CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx said Charlotte is a national example of a city that will come out of the recession on top. He hopes President Barack Obama will take notice during his visit to the Queen City next week.
Even in the midst of record unemployment, big budget deficits, and a huge drop in tax revenue, Foxx said he hopes Obama will see the city as a national model for the rest of the country.
"The challenges we have are no different than the nation's challenges and if they're looking for a place that can be a success story I think Charlotte can be a success story," Foxx said.
UNC Charlotte Associate Finance Professor Tony Plath agreed with Foxx.
"We have an enviable, diversified, well educated labor force," Plath said. The professor said in addition to great infrastructure, "We've got good cooperation between local government, the chamber, and the business community and those things aren't true in all parts of the United States and other urban areas."
Plath said those factors combined are Charlotte's recipe for a strong new economy. "I think Obama and the mayor would like to use that as a symbol of the resilience of America and the American economy having absorbed a deep blow and coming back," he said.
Obama is expected to arrive in Charlotte on Friday, but details of his visit have not been released.
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