The Charlotte Observer has this little blurb.
Tricia is an assistant principal at East Mecklenburg High School. More later.
Update I:
Here's a bit that will clue you in to her personality[Sorry, forgot to link to the CO for the quote]:
In their sole joint appearance, the four Charlotte Democrats vying to replace former N.C. House Speaker Jim Black agreed on most things at a Monday night forum. They would all try to revitalize east Charlotte, stop gang violence and get more state money for schools and courts.So they sought to differentiate themselves in other ways.
"Your vote should be based on experience living in and knowing the district," said Lloyd Scher, a former Mecklenburg County commissioner. He was alluding to rival Tricia Cotham, who just got a home in the district last week.
Whenever Cotham spoke, supporters of Darrell Bonapart held up signs in the back of the media room at East Mecklenburg High. "We have qualified people already living here," one read.
Cotham jabbed back.
"No one is entitled to this appointment because they feel they have served the party by continually running for public office and losing," she said. Scher, Bonapart and the fourth candidate, Jack Flynn, all lost their last races. Cotham has never run.
She could have said something to back up her desire to serve the people of Charlotte, but instead she chose to attack. Tells me a lot about her character. You can decide for yourself what it means to you.
If she was really involved in the nitty gritty of campaigning, she would have more respect for what it takes to stick your neck out there and work hard on a campaign. Flynn and Bonapart have at least shown a desire to serve in the past. Darrell ran for City Council and Jack Flynn tried to unseat Sue Myrick. Scher has served in elected office.
Maybe she'll do a great job, but the selection process leaves a bit to be desired. The Observer did say she had the most detailed agenda. We'll see.
Comments
im done with
meck county. ya'll are crazy.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
Have I missed something?
I do often but why Blue South, don't know Ms. Cotham, what makes you say that? Please splain.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Progressive Discussions
Its more
that I know some of the other names running, and they were people who were much more qualified. There are other things, but not for public.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
Oh
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Progressive Discussions
Yup
Agree. I don't know her, but the fact that her parents are connected and rumored (I can't find large contributions) to be big contributors to Easley's campaigns.....it all just leads me to feel a bit "eh" about it.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
This was a party decision.
The party went to Miss Cotham and urged her to run not the other
way around, according to a good friend of mine who is on the Exec
committee I was told she was the one a week ago. Scher was told not
to run but, he was called the "Bill James" of the Democraitic party or
so I have been told. Bonapart was a late entry and I know little of him,
and Flynn was probably the second choice of most, was just a little to
abrupt in his manners for most on the committee.
The "party" didn't asked anyone to run
As far as I know, the Democratic party acted in this matter for the first time last night.
Democratic party members who represented themselves to her as speaking for the majority (who obviously didn't like those who were already running) may have asked her to run.
It is my understanding that the "party" can only do things in publicized meetings with quorums present.
Whoever planned this and then made the phone calls and got the assurances of potential voters probably didn't do anything wrong. I would do the same if no candidate I liked was running for an important position. But they aren't the "party."
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.” So enjoy the drama.
If you wish to split hairs
I should have said the party elders, they are for the most part a
group very loyal to Cam Morrision the former Party Chair. Many of
these such members have been highly visible in the party for over 20
years. There are those who consider them the party and an argument
can made to say that, but since you wish to hair split I will amend my
statement to the party elders.
I believe you mean Cammie Harris
I have known Cammie and Dee Dee for about 35 years. I'm also aware of the "party elders" and I wouldn't trust many of them to walk my dog. I don't really care if the "party elders" went to Tricia or not - that actually would disturb me more, because these are the same "party elders" who have done so very little to strengthen the Democratic party in Mecklenburg County. We have no permanent office/building space, no fundraising to speak of, no organization. The only time the Meck Dem party has office space is when they convince Cammie Harris to serve as chair and he pays for it out of his pocket. Pat Patton's trying to get him to run/serve again this year.
Their idea of GOTV is to pick up folks at the homeless shelter and with no training, background checks or assistance with fresh clothing or a means to clean up - they drop them in neighborhoods to canvass.
These are not people I trust to hand pick a rep to the NC House.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
no splitting hairs
you are, in large part, correct to call those people the party.
And that is why the Democratic Party of Mecklenburg county has been a dissapointment for such a long time. To echo SD, if those people got her to run, which is more than likely, it says nothing good about her abilities in my opinion.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
You got me
I'm a terrible hair-splitter. (Mercury and Pluto in Virgo)
I hope you forgive my tone, but there is more than verbal hair-splitting to my comments. I don't know ANYTHING about the Charlotte area. But, out here in the west many of the so-called party "faithful" are not-so-democratic people who prefer to make decisions in secret, who clearly think that they have earned the right to control their county parties.
