The elections last week confirmed the view that North Carolina’s big cities are distinct from the rest of the state.
The legislature has driven the narrative that there are “two North Carolinas” — one poor and rural, the other urban and wealthier. Republican senators in particular, who tend to represent rural areas, have worked to shift some tax revenues from urban counties to rural ones.
Some or all of these measures have been undertaken because North Carolina’s large cities elect Democratic leadership.
Last week, city voters elected more Democrats to local offices.
Not many cities have partisan elections. Charlotte is the major exception. Its voters elected a Democratic mayor, nine other Democrats and just two Republicans to the City Council.
Raleigh and Greensboro have nonpartisan elections, but political affiliations are widely known.
Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane is unaffiliated, but every other member of Raleigh’s council is a registered Democrat. Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan and seven of the other eight council members re-elected last week are Democrats.
Among the state’s cities of more than 100,000 people, only Fayetteville and High Point have Republican mayors.
This imbalance may not change as long as the Republican legislature is seen as being hostile to cities. Asheville, Charlotte and Greensboro, as well as Wake County, all have gone to court in attempts to block legislation they oppose. Political and legal conflicts seem to be increasing.
Such divisions along urban-rural or partisan lines aren’t healthy. Large cities and small towns alike have common interests. They want good schools, accessible health care, high-paying jobs, clean water, affordable energy, safe neighborhoods and well-maintained roads. These aren’t Republican or Democratic concerns. They concern everyone. When politicians talk of two North Carolinas, they shouldn’t present issues as an us-against-them proposition.
Voting trends reflect public perceptions of who serves the people’s interests. In North Carolina’s largest cities, residents believe Democrats do. In suburbs, small towns and rural areas, residents favor Republicans. Because of the way legislative districts are drawn, Republicans win most seats in the state House and Senate. They should stop using that power to pick fights with the cities, which are centers of innovation and economic growth.
North Carolina is still struggling to recover from the recession, educate its young people and create 21st century jobs. It won’t succeed as a divided state.
