10 business people that might actually win if they “Pull a Trump” and run for Mayor

When I say “Pull a Trump” I mean run and win an election with no political experience, not match Trump’s style and policies.

This November, we’ll have a Mayoral election – which means candidates need to start getting organized now and then ramp up their campaigns this summer. We should expect local leaders like Jennifer Roberts, Vi Lyles, Joel Ford, Kenny Smith, and Edwin Peacock to run this November.

An additional political leader I’d love to see run for Charlotte Mayor is State Senator Jeff Jackson – dude is a rising star.

But could this be the year that a proven Charlotte business leader with limited political experience steps up to run in Charlotte?

Because Charlotte has a weak mayor system, it’s possible that a business executive could balance their day job with being Mayor.

[Agenda Story: Why it makes sense for Charlotte to have a weak mayor making only $44,000 a year]

Voter turnout is low in Charlotte mayoral elections. In our 2015 Mayoral race (we elect a mayor every two years),  Jennifer Roberts (41,749 votes) beat out Edwin Peacock (38,019 votes) to become our current Mayor. This isn’t that many votes given our potential voting population of over 600,000.

In the Republican primary, only 12,364 votes were cast (Peacock won with 8,357 of the those votes).

You get the point – if a popular business candidate with the ability to communicate directly to our population can activate voter turnout, anything can happen.

Here’s a list of ten potential business candidates.

Pat Riley

• Day Job: President & CEO of Allen Tate.
• Key Skill: Driven.
• Asset: Deep relationships and track record of city passion.
• Accomplishment: Allen Tate consistently ranks #1 in the Carolinas and among the Top 10 independent, non-franchised brokers nationwide.
• Insight: Proven leadership roles in what feels like every board around Charlotte.

Jennifer Appleby

• Day Job: President & Chief Creative Officer at Wray Ward.
• Key Skill: Communications and ability to drinks 8+ cups of coffee a day.
• Asset: Strong citywide alliances across generations.
• Accomplishment: Pivoted Wray Ward from a regional ad agency into a powerhouse in the home category.
• Insight: Passionate about arts, culture, entrepreneurship and education. Serves on a ton of local boards.

Jay Faison

• Day Job: Former Founder & CEO of SnapAV. After his company was acquired, he donated almost all of his earnings ($175 million) to create the ClearPath Foundation which tackles the issue of climate change.
• Key Skill: Can do entrepreneurial attitude
• Asset: Understands politics. Politico named Jay one of the top 50 “visionaries transforming American politics” in 2015.
• Accomplishment: Won the Ernst & Young Entreprenuer Award in 2013.

Dan DiMicco

• Day Job: Chairman Emeritus of Nucor (former CEO & Chairman).
• Key Skill: Understands manufacturing and jobs.
• Asset: Killer mustache and excellent speaker.
• Accomplishment: Included in Harvard Business Journal’s  “Top 100 list of The Best Performing CEOs in the World.” He was Nucor’s CEO for 12 years.
• Insight: Active on the national political scene and actually met with Trump.

Frank Scibelli

• Day Job: CEO at FS Group (food group that owns Midwood Smokehouse, Mama Ricotta’s, YAFO and Paco’s Tacos).
• Key Skill: Understands running a local, complex and emotional business. 
• Asset: Ability to grow and empower people.
• Accomplishment: Sold Bad Daddy’s for $21 million.
• Insights: Great relationships with the Charlotte media and understands culture/consumers.

Jesse Cureton

• Day Job: Chief Consumer Officer for Novant Health.
• Key Skill: Business results.
• Asset: Executive leadership in both finance (Bank of America) and healthcare – Charlotte’s two key industries. 
• Accomplishment: Jesse has led business units ranging from $750 million to $15 billion in sales.

• Insight: Heavily involved behind the scenes leader in Charlotte. Co-founder of ONE Charlotte.

Suzie Ford

• Day Job: President & Owner at NoDa Brewing
• Key Skill: Ability to build a community. Suzie is extremely well-liked and has a fiercely loyal following.
• Asset: Being an entrepreneur and business owner, Suzie understands firsthand the growing jobs/business within a regulated industry.
• Accomplishment: Growing NoDa Brewing.
• Insight: Fan of both Vanilla Ice and Lady Gaga. Suzie’s network is huge and full of grassroots leaders.

Frank Dowd IV

• Day Job: Chairman and Director at Charlotte Pipe (former CEO).
• Key Skills: Determination, business building and job creation.
• Asset: Very active in Charlotte’s non-profits and charitable organizations. Former Director on the Bank of America board. Well connected.
• Accomplishment: Growth of Charlotte Pipe. Also, Frank was a Morehead scholar at UNC Chapel Hill and has his MBA/JD from UVA. 
• Insight: I heard that Frank is a member of Augusta National (can I get a golf invite Frank?). You know Frank is interested after reading this Op-Ed he wrote for the Observer: What happens when you don’t vote? Patrick Cannon. Extremely well connected in the Charlotte business community.

Dan Roselli

• Day Job: Co-Founder of Packard Place.
• Key Skills: Communications and community building. Dan’s effective at inspiring people.
• Asset: Nobody knows Charlotte’s entrepreneurial community better than Dan. Additionally, Dan has deep connections with young startup leaders and older business executives.
• Accomplishment: Turning Packard Place into Charlotte’s entrepreneurial hub.
• Insight: Already involved behind the scenes in local government. Oh, and he’s also a Taco Bell junkie.

Dan Murrey

• Day Job: CEO at Transformant Healthcare Solutions (previously OrthoCarolina).
• Key Skill: Highly intelligent and has the ability to clearly communicate/explain complex situations.
• Asset: Understands healthcare and business leadership.
• Accomplishment: Grew OrthoCarolina into one of the largest, most successful orthopedic practices in the country. Additionally, Dan led the city’s host committee for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
• Insight: Dan has a BA in Religion from Davidson, Masters in Public Policy from Harvard and an MD from Harvard. Before taking over as OrthoCarolina’s CEO he was a spine surgeon for 18 years. Oh, and Dan is a huge cook who shops at farmer’s markets a few times each week.