A quick guide to who’s running in the Charlotte City Council district race primary
All seven district seats are up for grabs in this fall’s election, but only three have contested primaries. Democrats will pick their party nominees in council districts 2, 3 and 5 during the Sept. 15 primary.
Here’s a quick look at each of the candidates in the primary, as well as links to profiles about each of the hopefuls and their responses to an Observer questionnaire about their views on city issues.
[Related: Charlotte mayoral primary at-a-glance | City Council at-large primary at-a-glance | Voter Guide]
District 2
Al Austin
Hometown: Charlotte
Neighborhood: Third Ward
Family: Single.
Occupation: Major Gifts Officer, Johnson C. Smith University.
Political experience: First term.
Campaign contact: Vote4AlAustin.com; alaustinforcitycouncil@gmail.com; Committee to Re-Elect Al Austin, P.O. Box 16507, Charlotte, NC 28297; on Facebook; on Twitter; Gary Leake, campaign manager, 704-905-9425
Q&A: Read his views on city issues, priorities
Steven Jones
Hometown: Charlotte
Family: Wife, Anne, two children.
Education: Attended Central Piedmont Community College.
Occupation: Electrical designer.
Political experience: First run for office.
District 3
Rosa Hodge-Mustafa
Hometown: Martinsville, Va. (moved to Charlotte 16 years ago).
Neighborhood: Forest Pawtuckett
Family: Divorced; one grown child.
Occupation: Worked in the banking and mortgage industries.
Political experience: This is her first campaign as a candidate.
Campaign contact: rosadistrict3.wix.com; 704-591-8526;
Q&A: Read her views on city issues, priorities
LaWana Mayfield
Hometown: Miami (moved to Charlotte at 18).
Neighborhood:
Family: Partner, Gelisa
Occupation: Former Mecklenburg County project coordinator for Grassroots Leadership; previously worked at the Red Cross.
Political experience: Elected to City Council in 2011 and 2013.
Campaign contact: www.votelawanamayfield.com; lawanamayfield@gmail.com; on Facebook; on Twitter; joy@joycookpr.com
Q&A: Read her views on city issues, priorities
Warren Turner
Hometown: Born in York County (moved to Charlotte as a child).
Neighborhood:
Family: Wife, Shawn, one daughter.
Occupation: Chief probation officer, N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Political experience: City Council, 2003 to 2011.
Campaign contact: district3_turner@yahoo.com; 704-713-0452; Address: PO Box 35465, Charlotte, NC 28231
Q&A: Read his views on city issues, priorities
District 5:
John Autry
Hometown: Fayetteville.
Neighborhood: Coventry Woods
Family: Wife, four children, 3 grandchildren.
Education: Majored in Theater Arts at Cal State-Fullerton.
Occupation: Chief technology officer for eMitigate.
Political experience: Elected to two terms on the Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District in 2006 and 2010. City Council member 2011-present.
Community work: Board member of Coventry Woods Neighborhood Association; member of the NAACP; volunteer with numerous advocacy groups including, The N.C. Black Leadership Caucus and NOW.
Campaign contact: www.johnautry.com; info@johnautry.com; on Facebook; on Twitter; 704-537-2735
Q&A: Read his views on city issues, priorities
Scott Derek Jenkins
Neighborhood: Pence/Hickory Grove
Family: Married, three children.
Education: Attended San Bernardino Valley College, Calif.; Central Piedmont Community College.
Occupation: City of Charlotte, Charlotte Department of Transportation, senior store keeper/logistics.
Political experience: Ran for City Council at-large in 2013.
Community work: Army veteran; mentors two high school seniors a year.
Campaign contact: scottj604@yahoo.com; on Twitter
Q&A: Read his views on city issues, priorities
Compiled by April Bethea, abethea@charlotteobserver.com
This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "A quick guide to who’s running in the Charlotte City Council district race primary."