Charles Meeker
Encyclopedia
Charles Carpenter Meeker is the Democrat
ic mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
, USA. He was first elected in 2001
over Republican
Paul Coble
, and reelected for a fifth two-year term in 2009
. A fifth term tied Meeker with Avery C. Upchurch
as Raleigh's longest-serving mayor. He announced in April 2011 that he would not run for a sixth term.
He is the son of Leonard Meeker, who served as United States Ambassador to Romania
from 1969 to 1973.
(1985–89 and 1991–95), Meeker, living and raising his family in Boylan Heights
, has notably advocated downtown redevelopment and the creation of a light rail
system connecting Raleigh to Durham
, Research Triangle Park
, and Chapel Hill
under the auspices of the Triangle Transit Authority
. He also successfully pushed for the construction of a new downtown convention center and hotel, as well as the reconstruction of Fayetteville Street, a $9.33 million project to convert the pedestrian mall to an urban "main street" with outdoor dining, art galleries, and open spaces.
Meeker is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston
Mayor Thomas Menino
and New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
.
and in 1975 received his JD from Columbia University
.
Meeker became a member of the North Carolina bar in 1975 and a member of the District of Columbia bar in 1984.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
ic mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, USA. He was first elected in 2001
Raleigh mayoral election, 2001
The Raleigh mayoral election of 2001 was held on 6 November 2001 to elect a Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was won by Democrat Charles Meeker, who defeated incumbent Republican Paul Coble in the run-off. The general election followed a first-round primary on 9 October.-Results:-Footnotes:...
over Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Paul Coble
Paul Coble
Paul Y. Coble served one term as Mayor of Raleigh from December 1999 to December 2001. In November 2006, Coble was elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners and became Chairman of the board in December 2010. In 2011, Coble announced that he would run for the U.S...
, and reelected for a fifth two-year term in 2009
Raleigh mayoral election, 2009
The Raleigh mayoral election of 2009 was held on 6 October 2009 to elect a Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was won by incumbent Charles Meeker, who defeated Larry D. Hudson, II in the first-round primary...
. A fifth term tied Meeker with Avery C. Upchurch
Avery C. Upchurch
Avery C. Upchurch was Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1983 to 1993. His term in office was the longest of any mayor of Raleigh in the 20th century and corresponded to a period of rapid growth of the city....
as Raleigh's longest-serving mayor. He announced in April 2011 that he would not run for a sixth term.
He is the son of Leonard Meeker, who served as United States Ambassador to Romania
United States Ambassador to Romania
A United States diplomatic representative to Romania has existed since 1880. The United States formally recognized Romania in 1878, following the Treaty of Berlin; diplomatic relations were opened in 1880, and American diplomats were sent to the country. Until the early 20th century, most...
from 1969 to 1973.
Career
Meeker is a Raleigh-based lawyer whose firm focuses on local government issues, including public transportation and development. In his five terms as mayor and during previous service on the Raleigh City CouncilRaleigh City Council
Raleigh City Council is the governing body for the city of Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina.Raleigh is governed by council-manager government. It is composed of eight members, including the Mayor of Raleigh. Five of the members are elected from the five districts that cover the city. ...
(1985–89 and 1991–95), Meeker, living and raising his family in Boylan Heights
Boylan Heights (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Boylan Heights is a historic neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on July 29, 1985...
, has notably advocated downtown redevelopment and the creation of a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system connecting Raleigh to Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park
The Research Triangle Park is a research park in the United States. It is located near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina...
, and Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
under the auspices of the Triangle Transit Authority
Triangle Transit Authority
The Research Triangle Regional Public Transportation Authority which is known by the name Triangle Transit provides regional bus service to The Triangle region of North Carolina in the counties of Wake, Durham and Orange.- History :The 1989 Session of the North Carolina General Assembly enabled...
. He also successfully pushed for the construction of a new downtown convention center and hotel, as well as the reconstruction of Fayetteville Street, a $9.33 million project to convert the pedestrian mall to an urban "main street" with outdoor dining, art galleries, and open spaces.
Meeker is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition
Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a coalition of over 600 mayors who support a number of gun control initiatives that the group calls "commonsense reforms" to fight illegal gun trafficking and gun violence in the United States...
, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Mayor Thomas Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
.
Education
Charles Meeker received his BA in 1972 from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and in 1975 received his JD from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Meeker became a member of the North Carolina bar in 1975 and a member of the District of Columbia bar in 1984.