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Mayor Anthony Foxx Scott Stone Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and his Republican challenger Scott Stone are making their final push for votes before Tuesday's election. That included an appearance Thursday on WFAE's Charlotte Talks. Over the past two years, Charlotte unemployment rate has hovered around 10 percent. Both Foxx and Stone agree the mayor has a role in attracting jobs to the area. On Charlotte Talks this morning Stone said Foxx hasn't done enough to encourage businesses to locate and grow here. He says the city could be more competitive if taxes were lower. He wants to cut city spending to 2007 levels. "Over the past couple decades we've gotten less competitive. We've probably overbuilt and this is not just the city, it's the county as well," said Stone. "We need to get back to the basics of what core functions are. And we need to create a better and more effective and more competitive environment for business to operate." Stone wants the city to sell some of its buildings and then lease them. He says this would give the city more financial flexibility. Stone also wants to privatize some government functions like sanitation. Foxx says that's the wrong way to go about it. He says under his guidance the city has done a lot to get people back to work. Foxx says the city has focused on growing small businesses by trying to connect them with venture capitalists. "We've also made adjustments to the small business loan program. We've opened a website that for the first time puts resources that supports small businesses and entrepreneurs on the web and tells you all the things that are available in this community that help," said Foxx. "We're doing things to try to create those conditions and there's more that I'd like to see done." Early voting ends Saturday afternoon. Election Day is Tuesday. The other races on the ballot are school board at-large and city council.