decreased since the peaks of the late 1980s and early 1990s. That trend held true in Charlotte, where violent slayings veered downward even as the population boomed. In 2004, the police district had the lowest homicide rate in a decade, with 60 slayings. The reduction in crime is partly as a result of 330 new police officers being added since McCrory has taken office.Fact|date=November 2007

The number of murders annually has been well below a record 129 slayings Charlotte-Mecklenburg police investigated in 1993, when the police jurisdiction served a third fewer people. The rate then was almost 30 slayings per 100,000 people versus this year's rate of about 11.Fact|date=May 2008

Transportation

Pat McCrory has supported developing Charlotte's 25-year transportation and land use plan, including his efforts to secure $200 million in federal funds for Lynx Light Rail in Charlotte. In November 2007, voters overwhelmingly supported keeping the current transportation plan intact by voting no to an appeal of a half penny transit tax by a 70% to 30% margin. [ [http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/11/05/daily27.html Voters rally in support of transit tax] Charlotte Business Journal November 7, 2007]

Mayor's Immigration Study Commission

In 2006 McCrory formed an Immigration task force, the first of its kind. The commission released a report on the impact of legal and illegal immigration on a local level.

The commission report identified many problems, but the members could not agree on needed solutions. As a result of the findings, McCrory said he will demand action from Congress. [ [http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=131557 Immigration panel to present report] News 14 Carolina 12/14/2006]

Environment

McCrory supports efforts to establish a Residential Tree Ordinance, which requires developers to save 10% of the trees in every residential development. Additionally there has been the establishment of a Sidewalk Policy that requires sidewalks in every new subdivision and provides funding for sidewalks in neighborhoods without them. He has also worked to integrate Bike lanes in the City's transportation policy; established 36 miles of bike lanes throughout the City. [ [http://www.mayors.org/uscm/us_mayor_newspaper/documents/08_30_04/clean_air.asp "Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory Offers Lessons in Clean Air"] , Brett Rosenberg Augest 30 2005 ]

NASCAR Hall of Fame

On March 6, 2006 Charlotte beat out Atlanta, Daytona Beach, Kansas City, and Richmond, Virginia to be home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. [ [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/tom_bowles/03/07/inside.nascar/index.html The Hall of Fame will be in Charlotte -- as it should be] Tom Bowles "SI.com" March 7, 2006 ] Mayor McCrory worked with local business leaders, local officials and NASCAR teams to bring the Hall to Charlotte. The hall, designed by world renowned architecture firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, is scheduled to be open by spring 2010.

Awards and local involvement

In 2003, McCrory was the recipient of the national Home-ownership Hero Award recognizing his work in leading Charlotte to have one of the highest home-ownership rates in the country.

The Mayor founded the Mayor's Mentoring Alliance in 1995 and has personally served as a Mentor to two youths. In 2005, Charlotte was named in the 100 Best Communities for Youth by America's Promise. His Mayor's Mentoring Alliance has grown to include 40 youth-serving and mentoring organizations, including Time Warner Cable's "Time To Read" program. An additional partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department initiated "Gang of One," an after-school gang-prevention and intervention program that works to keep children from joining gangs or helps lead them away from gang life. [ [http://awards.ciconline.org/LeadersInLearningAwards/winners2006.htm Cables leader's in learning award] ]

McCrory is involved in many local charity boards. He serves as the honorary chair for the Charlotte chapter of the Alzheimer Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation.

National involvement & Homeland Security

McCrory is involved in many national organizations, including service as: Past-president of the Republican Mayors and Local Officials (RMLO) organization; chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Committee for Housing and Community Development; the past six-term Chair of the USCM Environmental Committee; and founder and inaugural Chairman of the North Carolina Metropolitan Coalition. McCrory is also the only elected official to serve on the national board of the Afterschool Alliance and is a featured Mayor in Harvard University’s Faith-based Executive Session. Since September 2001, McCrory has been heavily involved with Homeland Security efforts, which include serving on the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. He is also head of the US Conference of Mayors environmental committee.

2008 Governor campaign

McCrory reportedly commissioned a poll to test the waters for a run for Governor in November 2007, shortly after his re-election victory, but well after other Republican gubernatorial candidates began campaigning. [ [http://www.charlotte.com/politics/story/366553.html Charlotte Observer: McCrory feeling out a run for governor?] ] A 2007 Rasmussen Reports poll had McCrory leading both major Democratic candidates by three points each. [ [http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/north_carolina/north_carolina_2008_presidential_election Rasmussen Reports: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a mid-term election ] ]

The Raleigh "News & Observer" reported on January 9, 2008 that McCrory had filed the necessary paperwork with the State Board of Elections to run for Governor. [ [http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/mccrory_files_campaign_paperwork McCrory files campaign paperwork | newsobserver.com projects ] ] He announced that he was running in his hometown of Jamestown on January 15, 2008.

In the primary election on May 6, 2008, McCrory defeated four opponents to win the Republican nomination for Governor. [ [http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/1875/3985/en/summary.html State Board of Elections] ] He will face the Democratic nominee, Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, in the general election. [ [http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/613205.html Charlotte Observer | 05/07/2008 | McCrory, Perdue
to face off ] ]

If elected, McCrory would be the first mayor of Charlotte to win the state's highest office. North Carolina has had two governors elected from the Charlotte area in the past 100 years: Democrat Cameron Morrison, elected in 1920, and Republican James G. Martin, elected in 1984 (who lived at Lake Norman). [ [http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/faq/what_is_the_queen_city_curse News & Observer: What is the Queen City Curse?] ]

Elections

Voters returned McCrory to office for a record seventh term in November 2007. The previous record-holders were Stan Brookshire and John Belk, Sr., who were both elected to four terms.

1995 Republican Mayoral Primary

Pat McCrory 75%
Ed Peacock 20%
Steve James 5%

1995 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 62%
Hoyle Martin (D) 38%

1997 Republican Mayoral Primary

Pat McCrory 90%
Ken Pfenninger 10%

1997 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 78%
Jim Harwood (D) 22%

1999 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 61%
Ella Scarborough (D) 39%

2001 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 67%
Ella Scarborough (D) 33%

2003 Republican Mayoral Primary

Pat McCrory 64%
Mike Castano 30%
Edward Mulheren 5%

2003 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 57%
Craig Madans (D) 40%
Carlton Harvey (L) 2%

2005 Republican Mayoral Primary

Pat McCrory 74%
Martin Davis 26%

2005 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 56%
Craig Madans (D) 43%
Write-in 2%

2007 Republican Mayoral Primary

Pat McCrory 67%
Ken Gjertsen 33%

2007 General Election

Pat McCrory (R) 61%

Beverly Earle (D) 39%

2008 Republican Gubernatorial Primary
Pat McCrory 46%
Fred Smith 37%
Bill Graham 9%
Bob Orr 7%
E. Powers <1%

References

External links

* [http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Mayor/Home.htm Office of the Mayor]
* [http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/profiles/pat_mccrory News & Observer profile page]
* [http://www.mccroryfornc.homestead.com Grassroots Site -McCrory for Governor]
* [http://www.patmccrory.com/ Gubernatorial Campaign site]