From John Locke Foundation city and county policy analyst Julie Tisdale:

Charlotte was supposed to vote late tomorrow afternoon on a proposal to fund 25% of a new soccer stadium.  While the county voted this morning to proceed, the Charlotte mayor just released this statement:

We are canceling the City Council Friday 4 p.m. meeting scheduled to discuss the MLS deal.

Over the past several days, we have been discussing this opportunity, and while this is very promising, it is clear that we are not prepared to move forward at this time on the current soccer proposal.

The Council is interested in a future opportunity to pursue Major League Soccer with more information and time to allow for interactive dialogue with the community and appropriate due diligence on our part.

Any major decision we make needs to be considered as part of the bigger picture as we serve our entire community. Continued partnerships with sports positively impacts many of the initiatives we are working on, and we need to be diligent in planning a future where everyone wins.

We very much look forward to continued discussions.

Thank you.
Mayor Jennifer Roberts

This was a good move on the part of the city council.  At a public meeting on Tuesday, many Charlotte residents raised concerns about the speed with which this whole plan was being rushed through.  They were right.  The proposal was bad for taxpayers, and the movement on it has been very quick.

Life has taught me that rushed decisions are rarely good decisions, that I should be very cautious about any situation where I feel like I have to act right this minute or lose out entirely.  Charlotte City Council clearly feels a similar unease, and I commend them on this decision.

Cross-posted from The Locker Room.