Transparency Week-Day 2: Unlocking City Data for Every Charlottean
7/29/20252 min read


As Brendan K. Maginnis, Democratic candidate for Mayor of Charlotte, I’m committed to making our city government transparent and accessible to all 890,000 residents. On Day 2 of Transparency Week, I’m unveiling my plan to enhance Charlotte’s Open Data Portal ([data.charlottenc.gov](https://data.charlottenc.gov/)), a vital tool for sharing city data on budgets, public safety, and infrastructure. Recent controversies, like the $300,000 Johnny Jennings settlement and the $124,000 Tiawana Brown indictment (WFAE, May 2025), have eroded trust, with leaders like Victoria Watlington calling out a “brazen disregard for the law” (WFAE, June 2025). By transforming the Open Data Portal into a user-friendly, real-time resource and pairing it with community workshops, we can rebuild trust and empower every Charlottean to hold City Hall accountable. #TrustCharlotte #CharlotteMayor2025
Charlotte’s Open Data Portal is a strong foundation, but it’s underutilized and often inaccessible to non-experts. My plan will redesign it with an intuitive interface, featuring interactive visualizations like budget dashboards that break down the city’s 2026 General Fund budget of approximately $974.5 M, including $320M for police and $22M for housing and neighborhood services. Real-time or near-real-time updates on expenditures, contracts, and major projects, such as the $650M Bank of America Stadium deal, will ensure residents know how their tax dollars are spent. A searchable database will log all city contracts and meetings with lobbyists, addressing criticisms from leaders like Tariq Bokhari about opaque financial decisions (WCNC, May 2025). Plain-language explanations will make data accessible to everyone, not just data experts, ensuring inclusivity across our diverse city.
To bring the portal to life, I’ll launch community workshops in neighborhoods like West Charlotte, Beatties Ford Corridor, and Eastland, targeting underserved communities. These workshops, held at libraries and community centers, will teach residents how to navigate the portal, access budget data, and provide feedback on desired datasets. Inspired by Greensboro, North Carolina’s successful participatory budgeting program, which allocated $2M annually for resident-voted projects since 2015, I’ll pilot a $5M participatory budgeting initiative. Greensboro’s model has boosted engagement, with over 3,000 residents voting on projects like park upgrades in 2023 (Greensboro News & Record, 2023). Charlotte’s pilot will allow residents to propose and vote on community projects, directly tying portal data to real-world impact. A feedback mechanism on the portal will let residents suggest new datasets, ensuring it evolves with public needs.
These enhancements address the trust deficit highlighted by Braxton Winston’s call for transparency (Charlotte Observer, 2023) and Watlington’s demand for accountability. By investing $500,000 in 2026 (0.06% of the 2025 budget), we can create a portal that empowers residents, from young professionals to longtime locals. Join me this Transparency Week to share your ideas for an open City Hall. Visit www.maginnisformayor.com to sign up and tell us: what data matters to you? Together, we’ll build a transparent Charlotte where every voice counts. #TrustCharlotte #TransparencyMatters
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