Charlotte Election 2023: City council and mayor
Charlotte Election 2023: City council and mayor
All the info you need to cast an informed vote
Welcome to the Charlotte Ledger Election Hub for the 2023 general election.
◼️ This page contains information on the races for Charlotte City Council and Charlotte mayor.
You can find information on other items on the ballot — the school board race and the school bonds referendum — on our general Election Hub page.
In 2023, Charlotte voters will choose representatives for:
4 at-large council seats (elected by entire city)
7 district seats (only two of these seats have more than one candidate running)
Many of the city of Charlotte races were effectively decided in the September 2023 primary election.
The most competitive race city race on November’s ballot is expected to be the rematch in south Charlotte’s District 6 between incumbent Republican Tariq Bokhari and Democrat Stephanie Hand. (Skip to that by clicking here.)
(Profiles were researched and written by Sucharita Kodali and edited by Tony Mecia. Video footage of candidates filmed in partnership with the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce and Charlotte Public Relations.)
You can find out more about The Charlotte Ledger and subscribe to our newsletters here.
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Charlotte Ledger City Council candidate questionnaires
City Council District 6 (south Charlotte)
Other City Council candidate questionnaires
Charlotte Observer (note: most of The Observer’s election information is behind a paywall)
🎧 Quick 10-minute Charlotte Ledger podcast on City Council races
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Mayor of Charlotte
Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, is seeking her 4th term. She is facing Republican Misun Kim and Libertarian Rob Yates.
Democrat Vi Lyles
Lyles is running for her fourth term as mayor. She is the first Black woman to be mayor of Charlotte. She won 77% and 68% of the vote respectively in the last two elections. In a WSOC interview, she said her priority is “creating safe and livable neighborhoods that provide opportunities for employment and efficient transportation to and from those jobs.” Before being elected to the City Council in 2013, she worked as a city employee for nearly 30 years and rose to become budget director. She has supported city improvement bonds, an expanded light rail and job growth. Lyles has her bachelor’s degree from Queens University and an MPA from UNC Chapel Hill. (Age 71, incumbent)
Republican Misun Kim:
Kim is a local entrepreneur and immigrant from Korea. In an interview with the Charlotte Ledger, she says she is running to “give back” for all the education and good fortune that the U.S. gave her. She feels that Lyles has been in office for 3 terms, which is “too long” and that a fresh set of eyes is needed. She says that if elected she will “reanalyze the budget” and pick contractors to save the city money. She says she also wants to bring high-tech companies to Charlotte. She says, “It’s time for Charlotte to be a rich city.” She has no prior experience serving in public office and this appears to be her first time running for a role. (Age 61)
Libertarian Rob Yates
Yates has lived in Charlotte for more than 14 years and is running because he believes that Charlotte has succumbed to “the worst perils of city government.” He cites the CMS clear backpack fiasco and says the board was “playing hungry-hungry-hippos to pick superintendents” (though he recognizes that the Board of Education operates independently from the mayor). He also cites problems with high housing prices and crime. On his website, he mentions affordable housing, the need to reduce waste in public transportation, public safety and upward mobility as the biggest problems facing Charlotte. He says he believes in the libertarian ideals of “don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff.” He is a graduate of George Mason University and has an MBA from Wake Forest. Yates is involved with the non-profits the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He does not have prior experience in public office. (Approx age early 40s)
City Council At-Large — 4 seats
There are 4 seats for representatives elected by the entire city. Incumbent Democrats up for re-election are Dimple Ajmera, James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr. and LaWana Slack-Mayfield.
Victoria Watlington, a Democrat who now serves as District 3 representative, is running at-large this year.
Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore II is also on the ballot. There are no Republicans running.
Democrat Dimple Ajmera:
Ajmera has served on the city council since 2017 and received the highest number of votes in the last 2 council elections (September 2023 and July 2022). The top three issues she lists on her website that are of importance to her are public safety, sustainable infrastructure and affordable housing. In an email to the Ledger, she said restoring “trust in our public transportation” is the one of the things she’d like to tackle first in a new council term. She ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2020. She voted to approve the controversial Unified Development Ordinance from last August (it allows denser housing in single-family neighborhoods). She is the first Asian-American on the Charlotte City Council and named one of her daughters “Charlotte.” She is a former accountant and now works full-time with the city council. (Age 37, incumbent)
Read Dimple Ajmera’s responses to our questions.
