the mayor joins us now, mayor anthony foxx. thank you for being on c-span and talking to our viewers. if you were to give advice to another mayor who may or may not want to host the convention, what would your advice to be? would you say go for it or not? >> i would say go for it. having a convention in your city is really almost the olympics of politics. it is a wonderful opportunity for your citizens to engage in process.vics it is a wonderful history lesson. historical moment happen when these things happen. it is a great thing to do. >> what for some of the biggest logistical challenges that you face? >> charlotte is a fairly compact city in terms of its downtown. it is a great thing for pedestrians. it means that people can walk around pretty freely. we do not have to get into a car to go many places. as we have done the planning process, we want to make sure there is as much ease of moving into the central district as possible. we are continuing to work through the changes that occur when you are using multiple the news i

anthony foxx is charlotte's 41-year-old mayor. i understand charlotte is the fastest growing urbanized area in the nation. >> it is, it is. >> reid: why is that? why are people coming here like a magnet is drawing them? >> well, you know, our quality of life is extremely strong here. if you want to have a good place to work, a good place to play, we're about two hours from the mountains, three hours from the beach. but mostly it's that the city continues the upward trajectory. >> reid: that trajectory was jolted by the recession. the city lost 27,000 jobs before fox was elected two now 9. jobs are coming back. unemployment is stuck at 10%. he is looking to grow the area in businesses other banking, like energy. i heard you like to sail against the wind. why is that? >> we don't have the luxury right now of focusing on the short term. every decision we make is a long-term decision. we have been able to manage our budget in the city without a tax increase over the last three years that have really been tough for all public budgets b

finally, when susan be anthony foxx women's rights in the late 19th and early 20th century, i'm not surehad in mind. eva longoria is set to open a women's stakeouts she is going to call "she." the new restaurant will feature all portions and a catwalk for fashion shows. two things.

the list of speakers includes mike next two guests, anthony foxx and ryeback, vit chair of the dnc.elcome to both of you. >> thank you, chuck. >> are you jealous of the mayor that charlotte beat out mib minneapolis? one of the cities. >> a great convention, and it is, but mayor foxx has been phenomenal. his police great. this guy, has he dawn great guy for most of this convention? >> yes. >> shut him up for you. what's the hardest part about being the host. is it security, detours? your residents feeling like, can i go to work? >> like hosting a dinner party. you want everyone to have fun, make sure everything is done just so and we worked hard on security and transportation, but running around making sure we're hosting everyone the way we want to. >> what's your advice to residents in charlotte, stay away from downtown? if you're not involved in the convention? what's your advice? >> chuck, we just had yesterday one of the largest street festivals in the history associated with this convention and we wanted people to come in and be a part of it all the way to thursday at bank of am

the mayor of charlotte, anthony foxx, provided the next testimonial. >> the relationship between businessent has to be close. >> reporter: foxx took office back in december of 2009, at the height of unemployment in charlotte-- 28,000 jobs lost in just 14 months. >> we've scratched and clawed our way back. one of the things i'm proudest of is we've got a cultural campus down on south tryon street, and we had to raise $83 million of private money to match the public sector investment. we have two companies, siemens and celgard, that have gotten investments through the recovery act, and they've doubled their capacity in their plants. they're hiring more people at very good price points. >> reporter: but might not this be making the mistake of the government "picking the winners," as opposed to letting the market decide? >> as a mayor, i don't have the luxury of going and passing off to someone else the job of getting my people back to work. i want to see them getting back to work, and i know the president's done a great job of doing it. >> reporter: a great job? unemployment north of 8%, and

host: anthony foxx will be a guest on this program this morning.se are some of the featured speakers. host: ted strickland, former governor of ohio. chicago mayor rahm emanuel. deval patrick will also be speaking. susan ferrechio, anybody else jump out at you besides the two finalist we've been talking about all morning? guest: governor all malick is a name that stands out for me. he's the governor of maryland -- governor martin o'malley. he is seen as a rising star in the party. i'm not surprised they give him a promise speaking role. he is well liked and won pretty handily in all of his elections. i do recall he was a hillary clinton supporter. he was working for her back in the 2008 primary. he is now speaking at the dnc for president obama. he is somebody will hear a lot more from in the year is going forward. host: any tension left between the clinton camp and the obama camp? guest: i think some of that has been resolved. i think that obama and president clinton have made their peace. that was a pretty bitter battle between the clintons and th

