Want to join Charlotte City Council? How the District 6 vacancy will be filled
The Charlotte City Council plans to add its newest member by early June.
Council members approved a plan Monday to appoint someone to finish out the term of now-former Councilman Tariq Bokhari. Bokhari, a Republican and four-term representative for south Charlotte’s District 6, officially resigned April 28 to become deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
Charlotte opened an application period to the public Wednesday for the seat, though not everyone is eligible to apply. Under the plan approved Monday, council members will choose their appointee in late May, and the new member will be formally sworn in in early June.
Whoever is appointed won’t be guaranteed to hold the seat for long. All council positions are up for election in November. District 6 is the most competitive City Council seat in Charlotte and is likely to draw multiple Republican and Democratic candidates in September primaries.
Some current City Council members on Monday discussed their willingness to appoint someone who would run for the seat in upcoming local elections.
Application requirements for Charlotte City Council District 6
Under state law, applicants to fill Bokhari’s seat must be at least 21 years old, a registered voter, live in the district and be registered as a Republican. The city will verify candidates’ residencies and party affiliations with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, deputy city attorney Lina James said.
In addition to contact and biographical information, applicants will be asked why they want to join City Council, their goals for the position and their professional and civic background.
Applicants also will be asked if they intend to run for a full-term in office, council members decided Monday. The city cannot legally bind applicants to their answer, interim City Attorney Anthony Fox said.
Timeline for new Charlotte City Council member
Council members agreed to open the application period Wednesday and keep it open for until 5 p.m. May 13.
The City Clerk’s Office will review applications to ensure candidates meet the basic requirements for the role, and those who do will then be sent to council members for review.
Council members will hold an optional public forum for candidates on May 16 and vote on their decision May 19.
The new member would be formally sworn in June 2.
Some on council expressed a willingness Monday to sign off on a faster timeline option presented by the City Attorney’s Office that would have concluded by mid- to late-May.
Council member Ed Driggs, the only other Republican on the City Council, said it would be meaningful for District 6 to have a representative during upcoming votes, including on the city’s budget for the next fiscal year.
“D6 representation is important,” he said.
But others, including Council member Victoria Watlington, were concerned a tighter timeline could limit applicants and overwhelm the appointee by dropping them into the middle of a budget debate.
“I think that’s a disservice to the people from District 6, as well as to the person who ends up in this seat,” she said.
Will City Council pick someone running in primary?
Mayor Vi Lyles said the city would make an effort to communicate with local Republican leaders about the application process as well as the general public.
Bokhari has already made his endorsement: his wife, former state House candidate Krista Bokhari.
“I think she is the best candidate for that appointment,” he told reporters March 31, shortly after confirming his plans to leave Charlotte.
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Krista Bokhari made her first official foray into politics in 2024 when she ran as a Republican in south Charlotte’s House District 104 against Democratic incumbent Rep. Brandon Lofton. The Democrat won that race by a margin of 55.9% to 44.1%. But conservative political blog Longleaf Politics noted Krista Bokhari outperformed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by 9%, among the “top overperforming candidates” in North Carolina in 2024.
Krista Bokhari told WBT in the days after her husband’s announcement she’s “not making a decision to run one way or another at this time,” instead focusing “entirely on the appointment and continuing to work with the neighborhood leaders for the rest of this term.”
She wasn’t mentioned explicitly during Monday’s City Council discussion, but Council member Malcolm Graham said he wants to stick to the City Council’s unofficial preference for candidates not looking to run again, wanting to avoid giving someone the advantage of incumbency.
“Hopefully we will select a caretaker that will not run, and make that pledge not to run,” he said. “And if that person breaks their word, it speaks to character,” he said.
Others said they’re less concerned with the appointee’s long-term plans.
“That will not be a factor in my decision,” said Council member Dimple Ajmera, whose first stint on council was an appointment to fill a vacancy.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect new dates provided by the city of Charlotte for applicants to an open District 6 position.
