Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell

What steps will you take (or have you taken) to ensure LGBTQ+ people who live in, work in, or visit Mecklenburg are protected against discrimination? What steps do you support (or have you done) to protect equitable access to healthcare for all people, including Transgender people?

I was part of the team who recently worked on and passed Mecklenburg County’s non-discrimination ordinance (NDO). Additionally, I am working to increase partnerships which could provide more access points to free or low-cost health clinics for all of our underserved communities in Mecklenburg County including at our Community Resource Centers. I support equal rights for all people, including for our Transgender brothers and sisters.

What will you do (or have you done) to maintain equitable access to green spaces and parks in Mecklenburg County? What plans do you have to ensure affordable housing to Mecklenburg County residents?

I serve on the county’s Environmental Stewardship Committee where we are always pushing for more green space and land preservation. In our 2022 budget process I led the successful effort to more than triple our land acquisition dollars from $6.6million to $20 million utilizing fund balance. This provided substantial funding which the county is using to acquire many parcels with which to create new parks and connect existing greenways. Since my election in 2018 I have supported and in fact pushed hard for higher numbers from developers for both green space and affordable units. One example is Ballantyne Reimagined in which I helped to increase the number of affordable units and also bring the AMI down from 80% to 60%.

What actions do you support (or have you supported) to ensure people have equitable access (including transportation and housing) to jobs that provide a living wage, including supporting minority-owned businesses? How are you addressing the Leandro ruling to ensure equitable access to education?

As chair of Economic Development Committee I have been part of acquiring a large number of jobs for the county and always pushed to make sure companies offer full benefits and a range of wages which provide paths for upward mobility. Our committee also did a major study of the county’s utilization of minority owned businesses which resulted in several new positions and policies which are significantly increasing our MWSBE participation. I have spoken out in support of full release of Leandro funding and supported efforts to narrow the opportunity gap for our CMS students - my support for public education is unwavering and indisputable.

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 Mecklenburg County? These include but are not limited to environmental racism, overpolicing, and healthcare access.

I was part of the team of commissioners who moved for the Proclamation of Racism as a Public Health Crisis so that we could bring more focus, data points and measurements which would allow for equity investments in many different areas. I now serve on the ad-hoc Equity Investment Committee which is considering multiple proposals on how to maximize our dollars to positively affect upward mobility for our minority communities.

Thanks for sharing your vision of how to make Mecklenburg a more equitable, inclusive place! Are there any additional comments or initiatives you'd like to share?

Since my election in 2018 I have been working extremely hard absorbing every opportunity to learn how to more effectively bring change to our community by recognizing the importance of balanced and stable governance while lifting up the marginalized, I am not satisfied with status quo thinking and I am especially not interested in performative politics. I am a straight shooter who pours my heart, soul and energy into my work for the community. It is my hope that I am elected to serve a third term so that I can continue the important work that I have begun.