Two of NC’s best-known political consultants will try to pass record $2.5B CMS bond

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will depend on the political prowess of two of the best-known consultants in North Carolina to help pass a record bond referendum.

The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, a champion of CMS’ $2.5 billion bond package to build or replace 30 facilities, has hired a Raleigh Democrat and Republican who’ve worked for Gov. Roy Cooper and Senate leader Phil Berger to pass the measure. Succeeding means passing the largest bond referendum ever for a public school district in North Carolina.

“I’ve pledged to bring together both the funding and the best bipartisan advocacy team we can assemble to pass this school bond proposal,” said Janet LaBar, president and CEO of the business alliance and mom of three CMS students. “I’m personally committed to this effort.”

The consultants include Jim Blaine, of the Raleigh-based firm The Differentiators, Morgan Jackson, of Raleigh-based firm Nexus Strategies, and Doug Wilson, founder of Alexander Wilson Consulting in Charlotte.

Those projects include replacing and renovating school buildings along with building new schools. Members of the trio say they took on the campaign because of the importance of safe and up-to-date schools.

“It is imperative for our children to learn in a safe environment,” said Wilson, who served as a senior advisor for the Biden Harris Coordinated Campaign for North Carolina in 2020 and has lived in Charlotte for 22 years. “Many of our schools were built during the Kennedy and Roosevelt administration. We have schools that have asbestos and water leaks, which make learning hazardous for our children. This is why I am helping to make these bonds a reality.”

Who are the consultants pushing the bond?

▪ Jackson has served in senior roles on the campaigns of presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional candidates and advised some of the state’s top elected officials. Those clients include Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein. Jackson, according to his firm, was instrumental in the 2016 campaign that defeated then-Gov. Pat McCrory.

In 2020, Nexus Strategies worked with failed U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham. Jackson also worked with former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John Edwards. He was field representative for former U.S. Reps. Mel Watt and Bill Hefner, according to his LinkedIn page.

“We are passionate about public education and believe every child deserves the opportunity to learn in an environment that gives them the best chance to succeed,” Jackson said. “This bond will transform and replace outdated and overcrowded schools and make schools safer.”

Jackson’s clients also included Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham until she flipped parties.

▪ Blaine, who was appointed this year to the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, served as Berger’s first chief of staff from 2011 to 2018.

Prior to joining Berger’s legislative staff, Blaine was the director of the Republican State Senate Caucus political organization, where he led the 2010 campaign that put Republicans in control of the North Carolina Senate for the first time in 140 years, according to his website.

Blaine also was key in implementing Berger’s legislative agenda on education, tax policy and budget issues and helped craft Berger’s message to the media and the public, according to the News & Observer.

Blaine is advising U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop in the Republican congressman’s campaign for North Carolina attorney general.

Former state Sen. Patrick Ballantine, who hired Blaine for his first job in politics, told the News & Observer in 2018, “Jim is one of the most powerful people in the state that no one’s ever heard of, because he is effective and knows how to get things done at the legislature.”

Jackson’s and Blaine’s firms also received federal loans meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, which raised questions because of their political work, according to the News & Observer. The Department of Justice launched a task force to investigate possible fraud involving Paycheck Protection Program loans, but no firms in North Carolina have publicly come under federal scrutiny.

▪ Wilson worked as Kay Hagan’s state political director during the 2014 election. He also served as regional field director for President Barack Obama’s campaign during the 2008 Presidential General Election, according to his website. He’s the former deputy executive director for the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Wilson also served on the Charlotte Relations Committee starting in 2011 and Charlotte Zoning Board of Adjustment in 2018.

Wilson says the key to passing CMS’ school bond is to “show up”

“Direct voter contact,” Wilson said. “We are going to speak to as many voters as possible. We want to and will meet voters where they are, whether that is at community events, places of worship, etc. We will do what is necessary to ensure that voters know how important it is for our kids to learn in an environment in which they can learn safely and effectively.”

Wilson says his message to voters is that the bond, which will likely require tax increases if approved, is an investment in children’s education.

“We cannot allow our children to sit in schools that don’t have central air or that have tree roots growing through the foundations of buildings, overcrowded classrooms that will affect their concentration,” Wilson said. “By voting yes for the bonds, our children will have access to state-of-the art classrooms, which will set them on the path of learning for the 21st century.”

Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Communications Director Tanya Mendis declined to say how much the group will spend on consultants. Mendis told the Observer the cost of hiring the three firms will be available once campaign finance reports are filed and made public. Those reports, which show donations and spending on the bond campaign, are due Oct. 30.

Charlotte’s ‘grassroots campaign’

LaBar’s organization is a product of the Charlotte Chamber and Charlotte Regional Partnership merger in 2018. She said an educated workforce is vital to fulfilling the region’s long-term economic potential. She calls the bond “a well-balanced package.”

“(It) fairly allocates resources among schools in the fastest-growing, overcrowded suburban parts of our county and schools in the older, established parts of our county that are outdated and don’t meet modern safety standards,” she said. “Passing this school bond will provide our students with state-of-the-art new schools, giving them the opportunity to learn in modern facilities that meet their needs.”

Wilson says the historic low voter turnout during this month’s primary in Charlotte is something the campaign will address through a “grassroots campaign.”

Part of the promotion leading up to the November vote includes the Vote Yes for School Bonds Campaign that launched Sept. 7. A group of business leaders, community advocates, parents and educators, including Mary McCray, a retired educator and former chair of the CMS board lead the campaign.

“It’s critically important that the community come together and support our schools,” Wilson said. “And it’s our job to make sure voters know what’s at stake. We’ll communicate that message directly to voters, and we have an army of volunteer advocates who are mobilized and going out in the community to talk directly to voters.”