Local Hero: Harry Taylor
“In my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of [the] leadership in Washington. And I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and grace to be ashamed of yourself.” Those are classic words from Harry Taylor, a Charlotte commercial real estate broker who in a rare unscripted Bush moment civilly and cogently did what millions of voters have longed to do: Tell the president that his prosecution of an unpopular war abroad and assault on civil liberties at home should not be done in their names. Taylor’s calm condemnation made him an instant hero to Bush detractors everywhere — see the Web site thankyouharrytaylor.org.
Local Zero: Kevin Geddings
In less than a year, Geddings went from being a nationally acclaimed political strategist and newcomer to Charlotte to being the Democrats’ best hope for a mayoral victory against Republican Mayor Pat McCrory to a being indicted by a grand jury on nine counts of fraud. When Geddings was appointed to the state’s lottery commission, he failed to disclose more than the $200,000 he had been paid by a lottery company seeking a multi-million dollar contract the commission was charged with doling out. Oops. He now faces up to five years in prison on each of the nine counts if he is convicted.
Best Activist: (tie) Thomas “Pops” Sadler and Jane Montognese
A third generation Greenville neighborhood resident, Thomas “Pops” Adler helped turn the former slum into a stable, thriving neighborhood in the late 1980s and has maintained a presence ever since. He’s been instrumental in assisting some of Charlotte’s other impoverished neighborhoods, whether by applying for grant money or simply through his unique community teaching style. Neighborhood kids think of him as a second father, and he’s been known to drop whatever he’s doing to drive a car-less teen across town to make a work shift. Pops’ marching band, the glue that’s held his Greenville neighborhood together, can be seen performing at various functions (parades, sporting events) throughout the year. Always deflecting the little praise he’s gotten, Pops is a true community hero.
After her son Zachary was brutally beaten and murdered in April 2004, Jane Montognese was shocked to learn from prosecutors that they planned to plea bargain his attacker’s sentence down to a mere five years in prison. She dedicated the next two years of her life to publicizing the problems of the county’s desperately overburdened justice system. Prosecutors eventually plea bargained Zachary’s killer’s sentence to 15 years in prison, and city leaders began calling for more funding from the state. It now appears that the county will get 13 additional prosecutors and an extra judicial position from the state.
Best Local Charity: Crisis Assistance Ministry
500 Spratt St
[map]
704-371-3000
http://www.crisisassistance.org
Charlotte has so many good charities (Urban Ministry Center, the Shelter for Battered Women, etc.) that this was a hard winner to choose. But we ended up going with Crisis Assistance Ministry, whose volunteers and paid staff do the Lord’s work on a daily basis. Simply put, they keep the babies fed, the old people warm and the rent paid for thousands of struggling people. The organization is efficient, too: Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator, gives the ministry its highest rating of four stars.
Best New Slogan for Charlotte: “If Atlanta’s too entertaining, the Triangle’s too intellectual and Asheville’s too beautiful, come live here!”
Best Member of Local Government: Jennifer Roberts
Smart and helpful, first-term county commissioner Jennifer Roberts gets things done and doesn’t pander to the prejudices of the local “ignorati.” Those points alone separate her from most of the other area politicos.
Worst Member of Local Government: Jim Black
In other, less politically dysfunctional states, politicians go down for taking illegal gifts and trips from lobbyists. Black, a Democrat from Matthews and the speaker of the state house, took that practice to a whole new level. This year, it was revealed that Black had a lobbyist doing everything but washing his underwear — and maybe even that, too. Before the feds caught on, lobbyist Meredith Norris was fundraising for him and running the daily ins and outs of his political career — when she wasn’t helping to draft legislation beneficial to her clients in Black’s name. Black is now the subject of numerous criminal and ethical investigations.
Bigots of the Year: Sue Myrick and Pat McCrory
Myrick practically salivates every time she hears of an illegal immigrant doing anything wrong — all the better to propose another repressive law. And McCrory, acting contrary to established policies nearly everywhere else, wants Charlotte police to determine whether immigrants who are crime victims are here illegally. Way to make the crime rate go up, dumbass!
Short-Sighted Scrooges of the Year: Harry Jones and Mike Easley
When Mecklenburg County manager Jones announced his intentions to fund a tax cut with lottery proceeds meant for school construction, Easley was apoplectic. Never mind that he’d urged passage of lottery legislation that allowed just what Jones was planning to do. (Language that prohibited lottery money from supplanting local funds had been removed from the bill somewhere along the way.) The county countered by saying that, regardless, the schools are still getting more money than before. Either way, it’s just proof that North Carolina is well on its way to bearing out some lottery opponents’ predictions.
Biggest Waste of Tax Money: Trolley Tear Up
The brand new, much heralded, $40 million Charlotte trolley — which the city initially said would cost less than $20 million to build — ran for less than two years before the city tore up major parts of the line to make way for light rail. Since the new South Boulevard light rail line and the trolley weren’t jointly planned, it turned out that parts of the tracks had to be moved and will later be rebuilt. But hey, both projects are already so far over budget, tens of millions of dollars more can’t possibly make a difference, now can it?
