Public records update: Charlotte pays interim city attorney same salary

City of Charlotte delayed releasing employment agreement for nearly seven weeks, while county and CMS provide rapid responses

The following article appeared in the Feb. 7, 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.

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Public records updates: New interim city attorney to be paid same salary as ousted city attorney; ⚡️ fast response by county, CMS

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

It’s time once again for our regular feature, “Public Records Update,” our quasi-regular feature in which we take you behind the curtain and share how your local governments are responding (or not responding) to legit and reasonable requests to provide records as required by state law.

In the ongoing city of Charlotte city attorney saga, we’re starting to get a little more light on some of the financial arrangements — nearly two months after we started seeking details.

Devoted readers will recall that the city council and Mayor Vi Lyles forced out City Attorney Patrick Baker in December, for unexplained reasons, and voted to replace him on a temporary basis with Anthony Fox (who is not the former mayor of the same name). Fox, a partner at law firm Parker Poe, had been hired by the city to negotiate the terms of Baker’s departure and also happens to be a former political donor to Lyles and other local politicians.