Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

Marc Friedland was the founder and owner of Talley's Green Grocery in Dilworth from 1991 until 2008. Marc was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention from the North Carolina 9th district.

Marc knows the South Charlotte community where he's lived for 19 years raising 2 children with his wife Jyoti. As a socially conscious small business owner, he knows how to manage budgets and deliver the best customer service. These are the skills our city sorely needs in these troubled economic times.

Marc was born in Philadephia, PA and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in history.

In 1991 when Marc Friedland opened Talley's Green Grocery, his intention was to expose Charlotte for the first time to a full service natural foods supermarket.  Talley's was a pioneer in its promotion of vegetarian and organic food and over the years these foods have become available all over the city.  With Talley's mission accomplished, Marc decided to take on another challenge ... politics!

Marc and Jyoti are also currently in preparations to open a vegetarian restaurant in Charlotte.

Marc's personal interests include gourmet vegetarian food (his wife Jyoti is a chef), organic and locally grown food, healthy living, and yoga.

Candidate Statement:

Marc Friedland is running as the Democratic candidate for Charlotte City Council in Distict 7 this November.

As the founder and owner of Talley's Green Grocery in Dilworth for 17 years, Marc Friedland knows that locally owned small businesses are the key to the future of Charlotte's economy.

Marc Friedland would like to see the Charlotte City Council:

• Take a leading role in assisting entrepreneurs in starting and growing
  locally owned small businesses,
• Work for sustainable neighborhood development,
• Address the infrastructure problems of South Charlotte caused by recent area growth.

The City of Charlotte has focused on large and medium size corporations as pillars of its phenomenal growth over the last 20 years. However, as the job losses from from large corporations grow, we need to pay more attention to the statistics that small businesses are consistently the biggest creators of local jobs.

Marc Friedland will be a voice for small businesses and middle class Charlotteans in the City Council to help put our city on a path for sustainable, neighborhood friendly growth in the future.

Charlotte City Council District 7 comprises the city voting precincts that lie between Pineville on the west and Matthews on the east and Rea Rd./Carmel Rd. on the north and Union County on the south.