Local

Mayor sees more big events in Charlotte's future after DNC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Friday marked the day after Charlotte's showcase on the world stage, and Mayor Anthony Foxx said the city scored big.

“Before we had to talk our way into meetings, but Charlotte has a calling card now,” Foxx said.

He sees a future that could include hosting the RNC, Super Bowl and even the Olympics.

Foxx said conversations already started this week to bring in new business.

“I can't go into specifics, but I can say we will see major activity around expansions and relocations happening over the next several months,” he said.

Security also made national news, with protests every day. The mayor thinks it showed the Queen City is tolerant, fair and safe.

“I think the folks who came to demonstrate got a fair shake from our police department,” Foxx said. “I don't think they were heavy-handed, and I think (they) did a good job of striking the right balance. I think we set a new bar for conventions in that respect.”

Foxx said as the president returns in the coming weeks, Charlotte's profile will continue to rise.

“The world knows who we are because we had 15,000 journalists telling people about Charlotte, and that's worth more than we would have been able to pay to have that kind of calling card,” Foxx said.