Vi Lyles announced Thursday morning that she would not finish her fifth as Charlotte mayor. She said she would step down June 30th – just seven months after she won re-election.
In a statement, the 73-year-old mayor said, "it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward."
But behind the scenes, there had been increasing concern in the Government Center about Lyles’ ability to do the job due to her age and health. WFAE’s political reporter Steve Harrison joined All Things Considered host Nick de la Canal to talk about a huge day in Charlotte politics, and what we know about the mayor's resignation.
Nick: Steve, the mayor just won two more years in office, and now she is stepping down. You reported earlier this morning that it’s seemed harder and harder for her to do the job as mayor. Is that the main reason for this announcement?
Steve: From my reporting, that is most of what is driving this.
Here is a good example of what’s been happening in the Government Center. The city charter calls for the mayor to preside over all meetings.
And for the last two years or so, the mayor has essentially quit doing part of her job, which is presiding over the monthly zoning meetings. She started leaving early, and in the last year or so, she has stopped coming altogether. By my count, she has attended zoning meetings only twice since 2024 … and that was when there was other business on the agenda, like naming a new District 6 council member.
Nick: OK. And as I understand it, the mayor had outsourced the job of running the zoning meetings, first to Democrat Dante Anderson and then Republican Ed Driggs. But there have been other signs something was off?
Steve: Yes, over the past few months, I have been getting a number of calls from council members, community leaders, business leaders. They were concerned as to whether the mayor was up for the job. They said she could be unsteady in public appearances when she went off script. They said she could appear confused.
And I know this is sensitive. And obviously, I'm not a doctor, I don't have special insight into her health. But here is how she opened a recent council meeting:
"Good afternoon, everyone, good morning, and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for being here. Good evening. I think it’s evening, but you can never tell in this weather …"
And when she and other city leaders were brought to Raleigh in February for a legislative hearing on crime, she was unsteady — even when asked an easy question by a fellow Democrat about the impact of sporting events on uptown.
"Right now the Hornets are going on a eight people, I think eight times, nine times, oh, they are up to nine. When you think about this, pretty soon one of the things we’re going to have is the Hornets are going to give the what do you call the thing you wear? No, I’m just joking. The jersey is going to be for Dell, Dell …(someone speaks for her) Curry. He’s going to be given our leadership, we’ll give him the key to the city. And you start doing things like that, the more people come, the people want to be uptown. And the biggest thing we have done is focus on safety uptown."
And again, you don’t have to be a great speaker to be mayor. But there were other events in which the mayor struggled, like this year’s Center City Vision Awards, and people started to notice.
Nick: And you tried to speak to the mayor about this recently?
Steve: I did. I tried to interview her Monday in a conference room before the regular City Council meeting. It’s a very informal space, and for years, reporters have been able to interview anyone there — elected officials, staff members.
I told the mayor I had a sensitive question and that people were asking me whether she was going to finish her term. She laughed and said she would make that decision when it was time.
Then her top assistant, Kay Cunningham, escorted her away. I tried to talk to her again, and then a CMPD officer escorted her away and said she would not talk.
After that, I asked the city directly for a statement or an interview by Wednesday. They didn't reply, and we were ready to air a story on this Thursday.
Nick: And then the mayor announced her resignation Thursday.
Steve: Right. Now, to be sure, my reporting shows that there had been a closely-held plan among the mayor and city manager Marcus Jones for her to step down at some point and not finish her term. But I think they probably accelerated that process this week after WFAE asked specifically about it.
Nick: OK, let’s step back a bit and talk about Mayor Lyles and what she accomplished.
Lyles was the first Black woman to become Charlotte’s mayor when she was elected in 2017.
That was right after the HB2 controversy, and she had surprised incumbent Mayor Jennifer Roberts in the Democratic primary and then easily won the general election.
She is now the city’s second-longest serving mayor after Pat McCrory, who was in office for 14 years.
And before that, Lyles had worked for the city in the budget office for almost her entire career. She became an assistant city manager.
It’s safe to say there are few people who have given more to the city of Charlotte than Vi Lyles.
Nick: So her whole career has been in public service. As mayor, what are her biggest accomplishments?
Steve: I think you have to start with the transportation sales tax that Mecklenburg County voters approved last year, which will pay for a multi-billion-dollar plan to build roads, trains and expand bus service.
The mayor has been working on this for most of the decade: Trying to build consensus in Raleigh, and there were times when the whole concept looked completely dead. But the mayor… with help from the business community … got GOP lawmakers on board, and then voters said yes to the tax. That will be her biggest legacy.
Nick: But there are others.
Steve: Yes. Affordable housing was very important to the mayor, and under her tenure, the city’s Housing Trust Fund has grown significantly. She also launched the $250 million Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, a public-private partnership to improve Johnson C. Smith University, among other focus areas.
Nick: OK. let’s switch gears. Charlotte will need a new mayor now. What’s next?
Steve: The City Council will pick an interim. And I think it’s going to be difficult for any current council member to get the necessary six votes. One reason is that the 2027 mayoral election is now wide open, with as many as five council members thinking about running. No one wants to give a possible competitor a leg up.
Nick: So the council could pick someone from the outside? That’s allowed, right?
It is. When Patrick Cannon resigned in 2014, council members named state Sen. Dan Clodfleter as interim.
So you could have an outsider, perhaps someone one from the business community like Frank Emory, the former chief attorney for Novant. Although he might have to step down as vice chair of the new transit authority.
And there is former City Council member Greg Phipps, who has been elected an interim council member before. He’s a nice guy and well liked.
And — most important — not a threat to anyone who wants to be mayor in 2027.
