Mayor Lyles, council members refute corruption claims
A quick overview and observations about this week's high drama at City Hall
The following article appeared in the May 9, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Understanding this week’s City Hall meltdown; rare public debate over ‘illegal activities’ and corruption
Mayor Vi Lyles and five council members, plus interim City Attorney Anthony Fox (right), rebutted a colleague’s charges of unspecified corruption and “illegal activities” in city government at a press conference on Wednesday.
It’s been several days of high drama this week around City Hall.
Having trouble figuring out what the fuss is about? Here’s the quick version, or at least as succinct as we are able to write it:
Conflict with police chief: Media reports from WSOC and WFAE on Friday and Monday say the City Council, in closed session last week, discussed settling a potential lawsuit from police Chief Johnny Jennings, who was upset about text messages sent last year by former council member Tariq Bokhari that threatened to derail Jennings’ career if Jennings didn’t allow offers to wear outer protective vests.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Charlotte Ledger to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.