Peacock to fill Charlotte City Council seat after mayor breaks tie with Bokhari
Charlotte City Council members chose Edwin Peacock III Monday to fill a vacant seat representing south Charlotte’s District 6.
Peacock is a former at-large council member and mayoral and congressional candidate. He won the vacancy appointment over Krista Bokhari, whose husband previously held the seat. Mayor Vi Lyles casting the tie-breaking vote.
Tariq Bokhari was one of two Republicans on the 11-person council before he stepped down last month to take a position in the Trump administration. He and other high-profile Republicans, including the Mecklenburg County Republican Party, state Sen. Vickie Sawyer, state Rep. Tricia Cotham and U.S Rep. Tim Moore threw their support behind Krista Bokhari.
Council members voting for Krista Bokhari to fill the vacancy included: Dimple Ajmera, Tiawana Brown, Renee Johnson, Victoria Watlington and Ed Driggs, the only other GOP councilman.
Lyles joined Mayor Pro Tem Dante Anderson and council members Malcolm Graham, LaWana Mayfield, James Mitchell and Marjorie Molina to put Peacock over the top.
Peacock will finish out Tariq Bokhari’s term, set to end in early December. Republicans and Democrats expect crowded primaries in September for the seat — the only competitive general election City Council district.
Who is Edwin Peacock III?
Peacock served two terms on the Charlotte City Council, from 2007 to 2011. He’s the last Republican elected to an at-large seat on the council.
The Republican ran for mayor in 2013 and 2015. He also ran for the Republican nomination for the 9th Congressional District in 2012.
His family is no stranger to Charlotte-area politics: his father, Ed, served on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and Charlotte City Council and ran for mayor twice.
A graduate of the University of Georgia, he’s the president of The Pomfret Financial Company, Inc and a father to two alongside his wife, Amy Rupertus Peacock.
In a statement after Monday’s vote, the Mecklenburg County Republican Party praised Peacock for his prior experience in public office and in the business world.
Who applied for Charlotte City Council vacancy?
City leaders considered 10 applications for the open seat, and some candidates made their pitch in-person at a public forum last week. Applicants had to be at least 21 years old, a registered voter, live in the district and be registered as a Republican.
Krista Bokhari was the first to publicly announce a campaign for the appointment. She made her first official foray into politics in 2024 when she ran as a Republican in south Charlotte’s House District 104, losing to Democratic incumbent Rep. Brandon Lofton 55.9% to 44.1%.
She also made headlines last week for alleging city officials acted unethically in reportedly granting a six-figure settlement to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings to avoid a lawsuit. The potential suit was reportedly a response to a conflict between Jennings and Tariq Bokhari over outer carrier vests for police.
In a statement after Monday’s vote thanking supporters, Krista Bokhari appeared to allude to her previous comments.
“If calling out the truth lost me this appointment so be it. I can look myself in the mirror tonight knowing I stood strong on the pillars of truth & transparency. If that is called chaos so be it. It is the kind of chaos that creates a governing body that does what is right by their citizens,” she said.
She also thanked the council members who voted for her, saying they “stood firm on their principles in the face of immense pressure from other colleagues who decided to put politics over the truth and people of Charlotte.”
The county Republican Party said in its statement on the vote it was “deeply dissapointed” in Lyles’ vote given the support Bokhari received from Republican officials.
“Mayor Lyles’ action demonstrates a troubling disregard for bipartisan collaboration and the will of local Republicans,” the statement said. “Her tie-breaking vote appears to be a direct response to Mrs. Bokhari’s courageous and principled stand in speaking out about the City Council’s controversial settlement with the CMPD chief.”
Other notable applicants included former District 6 council member and state representative Andy Dulin and conservative writer Andrew Dunn.
Remaining applicants were:
Sary Chakra, a Charlotte native who works in stormwater and infrastructure construction.
David Jewell, the president and owner of a consulting firm and a former Johnson & Wales University administrator
Christopher McBride, a Bank of America executive
Douglas Paris, town manager of Midland in Cabarrus County
La Reshia Poore, a Mecklenburg County employee teaching domestic violence awareness
James Rice, a retired health care executive
A pair of additional applicants were deemed ineligible for not meeting the legal requirements for appointment.
Who will run for District 6 in 2025 local elections?
Peacock said at last week’s candidate forum he wouldn’t seek a full term in office.
Krista Bokhari did not attend the event and checked “prefer not to respond” on her application question about her future intentions, according to a copy of the application obtained by the Observer through a public records request.
Her statement on Monday’s vote didn’t directly address her future but said she was “not going anywhere.”
“I will continue serving this community in every way I can. The work doesn’t end here,” she said.
Chakra and Poore both indicated in their applications and during the candidate forum they will run in the Republican primary.
Political strategists told the Observer in the wake of Tariq Bokhari’s resignation the district, decided by less than 500 votes in both of the last elections, is likely to draw many candidates and big spending.
Primaries are scheduled for September, and the general election is in November. Candidate filing formally opens in July.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 4:39 PM.
