Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was first elected to the city council in 1993. He’s expected to be indicted on public corruption charges next week after accepting more than $48,000 for “the use of his official position..."
Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested yesterday (Wednesday, March 26, 2014) on public corruption charges, according to an article by Mark Washburn, Jim Morrill and Michael Gordon of the Charlotte Observer. “The case against the former mayor alleges that in return for money, trips, hotel rooms and access to a luxury SouthPark apartment, Cannon promised to help agents posing as potential commercial investors with zoning, parking and other city-related issues.”
“Authorities said Cannon took bribes from undercover FBI agents five times – the most recent on Feb. 21 when he collected $20,000 in cash in the mayor’s office.”
One of the undercover deals that led to Cannon’s arrest involved a property along Charlotte’s approved streetcar route. Cannon is expected to be indicted next week, and could face a “significant amount of time in prison” if convicted.
FULL STORY: Charlotte mayor resigns after arrest on corruption charges
Charlotte Streetcar Opens Today
The 1.5-mile, $37 million segment of Charlotte's controversial new LYNX Gold streetcar line is set to open July 14. A former mayor, Anthony Foxx, is now the U.S. Transportation Secretary. A federal grant is paying 68 percent of construction costs.
After Mayoral Scandal, What Next for Charlotte's Permitting Reform, Streetcar Project?
Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon resigned after taking bribes in exchange for zoning and parking privileges. Will the fallout affect the city's streetcar plans or its efforts to streamline permitting and code enforcement?
The triumph and tragedy of light rail in Charlotte
Like the iPhone, Charlotte's Blue Line represents a missed opportunity for the public to recoup the value it created.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association