Charlotte council to pay $56,000 to outgoing city attorney for 3 days of work
Charlotte’s outgoing interim attorney is slated to receive more than $50,000 for just three days of work while a new attorney prepares to take office, according to a deal previously approved by the City Council.
The council in June voted to retain Anthony Fox as interim attorney through the end of the year or until the city hired a permanent replacement. The deal included a provision that Fox would receive pay for the rest of the year if he stayed past Oct. 31, even if he stopped working in November or December. The city would have stopped paying him upon his departure if he left before Oct. 31.
The deal also included a pay rate of $28,075.02 per month and a $75,000 “retention bonus” to be paid at the end of the year, according to a city presentation.
The council unanimously selected Andrea Leslie-Fite to be the next city attorney beginning Nov. 3. She previously served as senior assistant city attorney for Charlotte and is currently the attorney for Guilford County.
Fox will continue as interim attorney until Leslie-Fite is sworn in, the city said in a press release Friday.
Under the terms of his employment agreement, Fox will receive full monthly salary in November and December. That adds up to more than $56,000 for working three days into November.
City spokesperson Isabella Cherney would not confirm salary details for either Fox or Leslie-Fite and told The Charlotte Observer to file a public records request.
The council hired Fox in December on a six-month interim contract before a split council voted 7-3 to extend his tenure while the search for permanent counsel continued. Council members Dimple Ajmera, Tiawana Brown and Renee Perkins Johnson voted against the extension, and at-large Councilwoman Victoria Watlington was absent.
Several council members in June voiced frustration about how long the hiring process was taking, including some who voted to approve the extension.
Charlotte human resources staff told council members at the time that they hoped to have a permanent city attorney in office by October. They attributed the delay in hiring to “pauses” in the process.
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 3:54 PM.
