Power surge.

PositionStatewide: CHARLOTTE REGION - Charlotte Executive Leadership Council

In the 1980s, a small, informal band of CEOs made things happen in Charlotte. "The Group" included bankers Ed Crutchfield and Hugh McColl Jr., Lance CEO Pete Sloan, newspaper publisher Rolfe Neill and a few others. They promoted ambitious projects such as the city's transit center and convention hall, using behind-the-scenes influence to often wield as much power as any city councilor. The new 25-member Charlotte Executive Leadership Council looks a little different, but Charlotte civic and business leaders are hoping to recapture a bit of the same spark. The group includes mostly businesspeople along with two university presidents and two lawyers. Their intent is to present a united front on the most pressing issues facing Charlotte, though there's little urgency, based on the meeting schedule thus far. The group met once in March, then a subcommittee met in September.

There's no desire to duplicate others' work, including the Charlotte Chamber and Carolinas Regional Partnership, says Tom Williams, a spokesman for Duke Energy, whose CEO, Lynn Good, will chair the group for two years. She was a key organizer along with Piedmont Natural Gas CEO Tom Skains and Carolinas Healthcare System CEO Michael Tarwater, who is retiring next year. Michael Marsicano, the Foundation for the Carolinas president who shows up in virtually every major Charlotte endeavor, isn't a formal member, but is providing administrative support. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan made the cut, though he lives in Boston. Notable absences include developer Johnny Harris and auto magnate Rick Hendrick.

Unlike the almost exclusively white-male group from the '80s, this one counts six minorities and four women. There are also some small business representatives, including State Farm Insurance agent Wil Brooks and contractor Francisco Alvarado. The council will retain most of its privacy by meeting without the public or pesky reporters...

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