Mayoral hopefuls sense a weak Jennifer Roberts

Competing candidates on both sides of the aisle are squaring their campaigns around the notion that Roberts hasn’t put the interests of Charlotte ahead of her own.

Why?

Though they wouldn’t have said this last fall, even fellow Democrats are putting some of the blame for the House Bill 2 debacle at Roberts’ feet.

[Agenda story: Will this week mark the end of HB2?]

They’ve also been irked by her handling of the protests in the wake of the killing of Keith Lamont Scott. Roberts has been criticized for seemingly throwing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney under the bus over not immediately releasing police body cam footage, and for releasing statements without consulting with the City Council.

And they’re well aware that Roberts has political aspirations beyond the mayor’s job. She ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2012, losing to U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger.

The overarching picture they’re painting of Roberts is of somebody who’s focused more on her resume for higher office (remember, Charlotte mayors routinely get plucked for prime national jobs) than on low-to-the-ground municipal issues.

She’s spent her time fighting national battles over LGBT rights and immigration rather than recruiting business and jobs or investing in disadvantaged communities, they say.

This fall will be a test of whether voters feel she’s had her priorities in the right order.

Democratic candidates Vi Lyles, the mayor pro tem, and N.C. Sen. Joel Ford have said it pretty plainly.

“It’s time for leadership that will fight for Charlotte and focus on its residents,” Lyles said as part of her campaign announcement.

“Charlotte needs strong leadership and what we have consistently seen out of the mayor’s office has been questionable and indecisive, at best,” Ford said, in conjunction with supporting a compromise to repeal House Bill 2.

But Republican Kenny Smith, a city councilman, laid the argument out in more detailed terms on Thursday.

In a 10-minute speech announcing his candidacy, Smith unveiled the campaign slogan “Charlotte deserves better.” But it may as well have been “Make Charlotte Great Again.” Not in the Trumpian whitewashing of history sense, but in the sense that the city has been led down the wrong path over the previous two years.

“By all accounts, from both sides, her term has been a failure,” he said. “We’ve unnecessarily lost thousands of jobs, hundreds of millions in economic development and witnessed divisions grow in our community. Success for this mayor has been measured by the number of appearances on national news outlets, recognition from outside special interest groups, and the growth of her personal political brand and ambition.”

Then, later: “Once again, we will be proud Charlotteans.”

Photo by Elect Kenny Smith via Facebook

Whether a Republican has a plausible path to victory in a deep blue city is another matter. But should Roberts win the Democratic nomination in the primary, the general election could be closer than you realize.

Roberts only won her first term as mayor by 3,500 votes over Edwin Peacock out of a total electorate of 600,000. Municipal elections are notorious for abysmal voter turnout, and small fluctuations can have dramatic results.

Roberts went into 2017 with more than $40,000 campaign cash on hand, and is raising more in earnest. She dominated her Democratic rivals in fundraising in 2015, and likely will again this year.

True to form, Roberts centered recent campaign emails around resisting national figures like President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and fighting Republicans in the state capital, the Observer reported.

It’s still unknown whether that message will resonate or will only provide more fodder for her political opponents.

Smith has also proven fundraising prowess, and went into 2017 with more than $60,000. Last year’s mayoral candidates raised just over $1 million. Expect this year’s race to do the same.