Best Local Athlete: Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
First clawing his way onto the Panthers’ roster in the 2001 draft, Mr. Smith became the Cats’ main man in 2005 — the “O” in its injury-plagued Offense, the “play” in the NFC Playoffs. QB Jake Delhomme looked to Smith 150 times last season, connecting 103 of those passes. The end result: a staggering 97.7 yards per game, 12 touchdowns for the season and — get this — 1,563 receiving yards for the year, making him the NFL’s top wide receiver, a full 80 yards ahead of the second-place runner-up. Compare that to the league average 406 yards and, well, there is no comparison. No wonder Street & Smith’s Pro Football Yearbook has picked the Panthers to win Super Bowl XLI. Note to Keyshawn: You better give Smith his props; he’s huge in the hearts of Panthers fans.
Local Boy or Girl Made Good: Chad Tracy, Arizona Diamondbacks
A West Mecklenburg graduate and East Carolina University attendee, Arizona Diamondback 3B Chad Tracy is one of the more quietly productive third sackers (heck, players period) in Major League Baseball. His season RBI has floated around .300, and as of press time, he had 13 home runs, 52 RBIs and four stolen bases. However, all but the biggest baseball fans probably don’t even recognize his name, let alone his face. Quietly productive — it’s how we do here in the Queen City.
Local Boy or Girl Made Bad: (tie) Kevin J. Martin, FCC Chairman, and Rhonetta Johnson, American Idol
Born in Charlotte and raised in Waxhaw, Martin got involved in politics early, as student body president of UNC during his undergraduate years. Fast forward to 2000 and he’s technology advisor to the Bush-Cheney Transition Team. Sworn-in to the Federal Communications Commission in 2001, President Bush tapped him to be chairman in March 2005. Pundits praised him as a “coalition-builder,” but maybe he didn’t build ‘em fast enough: Faced with lack of commissioners’ support, he recently was forced to withdraw his proposal to force cable operators to carry extra digital channels from local stations. His stance on broadcast “indecency” caused one critic to describe Martin as having “a blatant disrespect for the First Amendment” (what the hell; it’s only the Constitution). One of our CL panelists put it even more succinctly: “He’s a business-slave, puritanical Nazi.”
As for Rhonetta Johnson … well, you know you’re famous when just about every Idol blog directs fans to your rap sheet on the Mecklenburg County Jail Web site under “Inmate Lookup.” Our girl Johnson, who gave a Statesville address in a 2003 arrest report (and later moved to Mooresville, according to a 2005 arrest report) is a perp with priors that include DWI, indecent exposure and assault with a deadly weapon (cutting). She auditioned in Greensboro for American Idol and, when she didn’t make it to Hollywood, she let the judges have a piece of her mind, especially Paula: “She can’t talk about nobody else because she ain’t made an album in about 20 damn years.” What spunk! Later, in a post-Idol interview, Johnson said she wanted to be “the next Tom Cruise.” ‘Nuff said.
Charlotte’s Sexiest Man: Lawrence Cann, Urban Ministry
All too often in Charlotte, hotness is measured by what kind of car you drive or what kind of salary you’re pulling down at BofA. Lawrence Cann beats the materialistic pretty boys any day. He’s not just hot; he has a good heart to match. As coach of the Art Works Football Club, better known simply as Charlotte’s homeless soccer team, Cann helps the city’s down-and-out have fun and learn to work better with others in hopes they’ll believe in themselves off the field as well. Plus, this do-gooder has a great smile. What could be a sexier combination?
Charlotte’s Sexiest Woman: Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA
Yes, picking a beauty queen is the obvious choice, though to our credit, we waited until this Charlottean’s reign as Miss USA was officially over before tossing her this honor. But Chelsea is a hottie who is surprisingly approachable: She didn’t flee or try to cut the interview short when CL caught up with her and asked her annoying questions. And while pageant winners are expected to use their exposure for charitable purposes, her participation in raising millions of dollars for cancer research is commendable.
Best Hotel: Omni Charlotte
Love the luxury and location. The Omni is a four-diamond hotel at “The Square” in the heart of downtown, which means that guests are close to everything: business offices, restaurants, bars, performance halls and shopping. The rooftop pool and sun deck offer rays and relaxation, and the hotel itself offers special touches such as a concierge, turndown service, Wi-Fi, same-day dry cleaning and shoe-shine service. A great place to get away from it all, in the middle of it all.
Best Museum: Mint Museum of Art and Mint Museum of Craft + Design
2730 Randolph Road.
704-337-2000
http://www.mintmuseum.org
Money, prestige and power. Is that how the two Mints do it? Chuck Close, Murano Glass, Egyptian Art, Renaissance to Rococo, Don Reitz and Crosscurrents all made it to one of these museums during the past year. The Mints are bluebloods who keep trying harder; it’s hard to beat that mix.
