What is the N.C. Metropolitan Coalition?

A group of North Carolina mayors who work together on national and state issues that affect larger cities.

The organization began in the 1990s as the N.C. Public Transit Coalition, an advocacy group that focused solely on mass transit in urban areas.

In 2000, it was reconstituted as the Metropolitan Coalition, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization that focuses on broader issues affecting growing urban areas, including transportation, economic development, downtown revitalization and criminal justice.

To join the coalition, a city must have a population of at least 25,000 and pay a yearly fee based on population that ranges from $2,500 to $15,000.

Under the leadership of Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who was chairman for the first two years, the coalition expanded from around a dozen cities to 25, including Raleigh and Winston-Salem.

It is based within the N.C. League of Municipalities' Raleigh headquarters and had a staff of two in 2008. That year, it changed its name to the N.C. Metropolitan Mayors Coalition.