Robin Emmons (U) – Charlotte City Council – District 3
LPMeck Alignment |
Summary of Responses |
|---|---|
| 92% 🟢 |
Supports flexible zoning, opposes the transit tax hike for its lack of accountability, and advocates cutting bureaucratic inefficiencies. She champions private-sector solutions, individual choice, and transparent governance. |
Full Answers Provided by the Candidate:
1. Should zoning laws be more or less restrictive?
Less restrictive, but not reckless. Zoning should enable responsible flexibility—encouraging mixed-use, affordable, and adaptive development that meets evolving community needs while preserving the character and quality of life for legacy residents.
I’ve heard directly from residents across District 3 who feel that current development patterns have not only altered the fabric of their neighborhoods but also introduced new public safety concerns. When growth outpaces infrastructure, community cohesion, and thoughtful planning, the result is often instability rather than progress. Charlotte too often equates progress with demolition, paving over the old to make way for the new. We can welcome growth without erasing identity or compromising safety.
2. Do you support or oppose the proposed transit sales tax hike?
I oppose the proposed transit sales tax hike in its current form. In my view, the plan being marketed as a transportation solution is, in truth, an economic development package that offers little accountability to taxpayers. Historically, projects like this have displaced working-class residents and increased costs of living while shielding large institutions and developers from shared financial responsibility.
This “forever tax” lacks a sunset clause, an independent impact assessment, and—most importantly—shared investment from all stakeholders, especially those who stand to gain the most. As it stands, this is not a rider-focused benefit but a corporate one—designed to fuel development interests and political talking points rather than deliver tangible public value.
Any plan that asks taxpayers for more must demonstrate how it protects—not displaces—the people who built the neighborhoods we now call home. I support improving transit, but only through transparent planning, fiscal fairness, and balanced responsibility among all beneficiaries—not open-ended taxation.
3. Which areas of the budget would you cut if elected?
I would begin with bureaucratic inefficiencies and redundant programs—the layers of administrative spending and consultant contracts that drain resources from direct services. We should audit underperforming or duplicative initiatives and redirect funds to areas that tangibly improve daily life: public safety, infrastructure, and small business development. Fiscal responsibility isn’t about cutting for its own sake—it’s about ensuring every dollar serves citizens, not systems.
4. Should the government step back in areas better handled by the private sector?
Yes—but with discernment. Government should step back where the private sector can deliver better outcomes and also recognize where certain responsibilities should not be outsourced without oversight or accountability.
Charlotte has, in some cases, shifted complex social challenges to external partners without adequate structure or safeguards—with tragic and avoidable consequences. These moments remind us that the city cannot outsource social responsibility or the public good. When millions of taxpayer dollars are granted to address human needs, government must remain an active partner—setting standards, tracking outcomes, and ensuring safety.
Real partnerships share risk, responsibility, and reward, ensuring that public funds serve the public interest through both efficiency and compassion.
5. What is your most Libertarian stance, and why should Libertarians support you?
My most Libertarian stance is my defense of individual choice and political independence. I’m running without party backing because I believe voters—not political machines—should decide who represents them. I champion freedom of thought, freedom of association, and freedom from systems that treat citizens like partisan assets. I believe the vote belongs to individual people, not parties.
Libertarians should support me because I embody principled independence: transparent, fiscally responsible, and committed to limited, accountable governance that empowers citizens over institutions.