Best Place to Live in Charlotte: Plaza-Midwood
One of Charlotte’s original “streetcar suburbs,” Plaza-Midwood’s history dates back to the early 1920s and part of it still are recognized as a local historic district. Here you’ll find grand homes on wide streets, just steps away from some of the most-happening shopping and noshing in town. Central Avenue teems with good food, good buys and good people. (C’mon, where else can you buy a fuchsia wig, get a facial and then chow down on a chili burger?) P-M neighbors are wonderfully convivial, gathering often at their honest-to-goodness community garden, during their “Winter Fling” celebration, and when welcoming visitors to the “Midwood Maynia” festival and home tour. Whoever says Charlotte doesn’t have soul hasn’t been to Plaza-Midwood lately.
Best Thing to Show Off to Out-Of-Town Guests: A NASCAR race
Now that Charlotte is going to be home to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, it’s time we own it: We are the turn-left, go-in-circles capital of the world. There’s nothing like a NASCAR race to demonstrate how people who can’t afford shirt sleeves will gladly pay through the nose for paraphernalia that advertises sponsors’ products. (Please note that Joe and Joanna Six-Pack are not invited into the plush air-conditioned luxury boxes.) For the true NASCAR race experience, take a short walk along the fence at the bottom of the stands, near the track. Breathe in the fumes and revel in the tiny bits of rubber that spray off the tires and onto your skin. For maximum enjoyment, take a Yankee.
Best Festival: Taste of Charlotte
What’s not to like? More than 150,000 people spend the first weekend of June in downtown Charlotte, reveling in music, crafts, kids’ activities and, of course, food — some 100 samples of “tastes” from 30-plus Charlotte restaurants. The festival has grown over its eight-year history to become one of North Carolina’s largest food and arts festivals. Admission is free, food is plentiful (and so is the beer and wine, “at the Tavern on the Taste”), and the people-watching is sublime, rain or shine.
Best Place to Jog: Freedom Park
1900 East Blvd.
The reason: There’s always something interesting to keep you distracted as you put one foot in front of the other. Maybe it’s the ducklings, or families fishing, or rollerbladers, or sunbathers, or dog walkers … you’ll never know what you’ll see on a given day. Even the environs are pleasantly varied: You can run lakeside, then among the trees, and then along the athletic fields. It’s all good.
Best Place to Get Back to Nature: Mountain Island Lake
Located in the Catawba River Basin watershed, with shoreline touching Gaston, Lincoln and Mecklenburg Counties, Mountain Island Lake has been a well-kept secret of sorts — more laid-back than its flashier cousin Lake Norman — with lake access and coves perfect for kayaking, hiking, biking and picnicking. The North Carolina Forest Service is in the process of creating the Mountain Island Educational State Forest, which will feature classes and exhibits designed to educate the general public about the importance of the state’s forest health. On the other end of the preservation spectrum, developer Crescent Resources is now clearing lots and building “dream homes” within “heavily wooded homesites” near “thoughtful green space.” Not that we’re anxious about it.
Best Place to People-Watch: Therapy
401 N. Tryon Street, Ste 102
704-333-1353
http://www.therapycafe.net
After all, the hippest people are drawn to the area’s hottest martini list. A tiramisu martini? Heck, yeah. On Wednesdays, martinis are half-price, so you can go every week and not break your budget. And did we mention said martinis are huge? Perfect for lingering at the bar, or on one of the cushy couches, and checking out the mating scene — er, dating scene — that unfolds.
Best Day Trip: Biltmore House, Asheville
One North Pack Square
828-255-1776
http://www.biltmore.com
In just over a two-hour drive, you can be transported back in time more than 100 years. George Vanderbilt’s estate, constructed over six years and opened on Christmas Eve 1895, is situated among gardens, park land and forests. It was modeled after three French chateaus and includes 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. The house itself is magnificent and worth the tour (which through Sept. 7 is free for everyone 16 and under, with each adult admission), but you’ll miss out if you don’t also stop by the winery for a taste, or visit the Farm Village to see how the estate workers lived in the late 1890s. Other attractions: rafting, hiking, a corn bale maze, the gardens (featuring 2,300 roses), fine dining and more wine.
Best Golf Course: Quail Hollow
3700 Gleneagles Road
704-552-1726
Tom Fazio redesigned the par-72 course in 2000, and it retains the challenge of rolling hills, tree-lined fairways, and extras like the waterfall near hole 7 and a creek bed that runs the length of the fairway leading to hole 18. The course got plenty of face-time this spring on national TV, thanks to the Wachovia Championship in late April/early May, when pros such as Mark Calcavecchia, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, David Love III and Vijay Singh wondered, “Who is this Jim Furyk guy, anyway?” If you’re not John Daly, get ready to pander to a club member in order to play — it’s one of Charlotte’s most exclusive private courses.
Back to Best of Charlotte 2006 index
This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2006.
