Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

Raised in the Dalebrook neighborhood of Charlotte by his mother and grandparents, Anthony Foxx knows the power of opportunity. Though his family had modest financial means, they made sure Anthony received a great education and taught him the value of hard work and service.

Anthony watched his grandparents, who were public school teachers, sacrifice for his education and work tirelessly to help make Charlotte a better place. Thanks to their efforts, city leaders committed to expanding opportunity to all parts of Charlotte and his own hard work, Anthony received a great education at West Charlotte High School and went on to Davidson College. At Davidson, Anthony received a bachelor's degree in history and was the first black student body president. Anthony attended New York University School of Law as a competitive Root-Tilden Public Interest Law Scholar.

After law school, Anthony followed the lessons of his grandparents, setting out to make a difference. He served as a judicial clerk for the U.S. Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit, a trial attorney for the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.  

Anthony returned to Charlotte to give back to the city that had given him so much. An at-large member of Charlotte City Council since 2005, he strongly advocates for Charlotte neighborhoods and families. Anthony championed a groundbreaking initiative to create job growth in Charlotte neighborhoods along five varying business corridors. He ended years of neglect by fighting to hire police officers and build roads. He has chaired the city council environment and transportation committees and is a member of the economic development committee.

Anthony is married to the former Samara Ryder; they have two children: Hillary (5) and Zachary (4).

Charlotte deserves a mayor who will roll up his sleeves and solve problems that previous status-quo leadership has swept under the rug. I have a proven record of putting the people of Charlotte ahead of politics. I have the right leadership, experience and vision for Charlotte. My platform is comprised of three key elements.

First, economic recovery and jobs are priority number one. As chair of the city council Economic Development and Planning Committee, I worked to make large company recruitment and retention a priority this year despite some objections. As Mayor of Charlotte, I will focus on strengthening and diversifying our employment base by recruiting and retaining employers in both traditional and emerging industries, including financial services, health care, manufacturing, distribution, energy and biotechnology. Working with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, the Charlotte Regional Partnership, city economic development staff and other elected officials, I will work harder than any Mayor of Charlotte has to promote job growth and retention.

Second, I will improve the quality of life in every part of Charlotte by improving public safety and transportation, building quality neighborhoods for families and businesses and creating public-private partnerships to grow jobs in all of Charlotte.

Third, I will build more effective partnerships in Raleigh and Washington by promoting regional approaches to transportation, economic development and environmental issues, closing the revolving door within the criminal justice system and working to complete needed road projects such as I-485.

Now is the time when Charlotte needs a different type of leader; someone who will roll up his sleeves and work for all of Charlotte, not just select neighborhoods or special interests. We are all one Charlotte with just one future. Thus my campaign slogan is: "One Charlotte. One Future."