North Carolina mayors say fighting the growth in gangs is not a partisan issue.

But when they walked into the legislature today to advocate for anti-gang legislation at a news conference, only Democrats were given the microphone, reports Dan Kane.

State Sen. Malcolm Graham, a Charlotte Democrat who led the news conference, said Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy and Charlotte Mayor Pro-Tem Susan Burgess were invited to speak because they are leaders of statewide municipal organizations.

Foy leads the Metrolina Coalition of N.C. Mayors; Burgess is president of the N.C. League of Municipalities.

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor who has long advocated for gang prevention measures, could only stand along with roughly two dozen mayors, police chiefs and lawmakers in the legislature's room for news conferences.

He said he was invited to the news conference, but not to speak.

"I didn't mind not talking," McCrory said. "I do wish that they had a little bipartisanship up there."

He got his opportunity. Reporters and TV cameras swarmed him once the event ended.

A coalition of mayors and law enforcement agencies urged state lawmakers this morning to create new penalties for gang activity and to devote money toward prevention and intervention.

"What it's about is saving the youth of North Carolina," said Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy. "The insidious nature of gangs is that it destroys our communities."

The state Senate is scheduled to take up two bills later today that address many of the concerns of the mayors and police agencies, reports Dan Kane.

There are differences, though, with House legislation passed last year, so it is likely that both sides will have to work out compromise legislation in a House-Senate conference committee.

A recent Governor's Crime Commission report found that there are nearly 15,000 gang members in the state and more than 550 gangs. Gastonia Police Chief Terry Sult said there are more gang members per capita in communities of less than 75,000 residents than in larger cities.

Some lawmakers, particularly Rep. Mickey Michaux, a Durham Democrat, have been pushing for anti-gang legislation for several years. But debates about the cost of incarceration and whether prevention was being adequately addressed have stalled their efforts.

Michaux and others are optimistic legislation will pass this session. Michaux said more needs to be done before he will sign off on a final package. He wants $10 million in the state budget for prevention.

Others, including the sponsor of the Senate legislation, Malcolm Graham, a Charlotte Democrat, and Durham Mayor Bill Bell said the final legislation should include a provision that gives rehabilitated gang members the ability to expunge their records of their gang activity.

Barack Obama's campaign has announced only one mayoral endorsement in North Carolina.

More announcements will roll out in the next few weeks, however.

According to a March 11 story in the Durham Herald-Sun, Durham Mayor Bill Bell has taken the lead in persuading other mayors to back Obama.

That's probably in part payback for Obama's endorsement of Bell before the November mayoral race.

Along with Bell and Greensboro Mayor Yvonne Johnson, the story also quotes Bell saying Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, Cary Mayor Harold Weinbrecht, Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson and Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton have endorsed Obama.

"Bell said there are other mayors who have 'committed but not come out publicly yet' for Obama, in towns both large and small," wrote reporter Ray Gronberg.

About two dozen Democrats gathered in the law offices of Kirby & Holt at noon today to listen to a one-hour talk by David Plouffe, the campaign manager for Barack Obama.

Several participants said there was no explicit pitch for the backers of former Sen. John Edwards. In fact, Plouffe went out of his way to say he understood that some Edwards backers may not be ready to make another choice yet, Rob Christensen reports.

But there were a number of major Edwards backers attending including Chapel Hill businessman Michael Cucchiara, who gave $2 million for the poverty center that Edwards started at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Asked if he was ready to back Obama, Cucchiara said: "No comment."

But Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, another Edwards supporter, said he was enthusiastically backing Obama.

Foy said the mesage from the meeting was that Obama would be a strong candidate in the May 6 Democratic primary, and would also compete here in November if he was the nominee. Plouffe said Obama could attract enough independents and young voters that he would help all the North Carolina Democrats on the ticket, Foy said.

Others attending the meeting included former House Democratic leader Phil Baddour of Goldsboro, state Rep. Bill Faison of Orange County, Raleigh businessman John Crumpler, former Chapel Hill Mayor Rosemary Waldorf, former state Democratic executive director Scott Falmlen, Democratic consultant Morgan Jackson, and state Senate candidate Josh Stein, who managed Edwards' 1998 Senate campaign.

The event was held in Edwards' former law offices. But Kirby, Edwards' former law partner and longtime friend, was not present. His office said he was trying a case in court.

Pat McCrory says he has a speaking engagement.

The longtime Charlotte mayor said he's leaving the N.C. Metropolitan Coalition of Mayors meeting early because he's speaking at the Moore County Republican Men's Club in Pinehurst.

He said the group invited him a month ago, and the timing has nothing to do with a potential gubernatorial announcement.

"We anticipate a decision will be coming pretty soon," he said.

Also, McCrory said that while Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy has been billing the meeting as a summit on global warming, he plans for it to also focus on transportation, criminal justice and economic development.

McCrory said he's "very proud" of the coalition, which he founded in 2002.

"It's a very effective group ... very bipartisan," he said, adding, "Right now, I'm about the only Republican left on it."