Disagreements arise over large amounts of funding given to district containing Mint Hill

MINT HILL, N.C. — Candidates in this district can’t seem to agree on whether funds they secured in the latest budget were needed.

As we reported, Mint Hill got more than $18 million in the last state budget; the town is in the district represented by Republican Tricia Cotham.

During a county commission meeting, commissioner Susan Rodriguez McDowell called attention to the large amount of funds, saying it was disturbing, and even criticized how the state operates.

Two District 105 candidates, Dr. Yolanda Holmes and Nicole Sidman agreed with her, while Terry Lansdell says the funding will serve a good purpose.

" I believe what Mint Hill received, the funding, may serve some goodness for a great purpose but we did not need to have that much money allotted for one town,” Holmes said.

“Well, that certainly is disturbing. I mean, what a coincidence that in an election cycle, Trish Cotham, from Mint Hill gets her district, that kind of money and all the needs in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area,” Sidman said, “One has to wonder if those Mint Hill funds are the best use of those funds. It is disturbing and it’s more just disillusionment of politics. It is a pay-to-play situation. And I understand why Mint Hill might say, well, you know, great, she got us what we needed, but at what cost?”

“We have budgetary discretion opportunities through representation that we should be asking for money for District 105,” Lansdell said, “We should be asking for District 104. If you’re not, as a representative, putting in your local request for funding, you are failing your community.”

In response to the criticism of the budget funding, Representative Tricia Cotham released this statement:

“My job as a legislator is to help my constituents and bring resources back to the district. That’s what I do every day—and what I proudly did in the budget process...The critics who complain about the tremendous funding I delivered -- would they rather those resources not come to Mecklenburg? Send the millions in funding to another part of the state? That seems to be their platform as they have stated repeatedly and that is disappointing”.

(WATCH BELOW: Funding secured at address smelly algae on Lake Norman)

Funding secured at address smelly algae on Lake Norman

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