Raleigh consultants Paul Shumaker and Morgan Jackson are among the political and marketing experts who will help advise Charlotte civic leaders in seeking passage of a 1-cent sales tax hike that could generate $20 billion for transportation improvements over the next 30 years, people familiar with the matter say.
The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance is raising $3 million for the campaign aimed at winning a November vote in Mecklenburg County, CEO Robert McCutcheon said this week. The alliance hasn’t announced who will be working on the project, which has been called the biggest public works project in N.C. history.
“We are in the process of assembling the best and brightest team around the mission of informing Mecklenburg County voters and ensuring our region is equipped to meet transportation and economic mobility challenges both now and in the future,” Matthew Panik, the alliance’s chief advocacy officer, said in an email. He declined further comment.
People familiar with the matter said the effort will be directed by the alliance and the public affairs team at Charlotte’s Moore & Van Allen law firm. Officials at the law firm directed calls to the alliance.
Advisers will include Shumaker, whose website notes he’s won more U.S. Senate races than any consultant in the state over the past 25 years, and Jackson of Nexus Strategies, a key adviser to former Gov. Roy Cooper, who is expected to announce a bid for the U.S. Senate in the next week or so.
Requests for comment from Shumaker and Jackson were not immediately returned. Shumaker is a Republican, while Jackson is a Democrat.
Others involved in the campaign, the people said, include four Charlotte consultants: Jordan Shaw is a former state director for U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis who recently opened a public strategy and communications company; former Mecklenburg County Commissioner and school board member Wilhelmenia Rembert; Nepherterra Best of Pride Public Relations; and Betty Doster, who retired this summer after 15 years as a leader of UNC Charlotte’s public affairs efforts.
Mecklenburg officials have been discussing a major transportation expansion plan for many years, given increasing traffic congestion as the population soars. The movement gained momentum in the past year when Norfolk Southern agreed to sell its track from Uptown Charlotte to north Mecklenburg County to the city of Charlotte for $91 million. That line is slated for a commuter rail in the transportation plan.
Moreover, Republican leaders in Raleigh agreed to support a bill enabling a sales-tax referendum after pushing for 40% of the funds to be spent on roads, 40% for rail and 20% for buses. Earlier versions had proposed more money for rail and bus projects. Gov. Josh Stein signed the bill into law on July 1.
Mecklenburg County commissioners are expected to approve the referendum by early August. It has received near-unanimous support from the commission and Mecklenburg town councils, with the exception of Matthews, which wanted funding for light-rail service. The plan calls for providing those towns with millions of dollars in road-improvement funds.
An early poll conducted by supporters of the new tax shows slightly more than 50% of likely voters support the 1-cent sales tax, versus nearly 40% opposition, according to those familiar with the matter. That margin is closer than officials had expected, they said.
The average Mecklenburg household would pay about $240 more in sales tax under the new tax, County Commissioner Leigh Altman said in a recent WFAE radio broadcast. Adding 1 cent would put the Mecklenburg tax at 8.25%. The state’s highest rate is 7.5% in Durham and Orange counties.
Ray Gronberg contributed to this story.
David Mildenberg is editor of Business North Carolina. Reach him at dmildenberg@businessnc.com.