Political career
Vinroot was a member of the Charlotte City Council from 1983 to 1991 and served as mayor of Charlotte from 1991 to 1995. As mayor,Vinroot was successful in establishing a Taxpayer Protection Act,limiting growth of the city's budget. He created the state's first "drug court" to speed prosecutions. He established the Mayor's International Cabinet,a predecessor to the Charlotte International Cabinet. [2] A national magazine named him Municipal Leader of the Year. Vinroot decided against running for a third term in order to focus full-time on his first run for North Carolina governor in 1996. Vinroot lost in a close primary to then-state representative Robin Hayes of Kannapolis. Hayes went on to lose the general election to incumbent governor Jim Hunt.
Vinroot ran again for governor in 2000,and secured the Republican nomination over state representative N. Leo Daughtry. He faced North Carolina's attorney general,Mike Easley,in a bitterly contested election. Despite a favorable national Republican tide that won North Carolina for George W. Bush,Democrat Mike Easley won by 52% to 46%,and succeeded fellow Democrat Jim Hunt as governor. In the closing weeks of the race,actor Andy Griffith filmed an ad endorsing Easley,which some observers believe led to Easley's victory,called the "Mayberry Miracle". [3]
In 2004,Vinroot attempted a third run for governor,but never made it past the Republican primary. He conceded the race to Wilmington State Senator Patrick J. Ballantine,who lost to Easley in November,55.62% to 42.88%.
Since his retirement from politics,Vinroot has served on the boards of Martin-Marietta Materials,Inc. and the North Carolina Institute for Emerging Issues. He also was appointed to the search committee for the next chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. [4]
Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina, and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat is Charlotte, the state's largest municipality.
Andy Samuel Griffith was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, as well as his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995).
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician and retired attorney who was the 69th and 71st governor of North Carolina. He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history.
Michael Francis Easley is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 72nd governor of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. He is the first governor of North Carolina to have been convicted of a felony. The conviction was later expunged by the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of Wake County. A member of the Democratic Party, Easley was North Carolina's second Catholic governor.
William Edwin McMahan was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's one hundred fifth House district, including constituents in Mecklenburg county. A businessman from Charlotte, North Carolina, McMahan served as a major fundraiser for President George W. Bush in both the 2000 and 2004 election cycles.
Patrick J. Ballantine is an American attorney and politician who was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, rising to become the Senate Minority Leader and the Republican Party's nominee for governor in 2004.
The 2004 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004. The general election was between the Democratic incumbent Mike Easley and the Republican nominee Patrick J. Ballantine. Easley won by 56% to 43%, winning his second term as governor.
William Wilfred Cobey Jr. is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives for North Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1985 to 1987.
The 2008 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 2008, coinciding with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House elections, Council of State and statewide judicial elections. Democrat Bev Perdue won the election. With a margin of 3.39%, this election was the closest race of the 2008 gubernatorial election cycle. This was the first time that the same party that was elected governor, won the concurrent presidential race since 1988. This was the first time Democrats did so since 1976.
Howard Nathaniel Lee is an American politician who served as Mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from 1969 to 1975. He was the first African-American mayor elected in Chapel Hill, and the first African American to be elected mayor of any majority-white city in the South.
Dennis Alvin Wicker is an American lawyer and politician from Sanford who served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives (1981–1993) and as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina (1993–2001). As lieutenant governor, he became the first statewide elected official to chair the State Board of Community Colleges, which sets policy for the state's 58-campus system. Wicker was also a member of the North Carolina State Board of Education and the State Board of Economic Development.
The 2008 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Senate election coincided with the presidential, U.S. House elections, gubernatorial, Council of State, and statewide judicial elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole ran for re-election to a second term, but was defeated by Kay Hagan.
East Mecklenburg High School is a public secondary school in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, and one of 21 high schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system. The principal of the school is Steven "Steve" Drye. East Mecklenburg High School is partial magnet school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. It is part of the International Baccalaureate program. East Mecklenburg students come from many middle school areas such as Albemarle Road, Carmel, Queens Grant, Crestdale, Eastway, J.T. Williams, McClintock, Mint Hill, Randolph, Northeast, and Northridge.
The 2000 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2000. The general election was between the Republican nominee, former mayor of Charlotte Richard Vinroot and the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Mike Easley. Easley won easily by 52% to 46%, and succeeded fellow Democrat Jim Hunt as governor.
The North Carolina Council of State election of 2000 was held on 7 November 2000, to elect the Council of State. The new Council of State was formally inaugurated on January 6, 2001.
The following is a timeline of the history of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.
Jennifer Roberts is an American politician, businesswoman and former diplomat who served as the 58th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. She was elected on November 3, 2015 having previously served four terms on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. In 2012, she was the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives in North Carolina's 9th congressional district.
Robert P. Bryan III is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the North Carolina Senate for the 39th district. A Republican, he served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Mecklenburg County from 2013, when he defeated long-time Democratic incumbent Martha Alexander, until 2016, when he was defeated by Democratic candidate Mary Gardner Belk. After leaving the House, Bryan accepted an appointment to the UNC Board of Governors.
Thereasea Delerine "T. D." Elder was the first African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Rachel H. Hunt is an American politician. She is a member of the North Carolina State Senate and the lieutenant governor-elect of North Carolina. A Democrat, Hunt was elected in November 2022 to represent the 42nd district based in Mecklenburg County. Before that, Hunt served two terms in the North Carolina House, twice beating Republican Bill Brawley. When she is sworn in on January 1, 2025, Hunt will become the first Democrat elected to the lieutenant governor’s office in 12 years since Walter Dalton, The first child of a previous lieutenant governor to hold the same position since Jim Hunt in 1973 and the second female lieutenant governor of North Carolina, after Bev Perdue.
