MEET KENNY
Kenny Smith was first elected in 2013 and is currently serving his second term on Charlotte City Council. He serves on the following committees:
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Governance & Accountability (chair)
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Retreat (Chair)
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Community Safety
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Intergovernmental Relations
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Transportation & Planning
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Smith was born in Charlotte and has lived almost his entire life in his hometown. He and his wife, Bridget, along with their three children live a half-mile from his childhood home. He attended Billingsville and Selwyn Elementary Schools, AG Middle School and Myers Park High School, where he served as Student Body President his senior year. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kenny is a commercial real estate broker who specializes in third party office leasing, tenant relocations and renewals, building acquisitions and dispositions.
Smith has been an active member of the community. As a former president of the Barclay Downs Homeowners Association, Smith has seen firsthand the importance of strong district representation. He has been a youth group leader, deacon and elder, Dowd YMCA basketball coach, Montclaire Elementary School lunch buddy, graduate of the Institute for Public Trust Serving, Mental Health Association Young Professionals Board, annual volunteer at the InReach Dream Maker luncheon, and a Good Fellow.
MY BLUEPRINT
Charlotte desperately needs to focus on our shared priorities, not the issues that divide us. While our national economy has begun to grow again, the City of Charlotte continues to miss opportunities for growth because our city government lacks the vision and leadership necessary to capitalize on our assets. Our community deserves better than what the current mayor is delivering. I will focus on:
More Jobs and Higher Wages - As Mayor, I will create real economic opportunity for our city. I, like all Charlotteans, am ashamed we are ranked 50th out of 50 in economic mobility. The lack of upward economic mobility in our city should alarm Republicans and Democrats. I will work toward creating an economic climate conducive to job growth.
Safer Streets for Our Families - We need a Mayor who focuses on the issues that unite us, not those that divide us. We must bridge the divides in our community. It will require Charlotteans build the trust necessary to have honest conversations. We have a model police department, and CMPD deserves community support.
Smart Infrastructure - We must have the necessary infrastructure to become a 21st century global city. Charlotte simply cannot afford the inadequate infrastructure that holds back our ability to grow the economy.