Charlotte: In Quest of an Image News Article from the New York Times

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says. ,rYet, I,In proud of the progress Charl-otte has made as a desegrregated
community. A black mayor ( Harvey Gantt) was elected with support from the
white community. The city practices affirmatj-ve action without a court order.
Schools are integrated, and our citlzens support the schools. Neighborhoods are
integrated. Race relations are proqressive. "

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LEVEL 1 L27 OT L27 STORIES

Copyright (c) 1983 The New York Times Company;
The New York Times

November 6, 1983, Sunday, Late city Final EdiLion

SECTION: Section 4i Paqre 6t Column Li Week in Review Desk

LENGTH: 585 words

HEADLINE: CHARLOTTE: IN QUEST OF AN IMAGE

BYLINE: By E.R. ShiPP

BODY:
CHARLOTTE, N.C. rHIS is a city that has in the past two decades been

transformed from a sleepy 1itt1e

Southern town j-nto a regional center of finance, communications,
transportation and the arts. A big-city skyline is emerging. O1d neighborhoods
that had been on the decline are making a corneback as young people move in and
restore houses. New highways are being constructed to ease downtown congestion.
ptans are under way to revital-ize the downtown shopping area and to make
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(c) 1983 The New York Times, November 6, 1983

public transportation more attractive.

None of that is expected to changre, no matter what the outcome of Tuesday's
mayoral election. Harvey B. Gantt, who is a Democrat and black, is favored
to defeat his white, Republican opponent, Edwin B. Peacock Jr. If he does, he
will become the city's first black mayor. But that has been something of a
nonissue here, where white registered voters outnumber blacks by more than three
to one.

, rAcross the spectrum, Charlotte is moving into the category of one of the
best cities in this part of the countryr " says Ke11ey Alexander Sr., a lifelong
resident and an official of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People. "Race relations nohT are at a very good point. "

Charlotte is the largest city between Vilashington and Atlanta, with a
population of 325,O32. It is a bigger banking center than Richmond, Miamj-,
Atlanta or Nashville. Still, says Tony L. Crumbley, a Chamber of Commerce
official, Charlotte "has no image. "

That has not always been the case. There lrlas great resistance, for instance,
in L7TO to the nation's first court-ordered school busing plan. It was
unsuccessfully challenged all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

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(c) 1983 The New York Times, November 6, 1983

Dr. Jay M. Robinson, the superintendent of schools, said, "Initially there
was a tremendous resistance, but after the decision was made, the najority of
leaders here said that's the 1aw of the land and that's what te've got to do.
Now I,m convinced, of all the larger comrnunities in the country, w€ have the
most integrated system. " He and other authorities note that there has been very
1ittle flight from the public schools. A11 in all, about 9O percent of the
students in Charlotte- Mecklenburg attend the public schools.

AJ-ong with Charlotte's economj-c expansion has come a surge in crime. "We've
got a lot more wealth in Charlotte than before." says James B. Howlett,
director of analysis and information for the Charlotte Police Department.

whoever becomes mayor will have to rely more upon the force of his
personality than any real power; the day-to-day affairs of City Hal1 are the
responsibility of the city manager and his staff. "At best the mayor's position
is a symbolj-c one in Charlotter" said Melvin L. Watt, a lawyer and Mr. Gantt's
campaign manager.

Both Mr. Gantt and Mr. Peacock aqrree that the major issue is how to control
growth so that a certain quality of life is rnaintained. "That is not an issue
inat divides,,, said Ann D. Thomas, Mr. Peacock's campaign manager. "That is an
issue that unites. "
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(c) 1983 The New York Times, November 6, l-983

The two candidates'differences in recent days have seemed so slight that the
loca1 press has taken to calling them Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Mr. Peacock has
been a member of the City Councj-I since 1981. Prior to that he was a member of
the county Board of Comnissioners, by profession he is an insurance agent. Mr.
Gantt is the current mayor pro tem, and was a member of the City Council from
1974 to Lg79i he was re-etected in l-981. He is an architect.

-8.R. SHTPP

GRAPHIC: drawing

SUBJECT: BLACKS (IN US); UAYORS,. ELECTIONS

ORGANIZATION: REPUBLICAN PARTY, DEII{OCRATIC PARTY

NA!{E: SHIPP, E R,' GANTT, HARVEY; PEACOCK, EDWIN B JR

GEoGRAPHIC: CHARLOTTE (NC)

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