Author: Ben Thompson (WCSC) reports-
As city officials push for state approval of Charlotte’s multi-billion dollar transit plan this spring, community advocates warn that another crucial constituency remains unconvinced: Black voters.
“If this transit plan is gonna pass, it needs Black voters,” said Colette Forrest, who runs the Charlotte Black Voter Project representing nearly a quarter million voters. “Nothing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg passes without the majority of Black voters supporting it, no bond, no tax, no referendum, nada.”
Forrest’s organization is hosting a transit town hall Thursday night featuring Mayor Vi Lyles, Congresswoman Alma Adams and other officials at 6 p.m. at Weeping Willow AME-Zion Church on Milton Road in east Charlotte.
The meeting comes as Charlotte officials work to secure legislative approval in Raleigh before putting a half-cent sales tax referendum before voters in November.
“It sounds like to me that you’re saying the Black community has almost been an afterthought when it comes to this transit plan?” WCNC’s Ben Thompson asked Forrest.
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I couldn’t say it better myself.”
Forrest argues that the plan’s most substantial components, like commuter rail, primarily benefit Charlotte’s wealthier northern suburbs while neglecting predominantly Black neighborhoods.
“Why do we have to be regulated to bus? Why can’t we reimagine what transit looks like? And have light rail in the Black communities?” Forrest asked.
Both bills currently under consideration in the General Assembly limit Charlotte’s investment in rail lines. To secure Republican support, the city’s plan must also focus on roads and expanded bus service.
Earlier this year, Brent Cagle, interim CEO of the Charlotte Area Transit System, has defended the transit plan, saying “it will represent significant new investments and enhancements to the region’s transit system.”
While Charlotte officials say they’re closer than ever to securing necessary support from state lawmakers, Forrest’s message is clear: “We’re tired of being an afterthought.”
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