Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville mayor: After Trump failed us, Biden delivered for city when we needed it most

Mayor Mitch Colvin, Fayetteville Observer

As a Fayetteville native and the city’s longest serving African-American mayor, I’ve seen our city through good times and bad. I remain deeply devoted to doing everything in my power to help Fayetteville become a vibrant, thriving, and affordable place for families to call home.

I served as Mayor under both President Biden and Donald Trump's administrations, and from my experience working with both, there is one clear choice in this election, and that is President Biden.

Biden, not Trump, led during pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on some of the toughest years for our city. Many folks were struggling to keep up with rent and many Black-owned businesses were barely staying afloat. Under the Trump administration, there was no leadership coming out of Washington and as local leaders we were left to fend for ourselves. Trumps’ inaction and poor leadership during such a critical time caused many beloved businesses to close and many Fayetteville residents to lose their homes — and their lives.

When President Biden came into office, it was clear from day one that help was on the way. Fayetteville received federal dollars towards rental assistance programs so folks could afford to stay in their homes and stay safe from COVID-19, and we were able to provide loans to help save small businesses.

After the Biden administration helped our city through the pandemic, the leadership and federal assistance continued, allowing us to make historic investments that are uplifting minority and low-income communities. Through federal climate grants we’ve transitioned our city’s fleet of buses to electric buses, creating jobs and reducing pollution. We’ve used federal funds from the Biden administration to remove dangerous PFAS chemicals from our water supply and ensure our kids have safe drinking water.

Biden, champion for Black communities

Fayetteville is proud to be home to one of North Carolina’s twelve Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and under the Biden administration we’ve seen the largest-ever investment, over $7 billion, in HBCUs across the country, recognizing the vital role they play as centers of history, learning, and culture.

We’re also a proud military community here in Fayetteville. President Biden’s PACT Act was the first legislation that addressed the contaminated water at Camp Lejeune and provided relief and support to the veterans affected, including hundreds of Black veterans that served there over the years.

President Biden has been a champion for Black communities on every front from education, to climate justice, to infrastructure, to health care. He has supported our city with federal funding so that we can invest in our own future and improve the lives of every Fayetteville resident.

Under the Trump administration, Black unemployment was higher and it more than doubled during the pandemic. In his first two years as president, 300,000 Black Americans lost health insurance. Trump implemented a tax code that benefits corporations over everyday Americans, and resulted in the typical white household receiving double the cut of a typical Black household.

He is attacking Obamacare, which millions of Black Americans rely on, and campaigning on a promise to “terminate” it, which will be detrimental to the health of Black communities across the country.

Trump has shown us who he is

Trump has shown us who he is — not just as President, but even before that. We remember who Donald Trump is at his core. From falsely accusing the Central Park Five to refusing to rent apartments he owned to Black tenants, for decades Donald Trump has been showing us who he really is. We should believe him.

President Biden has been an ally to Fayetteville and a strong supporter of the Black community. I’m extremely proud to be a part of Black Voters for Biden-Harris and to work to reelect someone who is looking out for our city and for the Black families in North Carolina, and across the country with more than just their words but with action.

Mitch Colvin is mayor of Fayetteville.

Read the original op-ed here.