The Four Towns Mayors, Mayor of Charlotte and Chair of the Mecklenburg County Commission all participated in a ‘reaction’ panel immediately following the ULI final, verbal report on Friday, January 29 at CP-North Campus.

 Summarizing comments in order of speaking:  Mayor Anthony Foxx said he is committed to a Lynx system build out rather than having one line compete with another.  Our challenge is local, matching funds which must be resolved in order to get State and Federal dollars.

 Mayor John Woods said we have the opportunity to have a ‘dumbell’ type line, with strong  employment centers at each end of the New North Main Line, currently the Red line.  Mayor Jeff Tarte said while the City of Charlotte’s streetcar is a neat idea, the New North Main Line is the Lynx system return on investment, with over $4 billion in investment and thousands of jobs potential.

 Mayor Jill Swain said we need further attention among the towns and the City of Charlotte in working together, and she sees natural allies for the New North Main Line in the Panthers, Bobcats, Arts/Science Council, and other cultural amenities and restaurants who want and need Lake citizens to patronize their establishments.

 Commission Chair Jennifer Roberts said working as a part of team is important, which must include Mooresville/Iredell County, and that Lake amenities are definite assets to Charlotte’s quality of life.  Mayor Chris Montgomery likes using road names rather than Exit numbers for interstate intersections as a way to preserve the character of the Towns, and better relations with Charlotte is a must.