What to know about Kimberly Owens, councilwoman-elect who flipped District 6
Democrats picked up another seat on Charlotte City Council Tuesday when Kimberly Owens pulled away in what was expected to be a tight race for south Charlotte’s District 6.
Owens secured a comfortable victory over Krista Bokhari despite being outraised and lacking the name recognition of her opponent, whose husband previously served in the council position.
Here’s what to know about one of Charlotte’s newest leaders.
Partisan politics shouldn’t matter
Democrats outnumbered Republicans on City Council 9-2 heading into the election. Bokhari framed the decision before voters as an existential moment for Charlotte: The city could continue on a path toward one-party rule, or it could support dissenting Republican voices like hers.
Owens rejected that notion.
Her victory marked the first time a council seat has flipped parties since 2011, and the first time a district seat has flipped since 1999.
Still, partisanship shouldn’t have a place on city council, she said. Owens said she has more in common with Ed Driggs, the last Republican standing on council, than she does with some of the Democrats on certain issues.
“I think skillsets and people who will put the needs of others before their own, and who have the requisite skills to actually do the things and not just create noise and stunts, I think that’s much more important,” Owens previously told The Charlotte Observer.
“There’s not gonna be like a big blue banner celebration for me if I flip this seat. It’s just not important.”
Kimberly Owens is a practicing attorney
Owens has practiced law in Charlotte for more than 30 years, which she said has given her a “deep and abundant toolbox” of transferable skills: due diligence on large transactions, risk management, conflict resolution, impulse control and understanding contracts.
“All those skills are things that I think lend a certain seriousness to the job,” Owens said.
She’s never had an ethical violation in her career, which she said speaks to her judgment.
Owens wants a more affordable Charlotte
Owens is a mother of three whose sons are the “why” behind her campaign, she said.
When she moved to Charlotte in 1994, she could afford her own apartment, a car payment, health insurance, car insurance and $175,000 in student loans, she said. Today, one of her sons is making just $3,000 more per year than she made in the ‘90s and would be hard-pressed to afford those same expenses.
She wants to make the city more affordable for her son and other young residents, she said.
Owens envisions a Charlotte composed of 10-minute cities and livable communities that support work, recreation and housing without lengthy commutes. She wants to help rein in housing prices so residents have more options to choose from, she said.
Owens is a political newcomer
Owens entered the race with no prior political experience. Charlotte City Council will be her first time holding elected office.
But this wasn’t her first time working on a campaign.
Owens left her job of 20 years in July 2024 so she could more freely engage politically, she said. She worked on the campaign of her friend Nicole Sidman, who lost her bid for House District 105 last year.
“I really felt like I wanted to be as involved as I could in campaigns I felt strongly about because I felt like we were on the precipice of something that was contrary to the way that I view our democratic ideals, and our norms and our institutions,” Owens said. “I felt very energized by (Kamala Harris’) potential.”
Public safety is a priority
Owens also joined leaders across the political spectrum in celebrating the city’s choice for the next chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Estella Patterson.
City leaders offered “very few practical solutions” for improving public safety in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing on a Charlotte light rail, Owens said. The new chief is a critical piece in implementing positive change, she said.
Owens wants to push for more competitive hiring packages for police officers so Charlotte can become a destination of choice for law enforcement officers looking for their next move.
She’s also focused on improving the perception of crime she said keeps residents from fully engaging with all the city has to offer. Many District 6 residents whom she met on the campaign trail rarely venture out of south Charlotte because they don’t feel safe in the rest of the city, she said. That must change.
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 10:10 AM.
