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I am honored to serve as Mayor of Charlotte and this week marked my 100th day in office. During my first quarter, I have been busy working for the citizens of Charlotte in a number of areas. Some of the highlights have been a community summit on out of school time, strengthened ties and increased capacity for both small businesses and the international business community, and extension of non-discrimination rights to members of the LGBT community.
I am focused on delivering on my campaign promise of spreading economic opportunity to all corners of our city. I will continue to work to improve access to out of school time for middle and high school students, provide small, women- and minority-owned businesses with the tools they need to succeed, and promote Charlotte as a welcoming and inclusive city ready to compete in the global marketplace.
More than 350 people attended my Summit on Out of School Time to discuss improving access and capacity for programs aimed at middle and high schoolers.
Spreading opportunity begins with our youth and with high quality after school programs. Our summit was an important first step in finding creative solutions for out of school time challenges. I look forward to continuing to work with the community and with our private partners to help parents and providers get the information they need to improve access to out of school time programs. Click here for a video summary of the event.
Improving economic opportunity hinges on a strong small business community. I have reached out to small, women- and minority-owned businesses in town hall meetings, including several in Spanish, to make sure that all small businesses know the tools and resources that are available from the city and local non-profit agencies.
Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai accepts a Charlotte Hornets Jeremy Lin jersey during his visit to Charlotte to strengthen business and cultural ties.
In addition to working with small business owners I am working to strengthen ties with the international business community, including China. For the first time ever, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. celebrated the Chinese New Year outside of Washington, D.C., and chose Charlotte for this honor. Many business leaders participated and the city will continue to build relations with Chinese officials and businesses.
As we work to create opportunity for all Charlotte residents, I am pleased that Charlotte City Council has passed a non-discrimination ordinance extending protective rights to people in the LGBT community. Charlotte has now joined the many cities with which we compete daily for jobs and residents, stating clearly that discrimination is not acceptable in our community.
Feel free to contact my office with ideas, questions or suggestions at mayor@charlottenc.gov.
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