Charlotte names its 5 finalists for mayor. Here’s who is still in the running
The Charlotte City Council favored a slate of five familiar names as finalists for the city’s interim mayor job, according to a Wednesday announcement.
- Attorney and former city councilman Harold Cogdell
- Finance and nonprofit leader Carrie Cook
- Attorney Robert Harrington
- Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell
- State Sen. Caleb Theodros
The council will discuss the finalists and vote on an appointment during Monday’s business meeting.
More than 110 people applied for the job, with 66 deemed eligible for the position after the City Clerk’s Office reviewed requirements such as residency and voter registration status.
Council members selected up to three applicants who they wanted to advance to the interview round. Applicants who received votes but will not be advancing include retired business professor and financial planner Mike Evans; labor union leader Sebastian Feculak; former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts; and Douglas Welton, chair of the city’s planning commission and zoning committee.
Here’s how council members voted:
- Dimple Ajmera, at-large: Cogdell, Feculak and Roberts
- Mitchell, at-large: Cogdell, Mitchell and Theodros
- LaWana Slack-Mayfield, at-large: Cook and Harrington
- Victoria Watlington, at-large: Cook
- Dante Anderson, District 1: Cogdell, Cook and Evans
- Malcolm Graham, District 2: Cogdell, Harrington and Mitchell
- Joi Mayo, District 3: Cook, Harrington and Welton
- Renee Perkins Johnson, District 4: Cogdell, Mitchell and Theodros
- JD Mazuera Arias, District 5: Feculak, Mitchell and Theodros
- Kimberly Owens, District 6: Cogdell, Harrington and Theodros
- Ed Driggs, District 7: Evans, Harrington and Mitchell
The next mayor is scheduled to be sworn in July 1 and will replace outgoing Mayor Vi Lyles, who made a surprise announcement in May that she would resign a quarter of the way through her fifth term in office. Lyles said she wanted to spend more time with her family but offered no other explanation for her departure.
Whoever wins will serve out the remainder of Lyles’ term, which ends in December 2027. Each of the finalists said they do not plan to run for mayor next year.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 12:02 PM.
