CHARLOTTE — As Charlotte City Council members try to pass a budget, weigh the future of Interstate 77 tolls, and debate a moratorium on data centers, they will have to make another big call. Who should serve as interim mayor when Vi Lyles departs?
[ READ MORE: Vi Lyles to end run as Charlotte mayor ]
Lyles announced on Thursday that she is resigning, effective June 30.
Council members have different priorities when it comes to who should serve in this important role.
Monday night will be one of the final meetings for Lyles. The people she is leaving behind will be tasked with picking her successor.
Lyles said she is stepping down to spend more time with her family.
State law requires that a person be a Democrat since that is Lyles’ party. But otherwise Charlotte City Council can look inside or outside the building to find someone to serve as mayor for the remainder of her term.
Councilman Malcolm Graham says he is prioritizing someone who can lead right away.
“My only hope is that we identify someone who is interested in doing the job,” Graham said. “It is a job. It is a lot of work, not someone who simply wants to hold a position.”
Charlotte City Council has found itself in this position before.
In 2013, city leaders appointed Patsy Kinsey, a councilmember at the time, to serve the remainder of Anthony Foxx’s term when he joined the Obama administration.
In 2014, Charlotte City Council opted for an outsider, then state Sen. Dan Clodfelter, to serve as mayor after Patrick Cannon resigned amid a bribery scandal.
District 6 Councilmember Kimberly Owens says she doesn’t have a preference yet.
“Somebody who put the people first. Somebody who is not egocentric, and somebody who can show me that they can do the job, rather than just tell me they can do the job,” Owens said.
District 5 Council Member JD Mazuera Arias also wants someone who is in touch with the community.
“We need to find that balance between helping our corporate partners but also balancing the demands and wants of our residents in the city of Charlotte,” he said.
“Mayor Lyles has been a bastion in our city for decades,” said District 1 Council member Danté Anderson said in a statement. “She literally dedicated her career to helping the Queen City grow and thrive through pivotal moments in our city’s history. It has been an honor to serve with her and as mayor pro tem during her mayoral tenure.
“As we prepare to appoint an interim, we must continue to lead and manage through some big topics before the city. The work cannot stop.
“We have to ensure the priorities and objectives the city advances for the benefit of all the residents who call Charlotte home. We will get through this moment together.”
Council members often ask their appointees to pledge not to run for the position, but nothing legally prevents them from doing so.
Clodfelter ran for mayor after he was appointed in 2014.