During his 22-year political career, Commissioner Bill James was a strong advocate for limited government spending, lower taxes, open government, parents' rights and neighborhood schools.
MATTHEWS, NC, May 03, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Commissioner Bill James with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. James celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. James is a retired certified public accountant and banker who devoted nearly two decades to the field, during which time he served with two "Big 4" firms specializing in banking and finance. Beginning his career in 1978 as a staff auditor for First Bancshares of Florida in Boca Raton, he later held various roles across the country in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Louisville and Lexington, KY, Dallas, TX, and Charlotte, NC. Employed with Sun Banks of Florida, First National Bank of Louisville, Bank of the Bluegrass and Trust Company, and Arthur Andersen and Company between 1979 and 1987, he then spent the remainder of his career in accounting with Price Waterhouse CPA's (Now known as PWC). He retired as a senior manager of audit and regulatory advisory services in 1997.
Upon his retirement, Mr. James became an elected official in Charlotte, serving on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, representing Mecklenburg District 6 (Southern Mecklenburg County). Re-elected every two years, he served 11 consecutive terms as a Republican between December 2, 1996 and December 3, 2018, representing approximately 165,000 people living in and around Charlotte. His service marked him as one of the longest serving commissioners in Mecklenburg County history, serving 22 years and one day. Only three elected county commissioners have ever served in office for more than two decades within Mecklenburg County. Mr. James was one of those three.
During his 22-year political career, Mr. James was a strong advocate for limited government spending, lower taxes, open government, parents' rights and neighborhood schools. He was involved with a group who, in the late 1990s, successfully won a legal case to ban forced busing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools, allowing a generation of suburban children to attend school close to home. He advocated for a more efficient budget process and the establishment of a 'bond fund' to pre-pay debt costs using a concept called "Pay-Go." In the late 1990s, he also advocated for the formation of an audit review committee to oversee complex public issues, which he chaired for several years. Furthermore, Mr. James pushed the county commission to record closed sessions to improve transparency. Reluctant, he used a "Spy Pen" to induce the commission to update its recording policy.
Mr. James served on the Mecklenburg County Citizens Capital Budget Committee during 1995 and was chair of the City of Charlotte's Privatization Advisory Committee from December 1993 to December 1995. Mr. James was also a voting delegate of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in San Diego, CA, in 1996 and a floor guest at the RNC in Dallas in 1984.
During his political career, Mr. James published several articles in response to the various political debates of that time. Some of these have included pieces in the Charlotte Observer, including "Why Won't Library Protect Children?", "School Bond Doubts" and "Should We Subsidize Controversial Art?" He also wrote an article in the Charlotte Magazine called "Southern Syndrome" in 2002.
Honored in 2018 by Mecklenburg County with the Order of the Hornet for his 'independence and fierce American patriotism', Mr. James also received a 2017 Longevity Award for Public Service from the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. He twice received a Government Sunshine Advocate Mention from The Charlotte Observer in 2009 and 2012 for his advocacy in promoting transparency in government, as well as a Salt and Light Award from the Charlotte World weekly newspaper in 2001. Earlier in his career, he received the Newsmaker of the Year Award from The Leader weekly newspaper in 1997 and a Who and What to Watch for 1995 Award from the Charlotte Business Journal in 1994. Mr. James has been cited in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, and Who's Who in America.
Mr. James graduated from the Hollywood Christian High School in Hollywood, FL, in 1974. He then earned an Associate of Arts in business from Broward College in 1976, Bachelor of Science in accounting from Florida Atlantic University in 1978, and Master of Business Administration in accounting from Nova-Southeastern University in 1980. He has been a certified public accountant in the state of Florida since 1981 and was a former certified public accountant in the state of North Carolina.
Born in Louisville, Mr. James' great-great-grandfather, Joseph C. Eversole, was also a voting delegate to the 1884 RNC in Chicago. His great-grandfather, William Manon Cornett, was a Republican politician in Kentucky. His grandfather, Arch Glass Mainous, was a banker in Kentucky and president of the Kentucky Bankers Association in 1956. Married for many years to his wife Julia McCormick Wyatt, Mr. James has four children. In retirement, he enjoys studying genealogy and DNA.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Commissioner Bill James has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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