Mayor Vi Lyles tells council she won’t leave until replacement is picked

CHARLOTTE — There’s a chance June won’t be Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles’ final month in office after all.

ALSO READ: Mayor Vi Lyles addresses resignation for the first time at city council meeting

In an email to Charlotte City Councilmembers on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Lyles said she will remain as mayor until her successor has been appointed.

“I previously communicated that my final day would be June 30,” Mayor Lyles said in the email, which was obtained by Channel 9. “However, during the process of recruiting and appointing the next mayor, I will remain in my official capacity as Mayor until my successor has been appointed.”

Charlotte City Council plans to open applications for the interim mayor position on June 2. The current process calls for applications to close on June 9 and the interim mayor to be chosen on June 22.

With Lyles saying she will remain as mayor until a successor is named, that prevents Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell from serving as acting mayor in the event of Lyles’ June 30 resignation without a replacement.

Breaking: Mayor Vi Lyles has told Charlotte City Councilmembers she will stay as mayor until a successor is named.

If council can't come to an agreement, June may not be her last month after all.

Charlotte City Council is opening applications for interim mayor on June 2. The… pic.twitter.com/7YujDrGufd
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 28, 2026

Mitchell is seeking the interim mayor position.

There are no Charlotte City Council meetings currently scheduled for July. But if council needed to extend the interim mayor search in July, special meetings could be called.

If the process goes according to plan and a majority of councilmembers can agree on an interim mayor, the interim mayor will be sworn in on July 1.