LaWana Slack-Mayfield

Charlotte Council Just Tied 5-5 on Data Center Rules. Three Things South Charlotte Should Know.

Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to schedule a public hearing on a temporary data center moratorium. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Three things south Charlotte should know about by-right zoning, the basin-wide drought, and District 3's position.

Charlotte Council's June 23 Marathon: ADA Pride, Annexations & A Testy Street-Vending Showdown

From an ADA Pride Day proclamation to a fiery debate over street vending, here's everything that happened at Charlotte City Council's June 23 meeting, plus what it means for Ballantyne residents

Edwin Peacock Wins Council Seat, Thanks to One Mayor and Zero Yard Signs

Edwin Peacock won Charlotte's District 6 seat after a 5-5 council tie and one decisive mayoral vote. No one else even showed up.

What's a World-Class City Worth?

Testimony turns into theatre as Charlotte residents, teens, and councilmembers square off in a budget battle that's part sermon, part spreadsheet, and all politics.

Ten-Minute Neighborhoods, Five-Hour Meetings: Charlotte's 2040 Plan Runs Into Reality

Charlotte's 2040 community area plans aim to fix the past and forecast the future. But critics say they're still coloring outside the lines.

Hidden Valley Residents Push Back as Charlotte's Zoning Debates Heat Up

Residents fight rezoning in Hidden Valley, UDO faces harsh criticism, and economic growth sparks debate. Charlotte zoning tensions are at a boiling point. 🌆🏠 #BallantyneNews

Charlotte City Council Names Robert Harrington, Its Next Mayor

After a runoff decided by a single vote, the City Council chose Robert Harrington, a Robinson Bradshaw attorney who has never held elected office, as Charlotte's next mayor. He beat civic leader Carrie Cook 6 to 5 and will succeed Vi Lyles on July 1.

The Five Finalists for Charlotte Mayor, in Their Own Words

The council interviewed five finalists for interim mayor on June 18 and set the appointment vote for Monday. Here is how each got on the ballot, what they told council about running meetings, the I-77 tolls, and the airport, and how the June 22 vote will work.

Charlotte City Council votes unanimously for 150-day data center moratorium

Charlotte's city council voted unanimously Monday to pause all new data center and telecommunications facility approvals for 150 days, giving staff time to develop regulations the council says current city policy cannot provide.

A 49-Unit Faith in Housing Petition Reached Public Hearing at Council Monday

Mission City Church, Freedom Communities, and the True Homes Foundation walked Charlotte City Council through their 49-townhome affordable-housing petition Monday night. The 5.38-acre Faith in Housing rezoning is petition 2025-027 in District 2 — all units sold (not rented), House Charlotte eligible, with a seven-year deed restriction. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield used the floor for what is now her third public Faith in Housing argument of 2026: the program label, she said, is not "an automatic check."

Manufacturing Land Near Woodlawn Station Just Became TOD-NC

The Charlotte City Council on Monday rezoned a 0.16-acre Verbena Street parcel from ML-2 (manufacturing and logistics) to TOD-NC, 7-2. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Council Member Renée Johnson voted no — not on the parcel, on the trajectory it represents. Council Member Victoria Watlington voted yes but asked staff to map Charlotte's remaining manufacturing-zoned acreage.

Charlotte Council Deferred a Conventional Rezoning 5-4 Monday. Renée Johnson Led the Opposition.

Council Member Renée Johnson pulled petition 2025-136 — a conventional rezoning at 1800 West Sugar Creek Road by Larry Cooper — off the consent agenda Monday, citing her standing concern about conventional petitions filed without site plans. The 5-4 vote that followed fell short of the majority needed for approval. The council then unanimously deferred the petition.

Brendan Maginnis Offers to Serve as Interim Mayor

Brendan K. Maginnis, the runner-up in Charlotte's September 2025 Democratic mayoral primary, has volunteered for the interim mayor appointment — from Copenhagen, where his family moved in January, and with a demographic-counter argument the Mercury did not solicit. By his count — initially approximately 46, revised to 44 in a follow-up email — none of those Democratic elected officials representing Charlotte at various levels are white males. The pitch collides with Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP President Corine Mack's public call for the council to elevate the Mayor Pro Tem rather than install a placeholder.

Charlotte Council Passed an I-77 Resolution Monday Night. Then Came the Vote That Actually Mattered.