Council Members Debate RNC in Charlotte Days Before Expected Decision

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Days before Republicans decide where to host their next convention, some city leaders are getting cold feet about Charlotte’s bid.

Las Vegas is the only other city in the running.

And Sunday, Nevada’s GOP chairman took to Twitter to seize on growing hesitation in the Queen City.

“Being considered to host the #RNC2020 is an honor..” wrote Nevada GOP chair Michael McDonald.

He’s responding to a letter written by former Charlotte City Council member John Autry.

In it, Autry writes city leaders should, “…heavily consider the implications and unintended consequences of hosting the RNC.”

Former Mecklenburg County Commissioner Lloyd Scher has been vocal that council members should reconsider.

“Everyone gets excited when you talk about a convention. They think about the money and they think about everything else,” Scher says.

He thinks protests could get out of hand and might damage the city’s reputation.

“In this particular case, they didn’t think about what the protesters would be like and what the protesters would bring,” he says.

Council members are now publicly weighing the pros and cons, just days before a decision is expected from the RNC.

Republican council member Tariq Bokhari wrote on Facebook that the city needs the challenge of taking on a tough project.

But Democrats LaWana Mayfield and Justin Harlow have raised concerns, while Braxton Winston has asked for more public input.

Former City Council member Michael Barnes thinks city leaders should have addressed all the concerns earlier.

“The horse is out the barn, I wish they had become more public about it, or sought more public feedback, back in February, back in March,” Barnes says.

He also fears what angry anti-Trump protesters might do to the city.

“They’re going to be enraged by him and some of this supporters even being in Charlotte. So we’ll see what happens, but it could be an historic event for this city, in a negative way,” Barnes says.

Supporters of hosting the RNC in Charlotte say the economic impact outweighs any concerns.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority plans to be in Austin, Texas between July 17th and the 20th, when a decision could be made at the RNC summer meeting.