After brief appearance in front of TV cameras, Pat leaves town during crisis – even riding a car in a parade hundreds of miles away

On Thursday, McCrory briefly appeared at a press conference in Charlotte during the region’s gas crisis, then promptly left town to continue campaigning across North Carolina while the crisis continued– including riding a convertible in a parade in Benson on Saturday and attending fundraisers and other campaign events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

But this isn’t the first time the Mayor was out of town campaigning during a crisis – just a few weeks ago, McCrory campaigned hundreds of miles away during Charlotte’s floods, including attending a fundraiser at a water park on the coast.

WCNC reported on Thursday that the Mayor announced the crisis would end soon, with "'a major shipment' of gas from the Gulf expected Friday afternoon. Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory made that announcement Thursday afternoon and it couldn't come soon enough."

Yet as McCrory continued campaigning throughout the weekend, the Charlotte Observer reported today, “Long searches and even longer lines plagued Charlotte area motorists Saturday as the region continued to cope with the gas shortage caused by Hurricane Ike. And there is no sign of improvement today, with most gas stations dry and lines forming at the few stations with fuel.”

“Pat McCrory continues to prove that his own campaign is more important than being there in a time of need for his city,” said NCDP Chairman Jerry Meek. “And in these troubling times, that’s not the kind of leadership North Carolina is looking for.”