> two of the dynamic speechers speechers -- speakers last night, mayor julian castro and mayor anthony foxxblackfinn salon for the rest of the coverage of the democratic national convention located on east trade street. stop by if you're in the area. come by and say hi. we're back in just a moment. hey. hey eddie. i brought your stuff. you don't have to do this. yes i do. i want you to keep this. it'd be weird. take care. you too. [ sighs ] so how did it go? he's upset. [ male announcer ] spend less time at gas stations. with best in class fuel economy. it's our most innovative altima ever. ♪ like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. >>> welcome back to the blackfinn salon. mika and i -- >> look at this shirt. >> this is beautiful marissa. >> you look so good. >> what grade are you in? >> fourth grade. >> and marissa, are you supposed to be going to school today? >> yep. >> are you going to go to school today? >> um. >> you ca

. >> you mentioned mayor anthony foxx.e may get hired for a future role. >> the most possible future is probably congress. he saw in their last night who clearly has some aspirations, i can speak to a national audience. -- who can speak to a national audience. this is held by mel is been there since 1992. mel has been almost a foster father to anthony foxx. they have been very close. i would expect that when m.l. retires that anthony could step in. he did entertain briefly a possible run for governor this year when the governor decided not to run. he entertained a for a couple of days. >> when you think of n.c. being a state where some racially polarizing appeals of played a part in the past, jesse helms, you needed that job. how much of that is still a factor in in north carolina politics? do you think north carolina has entered a post-ratio phase? >> but do not think you can say it is a post ratio phase. it is probably still a factor in some areas of less than it was back in the days without raising that ad. you have a n

[applause] ♪ >> please welcome the mayor of the 2012 convention host city, charlotte, n.c., anthony foxx the democratic national convention in 2012 at charlotte, north carolina. [cheers and applause] our city is a hub of energy and commerce, a place where business and government work together and make great things happen. and this -- in this election, we are a city where americans have come together to move our country forward and make great things happen. [cheers and applause] we have always been that kind of city and. nearly half a century ago, when cities across the south and struggled to desegregate schools, charlotte came together across kitchen tables, black and white, families met and decided to break down barriers that had so long divided their children. because they did, they gave a generation of kids a chance to go to school together, to learn together, to recognize that there is no wall too high or too strong to be broken down if we do it together. [cheers and applause] i was one of those children. i learned what it's really meant to be judged by the content of one's character

your mayor, anthony foxx. [applause] >> thank you for that kind introduction.u can come back. the excited about that. -- be excited about that. you really have been an incredible partner. i am excited. as we get closer to the opening day of the convention, you can already feel the excitement in our community. you can see and feel the energy, even in this room. when i look at how this room has been transformed into a convention hall, i know the queen city will put on a first- rate 2012 democratic national convention. that is exciting. as i travel around the carolinas, i also feel the excitement. the city has been gearing up for this convention for more than two years. the enthusiasm from those in charlotte continues to be palpable. in just four days, this arena is going to be packed. this will be an international platform like never before. and we will put our best foot forward. our city is a city on the move, a city that makes great things possible. that is the tagline our local host committee has adopted. we are filled with innovative businesses, a burgeoning

host: and mary anthony foxx is a democrat? and the congresswoman -- guest: we have a couple of members of congress. sue is from here, also mel watt. he represents uptown charlotte. he will be welcoming delegates. his district sort of snakes up to greensboro along i-85, i think it is. then we also have a third congressman, larry qassam, a conservative democrat, skipping the convention. we have several members. host: why is he skipping the convention if he represents the area? guest: he voted against president, in his health-care plan. he is in a district, especially after reapportioning of the legislature, is much more republican than a used to be. he is trying to save his seat by putting some distance between him and the president. even though he could almost walk to the convention -- it would be a long walk, but he is skipping and. so are other congressmen. these are blue dog democrats who tend to not be with the rank- and-file democrats on a lot of issues. host: independent line, seattle. a few more minutes before the playbo

at 11:00 a.m., anthony foxx on how the city has prepared.gton journal, 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. the political playbook profits facers a conversation -- features a conversation with the lorraine jarraett. she system with politico's mike allen. that is starting at 7:55 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> gavel-to-gavel coverage of the democratic convention starts tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. eastern. every minute, every speech allied on television and on- line. speakers include first lady obama and gillian castro. wednesday, elizabeth warren and former president bill clinton. thursday, vice president joe biden and president barack obama. >> this november, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of americans. with barack obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to its cause. the work begins anew. the hope rises again. the dream lives on. >> i am from vermont. i support a visionary-inclusive america. looking forward rather than looking back. >> i support president obama for reelection because i believe we all need to reelect --