Endorsements: Our choices in Charlotte mayor and city council at-large primaries

The past two years have been challenging and troubling for Charlotte leaders.

There’s the $650 million in public dollars spent on renovations for Bank of America Stadium, a deal that one national group called the “Worst Economic Development Deal” in the country in 2024. There’s the $305,000 “separation agreement” with outgoing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings that still raises questions about secrecy and stewardship of public dollars. There’s a massive transit plan and corresponding sales tax referendum that some complain feels incomplete, with little opportunity for public input.

At the heart of each of those issues lies the same problem: a startling lack of transparency that poisons the council’s decision-making and fractures the trust leaders have with each other and the public. And what’s become increasingly clear is that something needs to change. Voters may have been largely excluded from those discussions, but they have an opportunity to make their voices heard now.

Here are our recommendations in mayoral and at-large city council primaries:

Mayor

Vi Lyles has served Charlotte well during her four terms in office. She’s a capable, level-headed leader, respected by the business community and by Democrats and Republicans in state government. She’s helped the city make strides in areas like housing, infrastructure, equity and economic development. Most importantly, she’s brought stability to an office that previously lacked it.

But if she takes credit for Charlotte’s successes, so too must she accept some blame for its failures. We’re troubled by the direction that the council has taken in recent years, and the opaqueness that city leaders now seem to operate under by default. It’s been a messy, embarrassing time for our city.

Lyles hasn’t had a serious primary or general election opponent since 2017, when she first ran for mayor. This year, she faces her most crowded field of challengers yet. Among them are community activist Jaraun “Gemini” Boyd and Brendan Maginnis, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress last year. While none of them pose a serious threat to Lyles and her campaign, she should view the increase in competition as feedback on her job performance. Her opponents speak for voters that feel unseen or heard by city leaders, and those frustrations are valid.

Lyles remains the best person to continue leading Charlotte forward, but we hope she doesn’t ignore the criticism and calls for change.

City council at-large

There’s a crowded field in the Democratic primary this year — 10 candidates have signed up to run for four at-large seats. The choices include all four incumbents — Dimple Ajmera, James “Smuggie” Mitchell, LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Victoria Watlington — and six challengers.

Ajmera continues to be a thoughtful and dedicated representative with a knack for hearing and uplifting the community’s concerns. Slack-Mayfield is a hard worker, and she understands the nuances of policy, including how to navigate sensitive matters without sacrificing transparency. Watlington has stepped capably into the at-large position, and while her initial comments on the Jennings statement could have been more prudent, she’s a sharp leader who plays an important role as one of the council’s few dissenting voices. All three have publicly raised concerns about many of the council’s recent missteps.

Mitchell, who was first elected to council at-large in 2015, says he’s troubled by the direction the council has taken regarding transparency in recent years, and he acknowledges the ways in which the city has failed the public. That’s a valuable perspective, and we hope he uses it to be a more vocal force for change on council.

Of the challengers, two stand out: Matt Britt and Namrata “N.Y.” Yadav. Britt is a thoughtful voice with an impressive grasp of issues facing the city, and he’s a good choice for those looking for a change in representation. Yadav has centered her campaign around an important message of transparency and accountability, but she’s still relatively new to Charlotte, and we encourage her to find opportunities to engage further with the community.

We recommend Ajmera, Slack-Mayfield, Watlington and Mitchell.

This story was originally published August 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.