Corine Mack

In our reporting · 6 stories

1. Jul 11, 2026

   To Hit the CATS Deadline, Charlotte's Transit Board Expands Its Interim CEO's Spending Power

   Charlotte's new transit authority gave its interim CEO expanded authority to sign technology contracts without case-by-case board approval, racing a Jan. 1 deadline to separate CATS from the city's systems. The vote passed with two opposed, after trustees warned they risked rubber-stamping a roughly $35 million transition they had not fully vetted.

2. Jul 10, 2026

   MPTA Committee Recommends Against a West Craighead Red Line Station, 5-4

   A committee of Charlotte's new transit authority voted 5-4 against recommending a West Craighead station for the Red Line, siding with staff who warned an extra stop could weaken the project's bid for federal money. A Sugar Creek neighborhood coalition that spent two years making the case gets one more chance at the full board on Aug. 12.

3. Jun 28, 2026

   Charlotte's Transit Authority Clears Its Last State Requirement, and the CATS Takeover Splits Into Two Dates

   On June 24 the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority closed out the last of the twelve requirements North Carolina set before it can run Charlotte's buses and trains, and voted to send the proof to Raleigh. The takeover itself splits in two: operational control on July 1, employees and computers on January 1, 2027.

4. May 16, 2026

   Brendan Maginnis Offers to Serve as Interim Mayor

   Brendan K. Maginnis, the runner-up in Charlotte's September 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, has volunteered for the interim mayor appointment, from Copenhagen, where his family moved in January, and with a demographic-counter argument the Mercury did not solicit. By his count, initially approximately 46, revised to 44 in a follow-up email, none of those Democratic elected officials representing Charlotte at various levels are white males. The pitch collides with Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP President Corine Mack's public call for the council to elevate the Mayor Pro Tem rather than install a placeholder.

5. May 8, 2026

   Vi Lyles Will Resign as Charlotte Mayor on June 30. The Race to Replace Her Already Started.

   Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of her term, and the field is already organizing in public, with former Mayor Jennifer Roberts offering to fill the vacancy and Council Member Dante Anderson breaking for the outsider option. The vote that decides who fills the seat has not been scheduled.

6. Mar 28, 2026

   What Is the MPTA? Charlotte's New Transit Authority, Explained

   The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) is Charlotte's new regional transit authority, created after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2025. It assumes control of CATS on July 1, 2026, overseeing a $19.4 billion, 30-year transit investment plan.