Tea party groups from around the Piedmont are planning to protest PresidentBarack Obama's health care overhaul and other policies Friday, though details of the presidential visit remained sketchy Wednesday.
Tea party organizers said they expect protesters from as far as Asheville to descend on southwest Charlotte, near the Celgard plant the president plans to tour.
Celgard has been among the most prominent examples of the green-energy jobs that Charlotte's economic development leaders hope to expand. The company makes porous membranes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in notebook computers, digital cameras and other devices.
Obama is scheduled to make a midday visit to the plant, which he's expected to tour before he speaks about the economy.
Details of Obama's appearance, including the format, were unavailable Wednesday. Company officials referred reporters to the White House. So did city officials.
A spokesman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said motorists could expect traffic delays and even stoppages in south and west Charlotte during business hours.
How much the trip will cost the city is unclear. The police department alone plans to spend up to $70,000 to staff it.
'Respect the office'
Protesters announced their plans on Facebook.
They plan to gather on South Tryon Street at Carowinds Boulevard. Craig Nannini, a tea party organizer, urged protesters to remain peaceful.
"Remember, even if youvehemently disagree with President Obama, respect theoffice," he wrote. "Bring respectful signs (hand carry the signs, no sticks), and if counter-protesters come, be respectful and civil to your fellow Americans, even if they are not. We need the story to be about the message, not anything else, so everyone be on your best behavior."
Since Congress passed the health care law this month, there have been reported threats on both sides. Michael Kelly, president of the tea party group We The People NC, said the protests will be civil.
"We expect the opposition to protest and try to incite violence," he said, "and we intend to remain peaceful about it."
The Celgard example
Obama could point to Celgard as an example of a company that has prospered with federal help.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu toured its plant last August to announce a $49 million grant that was part of an initiative to develop advanced batteries for electric-drive vehicles.
The company said in January that the grant would help expand its Charlotte site and build a new manufacturing plant in Concord, creating 80 jobs in Charlotte and 209 in Cabarrus County. The new jobs will pay an average salary of nearly $57,000, significantly better than the average wage in the two counties.
The company has said it wanted to expand in the region because of its Charlotte base, a talented workforce and the training available at Central Piedmont Community College, UNC Charlotte and the N.C. Research Campus.
Economic developers say the region's low cost of doing business, major airport and existing energy hub will draw more energy companies.
Despite such successes, much of Charlotte's energy job growth is still focused on the nuclear, coal and gas power plants that produce nearly all of the Carolinas electricity.
"What Celgard represents is sort of a vanguard company in the new energy economy," Mayor Anthony Foxx said Wednesday. "What's happening on Friday is Charlotte is stepping into center stage in the new energy economy. And that's exactly where we want to be."
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