It’s an understatement to say that Jennifer Roberts has had a tumultuous time since her election last November as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. When Republican Governor Pat McCrory (ironically a former Charlotte mayor) and the Republican-controlled state legislature passed HB2, a measure to overturn a Charlotte city-council ordinance that added gays and transgender people to the city’s anti-discrimination laws, a battle ensued—one that has riveted national attention, polarized the state, and prompted boycotts and investment cancelations from business groups and other local governments.
Roberts, a Charlotte native, former State Department diplomat, and member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, sat down this week with Atlantic senior editor Ronald Brownstein to discuss the debate over HB2, the tension between cities and nonurban areas in many states, and the challenge of channeling Charlotte’s dynamic economic growth into its low-income communities. The following is an edited and condensed version of their conversation, held in Charlotte on Tuesday as part of The Atlantic’s Renewal Series exploring local innovation.
BROWNSTEIN: When you look at Charlotte, it seems emblematic of a lot of fast-growth, successful cities, where you have a positive overall economic story to tell. But the challenge has been ensuring that that growth connects with all of your families, all of your communities. In your swearing-in speech, you said, “We cannot endure as a city of haves and have nots.” How is the city doing on meeting that test?
[For more of this story, written by Ronald Brownstein, go to http://www.theatlantic.com/pol...be-charlotte/487499/]
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