Ben Douglas discusses his tenure as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1935 to 1941. He discusses the structure of city government in the 1920s and explains that he was the first Charlotte mayor to be directly elected by voters. He describes the difficulties the city faced during the Great Depression, and the roles the Works Progress Administration and the Public Works Administration played in helping the city, which included the construction of Memorial Hospital, Independence Boulevard, and Douglas Airport (now Charlotte-Douglas International Airport). Other topics discussed include the challenges in building the airport, the importance of building roads, and his personal relationship with the Roosevelts and the administration.