Councilmember
Victoria Watlington
What steps will you take (or have you taken) to ensure LGBTQ+ people who live in, work in, travel to Charlotte are protected against discrimination and included at all levels of decision-making?
I, along with my colleagues, supported Charlotte's non-discrimination ordinance. In addition, I have lobbied (albeit unsuccessfully) for a seat on the Business Advisory Committee for the LGBTQ+ Chamber, to ensure representation for LGBTQ+ business owners. I partnered with CLT Geek for one of my townhall's last year, and appeared in their business highlight video to help raise awareness for small (LGBTQ+) businesses doing great work in the community.
What will you do (or have you done) to address the affordable housing crisis that plagues Charlotte? What plans do you have to ensure Charlotte develops sustainably for future generations?
When it comes to stability, I’ve advocated for the expansion of the Staying in Place program to help long-time residents remain in the neighborhoods they’ve grown to love, even as they change. I’ve also worked alongside the West Side Community Land Trust to secure over $400K in City investment to preserve affordability in our neighborhoods. Based on feedback from SW Area Neighborhoods, Steele Creek Residents Association, and the NW Community Alliance, I fought to protect the dream of homeownership in our neighborhoods while increasing density in target areas in the 2040 plan. As the Great Neighborhoods Committee Chair, I support upcoming policy to end Source of Income Discrimination in City-supported housing.
What actions do you support (or have you supported) to ensure people have equitable access (including transportation) to jobs that provide a living wage?
I championed infrastructure investment in across the city, working with my colleagues to secure $14M in congestion mitigation funds, $5M of which is set aside specifically for Steele Creek. I continue to work with City staff, developers, and the community to take a big picture approach to development, ensuring everybody benefits from growth in our community. I support a responsible approach to implementing the City’s Strategic Mobility Plan.
Residents in zip code 28208 experienced the highest unemployment across the city. We’ve got to get Charlotteans back to work, and that means investing in the workforce and small businesses in our corridors. This year, we launched the first-ever $38.5M Corridors of Opportunity initiative, kicking things off on the West Blvd in a big way. I ran for City Council to invest in our community, having helped author the West Blvd Corridor Playbook while serving as a board member for the West Blvd Neighborhood Coalition. Taking our queues from the Playbook, we’ve made direct investments in local businesses, infrastructure improvements, and more. In addition, I worked with several of my colleagues to push for a City-wide workforce development program to be applied on all City contracts. This will help ensure that companies who do business with the City are investing back in our community.
With racism being declared a public health crisis, what steps do you support (or have you supported) to address the racial inequities that exist in Charlotte? These include but are not limited to environmental racism, overpolicing, and access to healthcare.
In response to the national social justice movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, I drafted Charlotte’s Re-Imagining Policing Framework, to ensure our policing reflects our community values, and that our officers are equipped with what they need to deliver high-quality service. In addition, as part of the Safe Charlotte Plan, I continue to push for violent crime prevention strategies that address systemic causes.
I’ve worked to ensure the City is investing in grassroots organizations, like partnering with the Urban League to help community groups scale up their operations, and respond to funding opportunities. So far, we’ve committed over $300k to the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition and the Three Sisters Market grocery co-op, the first of its kind in the city.
In addition, I’ve championed increasing District 3 residents’ participation on City Boards & Commissions, including securing District 3 representation on the City’s Planning Commission. I’ve worked to amplify the voice of emerging neighborhood organizations like the Northwest Community Alliance through community benefit agreements as we plan for Charlotte’s Future. Through the rezoning process, we’ve secured land to build affordable homeownership opportunities with the West Side Community Land Trust.