Democrat LaWana Slack-Mayfield:
Mayfield is a city council incumbent, having been the District 3 rep from 2011-18. She is now an at-large member. She says she is running again because there is still “work to do.” She said in an interview with The Charlotte Ledger that Charlotte has become segregated and the success of the city hasn’t been evenly distributed. She mentions stable property values, smart economic growth and strong community safety as the key issues on her website. In an email to the Ledger, she said that large businesses in particular should “pay their fair share for our infrastructure needs.” She has served on a number of local boards including National League of Cities and LGBTQ+ Local Officials. She has been among the first candidates to respond to all our outreach efforts. (Age 54, incumbent)
Read LaWana Slack-Mayfield’s responses to our questions.
Democrat James "Smuggie" Mitchell Jr.:
Mitchell has been a long-time council member (for many years representing District 2 and now an at-large member). He is an advocate of affordable housing and says his two “babies” are Park at Oak Lawn and Seigle Point, which are mixed-income developments that address some of the affordable housing issues in those neighborhoods while supporting upward mobility for residents. He stepped down from the council in 2021 because he acquired an ownership interest in a city construction contractor, R.J. Leeper Construction, but he won election again in 2022, and that issue appears to be resolved. He is married to astronaut Joan Higginbotham, the 3rd African-American woman to travel to space. (Age 61, incumbent)
Democrat Victoria Watlington:
Watlington is an engineer and has been on the city council serving District 3 (West Charlotte/Steele Creek area) since 2019. On her website, she lists strong neighborhoods (“Re-Imagining Policing Framework”), engaged community leaders (amplification of District 3 on the city planning commission), a connected city (about congestion mitigation) and opportunity for all (investments in local neighborhoods for job creation). In an email to the Ledger, she said, “We cannot build our way to affordable housing” but that there is potentially a solution to work with regional partners for employment centers and transportation. Watlington was one of four council members who voted against the Unified Development Ordinance from last August (it allowed for denser housing in single-family neighborhoods); she wanted an amendment to the UDO which had an “anti-displacement strategy.” She attended the University of Florida with a full academic scholarship and has a Ph.D. in infrastructure and environmental systems from UNC Charlotte. (Age 36, incumbent)
Read Victoria Watlington’s responses to our questions.
Libertarian Steven J. DiFiore II:
DiFiore is from upstate New York but has lived in Charlotte since attending UNC Charlotte. Online searches reveal that he was a “lighting controls specialist” in his past and is now the recording secretary for Mecklenburg Country’s Libertarian Party. The top issues listed on his website are housing and zoning, transportation and public safety. He appears to be an opponent of taxes for things like the symphony or a pro football stadium, as they are things not all taxpayers may enjoy. In an email to the Ledger, he said that public assistance for low-income residents in the form of vouchers that could be used for any apartment would alleviate “poverty traps.” He has run unsuccessfully for public office in the past: the City Council in 2017 and governor in 2019. He believes focusing on small business development and leaving companies alone otherwise (i.e. no minimum wage). He cites former Congressman Ron Paul as his inspiration. (Age 39)
Read Steven J. DiFiore II’s responses to our questions.
District council races
Six council members are elected by district. Here's the map. (If you're unsure which district you're in, check your registration and sample ballot here.)
District 1 — Dilworth, Plaza-Midwood, Myers Park area
Democrat Danté Anderson is running for a second term. She has no opposition.
Anderson lists an opportunity to earn a livable wage, access to affordable housing and safe communities as the issues on her website. She grew up in District 1 in Charlotte and says she was “reared in public housing.” She has a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She lists her current job as a VP of IT. (Age 50, incumbent)
District 2 — the northern part of Charlotte including Wesley Heights
Democrat Malcolm Graham, who served on council from 1999-2005 and 2019-present, has no opposition in the general election.
Graham is the District 2 incumbent and has been a long-time council member. He is a former member of the N.C. Senate. The issues he lists on his site are community development and revitalization, public safety and police reform, affordable housing, racism and racial justice. He attended Johnson C. Smith University on a tennis scholarship. He is from Charleston, S.C., and lost his sister in the mass shooting at Mother Emanual AME church in Charleston in 2015. He voted in favor of the UDO from last August. Graham did not respond to multiple outreach efforts by the Ledger. (Age 60, Incumbent)
District 3 — the west side
There's no incumbent in District 3. Democrat Tiawana Deling Brown faces Republican James H. Bowers.
