As a proud son of Charlotte, I am both honored and humbled to stand before you today and declare my candidacy to become the next mayor of Charlotte, the greatest city in America.

I want to publicly congratulate Mayor Pat McCrory for his nearly 20 years of service to Charlotte. All of us appreciate his efforts and wish him good luck in the years ahead.

Today, I want to pay tribute to my own family – my wife Samara and my two children, Hillary and Zachary. Without their love and support, this campaign would not be possible. They are my inspiration each and every day.

My story is an unlikely one.  I was born less than a mile from here. My mother was 19 years old.  With the help of my grandparents, both educators, my family passed along the values that have been the bedrock of Charlotte families for generations – hard work, faith, self-reliance, and personal responsibility.  Together, they gave me love and support, kept me on the right path and taught me to believe in making our community better.  My family did not have great financial wealth. 

They never stopped believing that I could succeed in life.  Sometimes, the last $20 bill would be lying on the kitchen table. The choice between paying a bill or sending me on a school field trip would hang in the balance.  They always chose to invest in me.

My family expanded to include friends and teachers in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, including many who attended this great place, my alma mater West Charlotte.  Together, we learned that people might look different, come from different backgrounds and hail from different parts of Charlotte,  but when we worked together, great things happened.

I went from West Charlotte to Davidson College and then to law school in New York City. 

After law school, I didn’t set out to make a fortune; I wanted to make a difference.  I knew what the law could mean to people from all walks of life.  That’s what led me to serve in the three branches of the federal government.  It’s what led me to take time away from my law practice to serve on City Council.  During my service, I focused on making life better for every Charlottean, putting more police on our streets, attracting and retaining jobs in diverse industries, building and maintaining better roads, creating opportunities for children to realize their potential and being fiscally responsible. 

Because I know the power of opportunity from my own life and believe with all my heart that Charlotte’s future depends on extending to future generations the same chances I had, I am running for Mayor.

Whether you are a long-time resident of Charlotte or have moved here recently, we need to be reminded, in these difficult days, that the rise of our city was not an accident…a simple convergence of opportunity, private sector leadership and simple luck.

Charlotte’s rise has been the product of hard work, innovation and collaboration -- people of good will and a shared sense of destiny working across differences to solve problems for the common good.

During the Great Depression our city suffered significant losses, but our city leaders had the wisdom to dig down and work harder to build a strong future.  They built roads, medic al facilities like Charlotte Memorial Hospital and an airport.  Not only did Charlotte slowly get back on its feet, but the building blocks for future economic growth were put in place -- and Charlotte added jobs through most of the last 70 years.

Hard work, innovation and collaboration not only helped us in the toughest economic period of the 20th century, it also helped Charlotte meet the challenges of the civil rights movement.  While cities across the south faltered in opening restaurants and other public accommodations, seven black and white leaders quietly and effectively broke down those barriers here.  Those leaders understood the power of pulling together for the common good. 

Charlotte has experienced another boom over the last 20 years.  Success has felt comfortable, perhaps even easy.  We have been fortunate to have hard-driving, community-minded corporate leaders who worked to dominate their fields while building up Charlotte,.  We have also had great public sector leaders such as the late Mayor John Belk and Mayor Harvey who insisted on making hard but important decisions that would pr omote economic growth over the long-term. We are grateful to them. (probably clapping)

During the last 20 years, however, new challenges and new opportunities have begun to emerge: How do we better diversify Charlotte’s economy? How do we protect our children and families from crime? How do we address our need to improve our city’s infrastructure? How do we make progress when so many of the solutions involve federal and state help?

The secret to our future is really in our past -- our capacity envision the possibilities for Charlotte and the responsibility we all take to work hard, promote innovation and collaborate to achieve it.

I know the odds of my standing here today and declaring his candidacy for mayor might seem unlikely.  But I grew up in a community that would not let me fail. Through the quiet determination of my family and community, I am here.  Through the quiet determination of past leaders, Charlotte is here.  Through our collective determination, we will not let Charlotte down. 

One result of a well-lived life is that your lessons survive you, and I learned such a lesson from my Grandfather.  I met one of his former students recently who told me this story.  While my grandfather was a high school principal, this student received a college admissions letter.  He had no money to pay for college, and no one in his family who could help.  My Grandfather helped him fill out applications for scholarships and loans, and within weeks, this student had money committed.  He still had a problem.  He had to get to Raleigh to sign the paperwork.  He went to my Grandfather’s office and, without hesitation, my Grandfather gave him the keys to his car. 

When I think about how I want the City of Charlotte to work for you, my Grandfather, through the quiet eloquence of his example, makes it clear.  If you want to succeed, we must work together to unleash your capacity to achieve it by giving you the keys.  That’s what I have been trying to do since you first elected me, and as your Mayor, I will work hard to create the building blocks for your future success. 

Collectively, we have much work to do.

Here, at West Charlotte, my cross-country coach, James Lovette, made us train for competition by running up hills. It was tough. But he told us the tough, uphill climbs offered the best chance to pass other runners. And you know what – he was right.

Charlotte faces a tough, uphill climb today to restore prosperity and grow jobs and put our citizens back to work again.  We all have to do our part – government officials, business leaders, community activists, neighbors, teachers and parents. We’ve got to take responsibility for ourselves, our neighborhoods, our families and our city.

So, whether you live in Ballentyne, Plaza Midwood, Highland Creek, Windsor Park, Coventry Woods, Derita, Hidden Valley or any neighborhood in our city, I ask you to join me on this journey. 

Whether you are a business executive, a small business owner, or a laid-off worker, I ask you to join me in continuing the brilliant story of Charlotte.

With leadership that empowers you and gives you to tools to realize your dreams, we will grow new jobs and build up businesses and stand taller than ever.

For we as a city can only move forward together – as we have in the past, and as we will in the future.

I know in my heart that Charlotte’s best days are still to come.

Thank you.