RALEIGH — Salisbury Mayor Paul Woodson met with Gov. Pat McCrory and other city mayors Tuesday for the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition.
McCrory hosted the coalition, comprised of leaders from the state’s 28 largest cities, at the governor’s mansion.
In a press release, Woodson said the meeting focused on issues important to the city and to others across the state.
“North Carolina’s cities are the driving forces behind our state’s economy, attracting industry and supporting innovation that benefits the entire state,” Woodson said in the release. “As mayors, we are focused on policies to strengthen our cities by improving transportation, supporting economic development and improving public safety.
“We are proud to partner with Governor McCrory, who — as a former mayor, understands our concerns — as well as the legislative leadership to advance issues that will help our cities and our people now and in the future,” Woodson said.
The coalition’s legislative agenda is focused on promoting innovative strategies to build and maintain transportation infrastructure, according to the release, providing cities the needed revenues and resources to ensure they continue to serve as thriving centers for citizens, and supporting local law enforcement and the judicial system to reduce crime.
McCrory founded the coalition with former Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz, who served as vice chairman from 2009 to 2011, when she had to resign from the coalition after losing the mayor’s seat to Woodson by a narrow margin in the 2011 municipal election.
McCrory has since tapped Kluttz to serve as head of the state Department of Cultural Resources.