At-Large
AL
James Mitchell Jr.
Mayor Pro Tem; Council Member, At-Large, Charlotte City Council
- Party
- Democratic
- Office phone
- 704-614-0399
James Mitchell Jr. serves as Mayor Pro Tem of the Charlotte City Council, presiding over meetings in the mayor's absence. A veteran at-large council member, Mitchell won the Mayor Pro Tem vote in the December 2025 council reorganization in a process that revealed the early alignment dynamics of the 2025–2027 council.
In June 2026 Mitchell applied for the interim mayor’s seat the council filled after Vi Lyles resigned. Council members raised the conflict in a sitting member voting on his own candidacy; the city attorney advised there was no legal basis to force a recusal, and Mitchell did not step aside. He was one of five finalists and put his own name on his ballot. On the first ballot June 22 he drew two votes. In the runoff his support, including his own vote, moved to Robert Harrington, who won 6–5.
Mitchell played a central role in shaping the MPTA board appointment timeline and rules, has been involved in zoning decisions on density and displacement across Charlotte's growth corridors, and was a principal voice in the 2026 citywide street-vending regulation debate.
Mitchell sits on the council’s economic development committee and serves as an alternate to the regional transportation planning board.
In our reporting · 20 stories
Charlotte's I-77 Bill Is $69,577,547.67
The state's claim against Charlotte for walking away from the I-77 South toll lanes is $69,577,547.67, and the money would come out of the fund the city has already programmed for its next affordable housing and public facilities bonds. Council votes Monday on whether to reinstate support, which would erase the bill. The city's own two figures for Charlotte's share have not been reconciled on the record.
Rob Harrington Is Sworn In as Charlotte's Mayor. He Has 18 Months.
Robert "Rob" Harrington took the oath of office Wednesday morning as Charlotte's mayor, ending the succession that began with Vi Lyles's resignation. The Robinson Bradshaw attorney, who has never held elected office, has 18 months, three self-declared lenses, and a docket the council was already carrying.
Charlotte City Council Names Robert Harrington, Its Next Mayor
After a runoff decided by a single vote, the City Council chose Robert Harrington, a Robinson Bradshaw attorney who has never held elected office, as Charlotte's next mayor. He beat civic leader Carrie Cook 6 to 5 and will succeed Vi Lyles on July 1.
The Five Finalists for Charlotte Mayor, in Their Own Words
The council interviewed five finalists for interim mayor on June 18 and set the appointment vote for Monday. Here is how each got on the ballot, what they told council about running meetings, the I-77 tolls, and the airport, and how the June 22 vote will work.
A Member of the Council Will Help Pick the Next Mayor. He Is Also Running for the Job.
Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell Jr. applied for the interim mayor seat the council will fill, and he can vote for himself. Council members raised a conflict; the city attorney ruled there is no legal basis for recusal, citing the Patsy Kinsey precedent. The question of whether Mitchell should be excused was left unresolved.
Charlotte's Next Mayor Won't Be Elected. More Than 100 People Applied for the Job Anyway.
More than 100 people applied to be Charlotte's next mayor, and about 30 made their case in person at a June 15 council forum. The next mayor will be appointed, not elected, by 11 council members, with a vote targeted for June 22.
Charlotte Moves to Regulate Street Vending Citywide. The Split Was Over Whether Repeat Offenders Should Face a Criminal Charge.
A Charlotte City Council committee voted 4-1 to keep exploring a criminal-penalty option for repeat street-vending offenders and unanimously advanced citywide vending regulation, sending both to the full council. Three members said they were uneasy about attaching a criminal charge to selling on a sidewalk.
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.
A Budget Hearing, an I-77 Reset, Data Centers — and the Question Malcolm Graham Wouldn't Answer
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's first formal floor discussion of data centers. Council Member Malcolm Graham, who chairs the budget committee, was asked twice on television Sunday whether he is a candidate to fill Mayor Vi Lyles's seat after she steps down June 30. Both times he answered with the public hearing.
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.
A 2.5-Million-Square-Foot Data Center Is Going Up off University City Boulevard.
The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Meanwhile a 2.5-million-square-foot, 300-megawatt data center campus is going up at 10800 University City Boulevard, and under Charlotte's current zoning, the council had no role in approving it.
Charlotte Council Approves Both Faith in Housing Rezonings.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield, the architect of Charlotte's Faith in Housing initiative, voted against a Faith in Housing petition Monday night. Both rezonings passed. The second carried on the bare minimum: six yes votes, no mayor in the chair.
Charlotte City Council Passes First Post-Sales-Tax Transit Budget, Sends Street Vending Back to Committee
The first CATS budget built on the new 1% sales tax totals $571.7 million. Council rejected criminalizing street vendors. Staff recommended thirteen of eighteen housing trust fund proposals. The Stellar Awards are coming, but the city's check is not.
Charlotte City Council Approves $4.3M Transit Authority Start-Up, Advances Infrastructure Contracts, Defers Gateway Station Parking Lease
Council approved $4.3M for a new transit authority start-up and major infrastructure contracts, while deferring a Gateway Station parking lease and a Norland Road path item.
Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting, Dec. 15: Displacement Vote, Brookhill Overlay, TOD Disputes, and Growth Pressures
Charlotte's last zoning meeting mixed holiday cheer with hard votes on displacement, traffic, TOD, and school crowding. Here is what passed, what failed, and why it matters.
What The Mayor Pro Tem Vote Reveals About Charlotte's New City Council
On swearing-in night, a failed motion for one Mayor Pro Tem and a 9–3 vote for another gave Charlotte its first look at how this new City Council may sort itself into factions.
Mecklenburg County 2025 Election Results: Transit Tax Passes, Democrats Sweep Charlotte City Council and School Board
Mecklenburg County voters approved a landmark transit tax, re‑elected Mayor Vi Lyles, and delivered a clean sweep for Democrats on the council and school board in Charlotte's 2025 municipal election.
Charlotte's $19B Transit Tax Vote: Federal Shutdown and NC Redistricting Set the Stakes
Federal shutdown hits day 34 as Charlotte votes on $19B transit tax. How Washington chaos, Raleigh redistricting, and local politics collide three weeks before Election Day.
District 3 flips to Joi Mayo, District 5 likely recount, and a campaign reshaped by Iryna Zarutska killing
Joi Mayo ousts Tiawana Brown in District 3, District 5 heads toward a recount, and safety on Charlotte Blue Line becomes a central test for November.