And I am angry about them because these so-called "faithful" types consistently spend their energy stopping people who want to implement phone-banks, door-to-door canvassing, and other much-needed advancements. If they spent as much time and effort on helping their communities or fighting the Republicans, I wouldn't get so ticked off.
And if all a local democratic party stands for is getting their inside friends elected, then why are we Democrats?
I know things are changing. With every election cycle more unselfish types get in power and do wonderful and inclusive things with their authority. And several of the successful county parties out here are emphasizing community service first. They focus on electing their candidates as a natural outcome of their community service. And it's wonderful to watch.
If none of this applies to Charlotte, I'd be very surprised. But that's why I get so angry about the insider exclusive party elders crapola.
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.” So enjoy the drama.
Oh, and I apologize
for my Virgoan hair-splitting!
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.” So enjoy the drama.
Let me guess
The ones who were up for the position are not easily controllable by the powers that be. The woman selected will do what she's told when she's told without asking questions. Am I close?
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.” So enjoy the drama.
I don't really know
I'm just a bit suspicious of anyone who gets where they are because of their parents' political connections. Maybe she's qualified. Still, eh.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
rumors
Do you know for certain that she has well connected parents whose donations/influence got her that position?
Not really a rumor
Both of her parents are well-known within the party. Her father is past chair of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party and her mother chairs one of the Dem groups here in Charlotte. She didn't even live in the district until a few weeks ago and now all of a sudden she's precinct captain in a precinct she's brand new to and can vote for herself to go to the NC House. I don't doubt she's a nice person, but there were some more experienced (politically and life) people vying for the office. You can take those facts and play them the way you want to. Like I said.....eh.
Previously, I had made the statement her parents were big Easley donors. They are donors, but I guess "big" is a relative term. There are probably hundreds of people who give more.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
Glad to see an educator...
I don't know anything about any of 'em.
But I, for one, am glad to see an educator going to the state house. I think there is only one educator currently serving. We could use more.
No argument there
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
I was unhappy about this
to start. To see her attack someone who I have a lot of respect for pisses me off.
For those who dont know, Darrell Bonaparte would be a champion on this site. Want to know what he thinks about politics? When he wasnt running for anything on his own he went out multiple times to knock on doors for Larry Kissell. Will (now Rep) Cotham bother to knock on doors for herself?
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition
"Keep the Faith"
Darrell is great, but so is Tricia
Darrell is a great guy, but just because you did not see Tricia knock on doors dosen't mean she didn't do. Tricia worked VERY hard to get Larry elected, both through her family, and her work with the Democratic Woman of Mecklenburg County.
You clearly do not know much about Mecklenburg County politics. If I you did you would know that many party activists believe that not only did Tricia work very hard, but that Tricia's mother Pat probably did more work to help Larry than anyone else in Mecklenburg County
I am not
A big fan of you right now.
First you send the following message:
Then you imply that I know nothing about Mecklenburg County Politics.
I could just start listing the things that show you to be a simple @$$hole. Instead I will make one simple suggestion:
Stop Talking. I was beginning to come around to Rep Cotham, and believe that she would in fact make a good representative. Your misinformed diatribe has set that so far back that it will take Rep Cotham a year of doing what she has done in the past month or two to regain my respect.
Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Liddy 44 Brad 33
"Keep the Faith"
Blue South...I got the same PM
Here was my response before it was eaten by the site when I was logged out. Since this person has taken this public...I guess I'll have to respond.
I have not attacked Tricia Cotham. I have actually said nice things about Cotham's abilities in posts where appropriate. Check out my posts on the state earned income tax credit.
My comments have been based on statements made by Ms. Cotham herself, so no further research needed to be done. I was not commenting on heresay.
Ms. Cotham organized a precinct in which she had not previously lived. She did so to directly benefit herself. If organizing precincts for the Democratic party had been so important, why did Ms. Cotham wait to get involved until she would benefit directly from this activity? I have been waiting for a good answer to that question for some time, but nobody seems to have one.
Also, I never said that the party elite or party elders selected Ms. Cotham. Tricia Cotham herself actually said that the party came to her. She was quoted by the professional media and if I recall correctly, it was taped for television. I simply said that if this was true, it made me more uncomfortable because I did not trust the "party elite".
I don't doubt that there were precinct chairs and vice chairs who put thought into this decision and selected the person they thought was best for the job. However, there were precincts that were organized specifically for the job of selecting Jim Black's replacement and I have my doubts that these folks will stick around to actually organize a precinct beyond putting their names on a list.
