District
6
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell
Commissioner, District 6, Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners
- Party
- Democratic
- Office phone
- 980-771-9385
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell represents District 6 on the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners and chairs the Economic Development Committee. She is in her fourth term.
Chair Jerrell described Rodriguez-McDowell as “a champion for the arts and relentless advocate for survivors of trauma in our community.” Under her committee’s oversight, the county has landed seven new economic development projects since July investing more than $390 million and creating 3,600 jobs, including Scout Motors’ headquarters in Plaza Midwood ($207 million, 1,200 jobs by 2030) and Toromont AVL ($56 million).
Charlotte ranked second nationally in job growth under the current board, adding 38,000 jobs. Rodriguez-McDowell’s committee also oversees MeckLending, which has distributed $4.5 million to small businesses facing capital access barriers, and the county’s broader business retention and workforce pipeline.
In June 2026 she asked why the county’s cash-rounding plan would round up rather than to the nearest nickel in either direction, the way a store would.
In our reporting · 18 stories
Mecklenburg Names Illinois Official to Lead Child Services
Dr. Aram Perry Jr., who leads child protection for Illinois, is scheduled to take over Mecklenburg County's Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services on Nov. 30.
SNAP Penalty Could Cost Mecklenburg Up to $42 Million a Year
A federal penalty tied to North Carolina's food-assistance error rate could take $30 million to $42 million a year out of Mecklenburg County's budget, and the county will owe a share of it even if its own error rate stays under the federal limit. The county's budget director called it a shift of federal costs onto local residents, from a program funded by income tax onto a county whose revenue levers are "really limited to property tax." Whether the General Assembly must cap property tax is the question on the November 3 ballot.
Mecklenburg Plans West Side Workforce Hub on LaSalle Street
Mecklenburg County will turn a long-vacant building on LaSalle Street, the former home of Project Lift, into a west side workforce hub run by the Urban League of Central Carolinas and four partner organizations. Commissioners heard the fourth and most concrete presentation on the plan, called Urban Spark, on July 7. The pitch: move residents of the 28216 ZIP code from starting wages the partners put near $42,000 into jobs paying $67,000 or more.
Mecklenburg Drafts Plan to Round Cash Up to Nearest Nickel
With the U.S. Mint's last penny struck in November, Mecklenburg County is drafting a policy for cash payments made without exact change: round the total up to the nearest nickel, by no more than four cents. The rounding would be a last resort, and most county cash runs through Parks and Recreation and the libraries. But property tax law is why it only ever goes up, and why the county keeps the difference.
Raleigh Wants $60 Million Back for Killing I-77 Toll Lanes
A bill in Raleigh, written by Sen. Vickie Sawyer, would require the Charlotte-area governments that voted to kill the I-77 South toll lanes in May to repay the state an estimated $60 million, freeze the decision until 2027, and withhold state highway money until it is paid. Mecklenburg commissioners, briefed June 16, called it a retaliatory power grab.
MEDIC's Raise Is in the County Budget but Isn't Funded Yet
Mecklenburg County's new budget raised 721 county workers to a living wage but left MEDIC's paramedics and EMTs out, their raise sits in restricted contingency, pending two studies and a second vote. Three commissioners who lost the fight to fund it now used the adoption to signal they aren't done.
Mecklenburg commissioners advance FY27 budget to June 2 vote
A 7-1 vote sends the FY2027 operating budget to ordinance-drafting for June 2 adoption. Roughly $1.6 million in additional fund-balance allocations cleared. MEDIC's proposed $25.53/hr wage-floor move was deferred 5-3 to restricted contingency pending two outside studies.
Mecklenburg adds $1.6 million for 13 community programs
Thirteen new fund-balance allocations cleared at Thursday's FY27 straw vote, eleven external community partners plus two internal Park & Rec restorations. The $10,000 Carolina Raptor Center maintenance award passed over Manager Bryant's stated opposition.
Mecklenburg board parks MEDIC wage-floor move
A late substitute motion placed $2,293,759 in restricted contingency rather than fund a same-day move of MEDIC's EMT minimum wage to the new $25.53 county floor. Three commissioners stayed certain and lost. Two outside studies, by July and November, will inform the next decision.
On Data Centers, Mecklenburg Wants a Voice It Mostly Lacks
Mecklenburg commissioners got a deliberately neutral briefing on data centers at their May 19 meeting and signaled they want a position on the fast-growing industry. The catch: under North Carolina law, nearly all the zoning power belongs to the cities, not the county.
CMPD: Violent Crime Down 21%, 270 Vacancies Threaten Gains
Chief Estella Patterson reported violent crime down 21 percent and overall crime down 9 percent across Charlotte-Mecklenburg in 2025, but warned that roughly 270 CMPD vacancies and an unfunded ETJ mandate covering 86 square miles threaten to undo the gains. The BOCC also heard its third update on converting the former Bates 4th Row Library at 2324 LaSalle Street into a community center.
Mecklenburg Chair Asks Staff to Explore Suing State on Taxes
Mecklenburg County Commission Chair Mark Jerrell directed staff to explore litigation options against the state of North Carolina after a briefing on four property tax bills advancing through the General Assembly. The board's sharpest target: a proposed constitutional amendment that would cap annual property tax increases, threatening the county's ability to fund $484 million in state-mandated costs.
Affordable Housing Tops Mecklenburg Survey; Tax Support Dips
Mecklenburg County residents ranked affordable housing as their top budget priority for the second consecutive year. But willingness to accept a tax increase to fund it dropped to 48.8 percent, and lower-income residents were the least likely to say yes.
CMS Teacher Got Three Minutes at Mecklenburg Commission
A CMS teacher brought documented facts and a specific ask to the Mecklenburg County Board. The board did not respond. Three hours later, four commissioners said the same things he'd said, to each other.
Mecklenburg Commissioners: NC Is Last in School Funding
A teacher asked the board to back the NCAE's "Kids Over Corporations" campaign, and four commissioners raised school funding from the dais.
NC Politics: Transit Tax Vote, Stopgap Budget, Veto Fight
A hard look at the week: Mecklenburg's transit tax hits the ballot, the governor signs a stopgap budget and vetoes a school-choice tax credit, and local transparency fights simmer in Charlotte.
Mecklenburg Sets November Vote on 1-Cent Transit Sales Tax
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners; City of Charlotte; Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority (proposed); Southern Coalition for Social Justice; Action NC; Charlotte Area Transit System
Mecklenburg Advances One-Cent Transit Tax Referendum
Mecklenburg commissioners advanced a 1-cent sales tax question despite word-smithing wars. Critics call it fuzzy math; supporters say state law ties their hands.