Democrat Tiawana Deling Brown
Brown mentions increasing affordable housing on her site, as well as improving transportation and workforce development opportunities. She was born in District 3 and is the founder of the nonprofit Beauty After the Bars, which aims to keep women, girls and youth out of prison. She served a 5-year sentence in a federal prison in West Virginia (the same one where Martha Stewart served) for fraud charges and gave birth to her youngest daughter there. She ran for the District 3 seat in 2022 and lost to Victoria Watlington by fewer than 500 votes. Brown said she would respond to the Ledger’s questions but did not. (Age 52, Democrat, Black)
Republican James H. Bowers
Bowers says he is a “conservative Republican and committed Christian husband.” He has lived in Charlotte for 35 years and has been employed in a number of business roles, including sales, finance and project management. Bowers lists safe neighborhoods, affordable housing, economic development and transparency on his website as his top issues of concern. He is an advocate of a “strong and well-funded, well prepared law enforcement agency.” He believes that there is a need to address “low level lawlessness” in District 3 and that city leaders must be held accountable for “frivolous spending.” He is a published author and said he has “served for 5 years on the Charlotte Motor Vehicle Review Board.” (Age ~66)
District 4 — northeastern Charlotte
Incumbent Democrat Renee Perkins Johnson is running for a third term in District 4. She faces no opposition.
Johnson is a former Realtor and currently the incumbent from District 4. On her website she says that she is “a voice for Charlotte’s most vulnerable residents.” She thinks that Ballantyne, for instance, should offer more affordable housing. While she opposed the UDO, she evidently was not present during the meeting for the vote. She often is at odds with the mayor; she won the September primary despite one of her opponents being endorsed by the mayor (fewer than 4,000 voters participated in that primary). (Age 56, incumbent)
District 5 — east Charlotte
Democratic incumbent Marjorie Molina is seeking a second term. She has no opposition.
Molina is the incumbent in District 5 and lists earning a living wage, access to affordable housing and having a safe community as key issues on her website. She is fluent in Spanish and was an organizer for the Clinton campaign in 2016. (Age 43, incumbent)
District 6 — south Charlotte surrounding SouthPark Mall
Incumbent Republican Tariq Scott Bokhari, who has served on the council since 2017, is facing Democrat Stephanie Hand in a rematch of last year’s election, which Bokhari won 51%-49%.
News articles:
“Bokhari, Hand clash on panhandling in District 6 council rematch” (Observer)
“Has City Council candidate Stephanie Hand actually ‘run airports’?” (Ledger)
🎧 Worth a listen: “District 6 candidates discuss CATS, quality of life, more” (WFAE’s Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins)
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Republican Tariq Scott Bokhari
Bokhari has been on the city council since 2017. The key issues listed on his site are jobs, roads and public safety. His name rhymes with “park.” He’s one of two Republicans on the 11-member council. Bokhari, executive director of the Carolina Fintech Hub, is outspoken and has been described as “Charlotte’s most controversial city council member” who has publicly criticized other council members and has given on-the-record profanity-filled interviews — though WFAE notes that in the last year or so he “has toned it down.” Bokhari voted against the August 2022 UDO. He says he offers a “diversity of perspective” on the council. In an email to The Ledger, he said that one of the urgent issues is “to stop homelessness and panhandling” and to support those on the streets because they are “not getting the actual help they need.” (Age 43, incumbent)
Read Tariq Bokhari’s responses to our questions.
Democrat Stephanie Hand
This is Hand’s second run against Bokhari, and she had already raised tens of thousands by mid-August. She is a former manager in the airport hospitality industry and calls herself a “coalition builder.” She has said she is running because voters are tired of name-calling and want leaders to work together. Bokhari has criticized her for failing to take positions on issues. Hand’s top priorities listed on her website include economic development, affordable housing, community safety and infrastructure. (Age 56)
Read Stephanie Hand’s responses to our questions.
District 7 — southeastern Charlotte including Ballantyne
Republican incumbent Ed Driggs, who has served since 2013, has no opposition.
Driggs is one of two Republicans on the city council (he represents the conservative Ballantyne area) and has been on the council since 2013. He is now in his 5th term and ran uncontested the last 2 elections. He says one of his goals is to avoid tax increases. He voted against the UDO in 2022. He chairs the council’s transportation and planning committee and is occasionally drawn into rezoning controversies in his district. Driggs did not respond to any Ledger outreach. (Early 70s, incumbent)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative