Week 7: Working Environment of the Charlotte City Council

At the Charlotte City Council, council members are in charge of representing specific zones, however they come together every Monday for council meetings–closed and public sessions. I personally have only worked closely with Councilwoman Ajmera and sometimes her assistant, Amanda. For this representation of government, I think working independently for some tasks but coming together for “the big picture” is a good working environment. The city of Charlotte is large. Having representatives cover specific areas helps them truly get to know their community and better help the residents that they serve because north, south, east, and west charlotte are very different. Coming together and including the public helps keeps council members residents updated on what is going on in all districts of Charlotte, what they can do for the future of Charlotte as a whole, and helps council members address issues of public concern. Personally, it would be nice to work with other interns on my task for councilwoman Ajmera because we could share ideas that could help me develop new skills as well as strengthen my writing and social media skills. However, being the only intern has helped me get to know Councilwoman Ajmera quicker and has allowed me to receive many tasks from her.

A highlight from this week was attending this council meeting on whether or not the Republic National Committee (RNC) should come to Charlotte in 2020. This was the most interesting council meeting that I have attended because it started 3 hours earlier than usual to allow the public to voice their opinions on if the RNC should come. The public forum usually consists of 10 speakers who are allowed to speak for a maximum of 2 minutes. However, this week there were 137 speakers registered to speak for a maximum of 1 minute to allow all the speakers to speak. I enjoyed hearing what Charlotteans had to say as well as why each council member voted the way they did. After a 4 hour meeting, in a 6-to-5 vote, the council passed the motion to invite the RNC to Charlotte. It was clear that this was a big decision as social media blew up during and after the council meeting. This decision was big as it left the city divided. I am excited to see what happens next and if Charlotte is chosen to host the RNC how the city will come together to accept it or protest against the RNC.

 

This post was meant to be submitted July 21st but I was preparing and traveling to Shanghai, China for the week and totally forgot to submit it before I left. I sincerely apologize and look forward to my last few weeks and its post before the end of my internship. Sorry and thank you!