City Council member: The 7 qualities Charlotte’s next mayor should have | Opinion
The author represents District 6 on Charlotte City Council.
The media and many civic leaders are too focused on who our next mayor will be – both in an appointed interim role until the 2027 election, and then as an elected official. As with any job opening, it is important to focus first on what the job requires going forward.
In short, what are the key attributes for the Charlotte mayor’s role over the next several years? We should pause to define the role first within our system, which includes a strong city manager form of government. The mayor’s role in Charlotte, in its simplest version, is a bully pulpit. A leader who can express the public will, help unite us when we need it, and lead a lot of meetings where various policies are debated and enacted for the city manager and others to execute.
Following is a vision for the new mayor’s role, one informed by listening to many constituents, colleagues and citizens.
Plays Well With Raleigh: The mayor and City Council must maintain open, not antagonistic, relationships with Raleigh. We don’t have to bow and beg for permission all the time from state leaders, but we also shouldn’t go around poking people in the eye and expect them to love us when they hold much of the power.
Competency Over Passion: Discipline, levelheadedness, experience, and the ability to bring people together are essential. We need both process and progress focus. Our mayor must have a demonstrated ability to collaborate, to be ethical, honest, and pragmatic. They must be a trusted coalition builder, providing a calm and steady voice during crises. The new mayor must demonstrate executive function for a large and complex organization – a city government serving roughly one million people. Our mayor must also demonstrate the ability to balance the complexity of growth, considering the needs of business leaders and individual or group stakeholders in our community. There are many new voices in our city.
A Global Stage: We need a leader who can recognize that as the 14th largest city in the U.S., we need to challenge ourselves to seek the absolute best solutions that make us the envy of the entire nation and beyond. We need an ambassador to the world. We are no longer a small Southern city confused with Charleston.
Understands Washington: Again, we are on a global stage. ICE incursions into Charlotte demonstrate we are known to DC politicians and will be leveraged for broader political agendas.
Plays Well With Mecklenburg County: Many people we speak with do not understand the markedly distinct roles of city and county government. Even respecting those different roles, leaders of both governments must work together for all our citizens.
Charts New Visions: We are a very safe and vibrant city in many ways, but there is more to do to protect what is good while also addressing known problems. While we have in recent years addressed equity, housing, and transportation, this work is not done. Any new Mayor must help lead and galvanize the public will for the big initiatives that our future demands.
A Willingness to Be Bored and Work Hard: The business of governing means sitting through laborious meetings, reading thousands of documents, and understanding fine details. It means being out late most every night and every morning at some event. It requires stamina!
Many will add to this list of attributes. It is not all inclusive. The important thing is that we all pause to understand what we really need in our new Mayor, interim and long term, so that we name or elect the right candidate to lead us. And to those itching to be mayor, ask yourselves if you meet this job description.