Castano to announce run for Charlotte mayor [GOP primary challenge]

The Charlotte Observer ^ | 4/17/2003 | MICHELLE CROUCH

[JohnnyZ]

Stage is likely set for GOP's first contested primary since 1997 MICHELLE CROUCH Staff Writer

For the first time since 1997, Republican voters in Charlotte may have a choice in who they nominate to be the city's next mayor.

Former Charlotte City Council member Mike Castano, a staunch conservative, will announce his candidacy at 6 p.m. Monday.

He'll likely run against four-term Mayor Pat McCrory in the Republican primary, setting up a race that will focus largely on McCrory's support of a new $265 million basketball arena.

"We need to repair our roads and meet the needs of our citizens before we plunder the public treasury on projects like the arena," Castano said in a news release.

Fifty-seven percent of voters turned down an arena package in a nonbinding 2001 referendum, ultimately sending the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans. Last year, the council voted to build the arena anyway after changing the financing model they're using to pay for it and learning the city would get an NBA expansion team.

Castano, a retired insurance broker, represented District 6 in southeastern Charlotte from 1999 to 2001 before losing to John Tabor, a more moderate Republican.

McCrory has said he's leaning toward a re-election run this fall. He would try to become the city's first five-term mayor, eclipsing the mark he shares with former mayors Stan Brookshire and John Belk.

McCrory and Castano could not be reached Wednesday.

Rusty Loudermilk, a longtime advocate of the disabled, also plans to run in the Sept. 23 Republican mayoral primary.

On the Democratic side, county commissioner Parks Helms and Craig Madans, who challenged Sue Myrick in a raucous 1989 mayoral race, have said they might run.

Wednesday, Helms welcomed Castano's entry into the race.

"That's what we need -- a good Republican primary," he said. "It will basically be another vote on the arena. Of course, (because I'm a Democrat) I won't be able to vote in this one."

[JohnnyZ]

Wow, things might just come to a head here in Charlotte. There has been quite a bit of festering discontent on the part of conservatives against what Huber calls "Chamber Republicans", those aligned with the city's powerful Chamber of Commerce.

On the other hand, Charlotte is a closely-divided city politically and Parks Helms would be a strong challenger for the Democrats; losing the mayoralty wouldn't do us any good.

[JohnnyZ]

ping

[fieldmarshaldj]

*sigh* I wonder what it would be like to have a Republican Mayor, or for that matter, an actual Republican Mayoral candidate. Nashville hasn't had a GOP Mayor in 117 years (1886).

[Huber]

"We need to repair our roads and meet the needs of our citizens before we plunder the public treasury on projects like the arena," Castano said in a news release.

I wonder which candidate Bastiat would support?

[Huber]

*sigh* I wonder what it would be like to have a Republican Mayor, or for that matter, an actual Republican Mayoral candidate. Nashville hasn't had a GOP Mayor in 117 years (1886).

Limited government is not yet well understood in Charlotte either. But, if you like sports and taxes, y'all come down!

[TaxRelief]

Helms will not be a strong opponent, because no matter who runs on the Republican ticket, Helms will be be exposed as the the corrupt dictator that he is. His support and encouragement of the Gestapo DSS will be cast out into the public arena, and his deception concerning a lack of dissemination of information to his fellow county commissioners will be exposed.

[JohnnyZ]

Helms will be be exposed as the the corrupt dictator that he is. His support and encouragement of the Gestapo DSS will be cast out into the public arena, and his deception concerning a lack of dissemination of information to his fellow county commissioners will be exposed.

ROFL! Yeah, that'll be the day.

I'm sure the Observer will do the investigative reporting, too. And McCrory will bring it up in the campaign.

You realize that the Stratton thing doesn't resonate with mainstream folks once they hear that they are no-vaccine types?

I'm not trying to be rude, I just think you assume FAR too much of the voting public.

[JohnnyZ]

I wonder which candidate Bastiat would support?

Bas . . . who?

I almost seem to remember thinking FieldMarshalDJ is from Nashville, so he knows a think or two about sports arenas!

[fieldmarshaldj]

We went from zero to sixty in no time flat regarding professional sports teams in the '90s. I personally supported, as a booster of urban development, both the construction of the arena and the stadium (we had a referendum on the latter in '96, and I voted to support it). Development of both has had a very positive impact, though that isn't always the case in other cities.

[Huber]

Development of both has had a very positive impact, though that isn't always the case in other cities.

Did taxes go down and regulations get reduced?

[fieldmarshaldj]

"Did taxes go down and regulations get reduced?"

Not THAT positive... :-|