Oh, and you calling Blue South ignorant about Mecklenburg co. politics is hilarious and and gives me reason to discredit just about everything you say.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
There's a pattern here
among those I call the old guard. They manipulate the Democratic Party system to get their friends and relatives into office. They are all over the "organizing" when there's a special election. But when it comes time to beat Republicans, they're too busy or they have some story about working "behind the scenes" or they convince themselves that spending the last few days planning (and being the conspicuous host of) the victory party is really important and all they have time for "this year."
I've never seen anybody who was recruited to vote in a special election do anything for a candidate when the general election came around. In fact, these party operatives are using the system for their own personal benefit. and when you say one tiny word, when you question them in any way, the attacks get pretty ridiculous and heavy handed.
Yet, they expect to be respected as Democrats. The best news is that slowly but surely, these people are getting weeded out. As, another commenter has said, let's see how she behaves . . . I just got off the phone with a Republican who said "I believe in weeding my own garden. When a Republican gets into office and fails to make good on campaign promises, I get rid of him in the next primary."
I think that's a good idea.
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.” So enjoy the drama.
Um...I'm not aware of one thing Tricia
did to get Larry elected. Please name specifics. Please keep in mind that you are saying these things to people who were very, very involved in the Kissell campaign on the ground in Mecklenburg County.
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Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
I am a big fan of Tricia
and now you've encouraged some people to support challenging her in the primary by flaming people in PMs. That doesn't help anyone.
But I'm suspicious ... can anyone check this poster's IP address to see if they're a sock puppet of one of the not-pro-Tricia people on this site? I don't know anybody who supports Tricia who would flame people over PM.
I always wanted to be the avenging cowboy hero—that lone voice in the wilderness, fighting corruption and evil wherever I found it, and standing for freedom, truth and justice. - Bill Hicks
There aren't any "not-pro" Tricia people on this site
That I'm aware of. Blue South and I are the only folks who've spoken out against the stacking of precincts. I guess he and I could have sent these PMs to ourselves, but it isn't very likely. Is that what you are suggesting? I'm happy for Lance and Greg to investigate this to assure you that Cubby and I are innocent. We're INNOCENT, I say. ;)
I don't see anybody encouraging challenging her in the primary, do you? That is the democratic process though if someone is unhappy with the performance of a politician. All I see is folks saying lets watch and see how she does. Lloyd Scher has already said he's challenging her next time around, but I don't think he will be able to pose much of a threat, especially if Tricia continues working hard.
Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.
***************************
Vote Democratic! The ass you save may be your own.
That was more of a snark than an accusation :-P
And you know I don't think it's Cubby. I trust that man with my life, except in Iraq, cause I know he'd be smart enough to get out of there and I'd be arrogant enough t stay and fight ;-)
I always wanted to be the avenging cowboy hero—that lone voice in the wilderness, fighting corruption and evil wherever I found it, and standing for freedom, truth and justice. - Bill Hicks
Excuse me.
Tricia's mom was (and as far as I know still is) a great supporter of Larry during the campaign. She donated, she publicly praised him, she gave him a platform at MDW on several occasions, she encouraged others to donate.
However,
just isn't accurate. There is a laundry list of supporters who spent countless hours on the phone, knocking on doors, donating, blogging, organizing volunteers, hosting fundraising events, driving vans, housing volunteers, working GOTV, etc, etc, etc.
Not trying to take anything away from Pat Cotham...just trying to give credit where credit is due. As for your assertion that Tricia "worked VERY hard" to get Larry elected, I guess we'll have to assume your definition of 'worked' is something other than the activities I described above.
Keep in mind, as SD said, you're talking to folks who live in Mecklenburg and who have been very, very involved in the Kissell campaign from the beginning. I never met, much less heard of, Tricia Cotham prior to Jim Black's resignation.
Larry Kissell is MY Congressman
However it Happened -
it has happened.
Now is the time to watch and see if she delivers - for the party of all, not the 'chosen' few.
Scorecards handy? It's time to take notes.
As an outsider looking in, it seems like NC is divided into four or five quadrants that might as well be different states for all the interaction I see.
I'd like to see the different quadrants work together for the benefit of the entire state. So let's watch and see (and help) to make sure it happens.
I don't know Ms. Cotham and I've been to Charlotte once in my life; one thing I do know, shenanigans and insider trading happen. That's a fact of life. What a person does after that is what makes the difference.
If this appointment is a done deal, and it appears it is - make the woman earn her stripes or make sure she gets replaced next time.
Simple, n'est ces pas?