“District 7 needs more roads, less crime, and affordable taxes.”

Charlotte Observer Voter Guide
(replied August 6, 2007)

Bio box information:

Age (and date of birth):

37 (born April 13, 1970)

Address:

14025 Dunbritton Lane #607

Charlotte, NC 28277

Contact Information:

Phone:

(704) 347-0420

e-mail:

warren@warrencooksey.com

Website:

www.warrencooksey.com

Family:

Single

Occupation:

Finance Officer, Wachovia

Education:

• B.A. in History, Davidson College, 1992
• Fellow of the Institute of Political Leadership, 1998
• E. A. Morris Leadership Fellow, 2006

Community Involvement:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, 2000-2007 (City Council Appointment)

• Vice Chairman, 2006-2007
• Zoning Committee Vice Chairman, 2005-2006
• Planning Committee Vice Chairman, 2004-2005

Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, 1998-2004 (City Council Appointment)

• Chairman, 2003-2004
• First Vice Chairman, 2002-2003
• Second Vice Chairman, 2001-2002
• Treasurer, 2000-2001

League of Women Voters Civics 101 Program, 2000-2007

Lead Teacher, City Council class

Charlotte Chamber’s Legislative Agenda Task Force, 1998-present

Carolinas 2000, 1997-1998

Secretary/Treasurer

Political Experience:

Mecklenburg County Republican Party Executive Board

• Treasurer
• Vice Chairman, 2001-2005
• Secretary, 1999-2001

Top Priority

Reducing road congestion

Last Book Read:

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes

Favorite Movie:

Kenneth Branagh’s version of Henry V.

Something voters would be surprised to learn about you:

Years ago I took lessons on how to play the Scottish bagpipes

Questions:

What is the city’s top transportation need and how should it go about meeting it?

Reducing road congestion is the city’s top transportation need. The first step is to increase the value given to reducing congestion when evaluating road projects. The second is to increase funding of road projects by using growth revenue and reducing other non-core expenditures to avoid an increased property tax rate.

Do you support the transit tax? Why or why not? If you don’t support it, how would you propose the city and county fund the transit system in a rapidly growing city?

I reluctantly support it because I do not believe the legislature will address our road needs sufficiently if it is repealed. However, if voters repeal it, I do not support funding the current transit plan with general-fund property taxes. Instead, we must develop a new plan, including increased user payments.

City leaders have been accused of putting too much emphasis on the development of uptown at the expense of other city neighborhoods. What’s your position? If you agree, how can the city deliver services and improve amenities in neighborhoods without breaking the bank?

Limiting this answer to 50 words is particularly ridiculous. District representation on City Council means all citizens are represented in setting government’s priorities. I will represent the interests of District 7, but I will and should do so with an eye towards the health of the entire city, including uptown.

Does the city do enough to ensure development is environmentally friendly or do you think the city puts too many conditions on developers? Explain.

My experience on the Planning Commission suggests that too often our approach to environmental regulation emphasizes process more than results. If developers can demonstrate reduced environmental impacts with new construction techniques, we should support their creativity. We should also work to reduce our reliance on conditional district rezoning.

Discuss one issue the current City Council has voted on this year that you disagree with. Explain it and describe how you would have handled it differently.

I would have voted (as Don Lochman did) against the FY2008 budget because it maintained the unnecessary 9% property tax increase from the FY2007 budget. Instead, I would have supported building on the alternative FY2007 budget that met the City’s basic needs but did not raise the property tax rate.