Good afternoon and welcome everyone.

As the mayor pro tem, I will call this meeting to order and ask for introduction beginning with our city clerk.

Billy Tons, Deputy City Clerk.

Andrea Leslie Fight, City Attorney.

Good afternoon, Victoria Watlington.

I have the pleasure of serving you as a member at large.

Joy Mayo representing district three.

Kimberly Owens representing District 6.

Malcolm Graham, district two at Driggs, District 7.

Good afternoon, Lawana Mayfield, Councilmember at large.

Good afternoon, JD Masueta Adias District 5.

Renee Johnson, and I have the honor of serving District 4.

Thanks, everyone.

At this time, I will step away and allow the council to elect a chair pro tem.

Is there a motion to appoint a chair pro tem?

I will take it.

Council member may be motion to appoint Councilmember Graham.

Is there a second?

Second by Councilmember Wattlington.

All those in favor, let me know.

Okay.

I'm gonna turn it over now to Chair Pro Tim, Councilman Graham.

Good afternoon, everyone.

The interview form is part of the city council's process for filling the vacancy of the Office of the Mayor.

Each interview interviewer will be asked a series of questions by the city council, and each uh interview will also address city council and the public when responding.

No appointment decision will be made today.

The city council will consider the appointment of the next mayor pro mayor at a public future meeting on next week.

At this point, I would like to turn the meeting over to the city clerk and the city attorney where they will review the procedure for today.

Thank you, Chair Pro Tim Graham.

Um, by way of background, the ballots for nominations were provided to council members on Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 at 12 noon.

The ballot showing council members' nominations of up to three nominees were returned to the clerk's office.

Results were tallied, and based on the nominations, the top five nominees from all council members were contacted for interviews.

The top five nominees, I will read them at this time, and this is not in order of the top vote, but rather in alphabetical order.

They are as follows.

Harold Cogdell, Carrie Cook, Robert Robert Harringson, excuse me, James Mitchell Jr., and Senator Caleb Theodres.

At this time, each of the interviewees have been, uh their names have been placed into a cup.

And at the time of the interview, they will be called forward based upon random drawing by Madam Clerk, Mr.

Chair Pro Tem.

And so at this time, as you can see, there is a table placed at the center of the room.

Each interviewee will see will be seated there, and the council members will have an opportunity to ask questions.

You all will have an opportunity to select one question from the compilation of questions that you all came up with individually, and we just ask that you would stick with the same question for each interview.

Do not deviate, please, from that from that list of questions and simply stick with the same question with candidate one through five.

Okay.

Otherwise, I'll turn it back over to you, Mr.

Chair Pro Tim.

Any questions for the city attorney?

I recognize uh uh councilmember Wallington.

Thank you.

Just for clarity, the question that we picked does not have to necessarily be one we initiated.

That is correct, as long as you stick with the same question throughout the process.

Thank you.

Councilmember J D.

Thank you, Chair Pro Tem.

So just to clarify, out of all the lists here, it doesn't have to be the summary question, but it can be any of the questions.

Great question, Councilmember Masueta Adias.

Uh, the summary question was an overview or a compilation of the the themes of questions, but and each candidate received the the summary question.

They did not receive the individual questions, but you should choose from the individual questions listed below.

Thank you, madam attorney.

No further questions.

Any further questions for the city attorney or the city clerk?

Councilmember Mayfield.

Thank you, Councilmember Graham's.

Are we going to ask all of the candidates to step across the room so that we have the opportunity based on the number that our clerk pulls?

So all of them will be advised to step.

Right across.

Thank you for that.

Yes, the candidates will be placed in a separate room without screens so that the questions will remain.

They will remain sequestered during the process.

Okay.

All right.

Again, each uh candidate will sit at the table facing the council.

Council members will have the opportunity to ask questions of each um candidate.

At the conclusion of the questions, each candidate will be provided a one minute to address the city council and the public to provide any additional comments that they want city council to know regarding their application to be mayor.

We're going to try to limit each session to 30 minutes.

When your five minutes is up, I will uh let you know for sure.

Furnish your thoughts.

We're not gonna cut you off mid-centence, but finish your thoughts, and then your time will be over.

Okay.

All right.

The quorum, again, we ask the members of the audience to sit and listen quietly.

Uh this is the council's time to hear questions and answers from the potential candidates.

Council members, I hope that you will govern yourself accordingly in terms of the rules that we put in place in reference to the questions uh and uh have one question on the floor at a time directed to the temporary chair who will acknowledge members um to to speak.

Um lastly, there may be a some two decision points that we have to make after all the candidates have um given their presentation.

Those are relatively uh um process questions for for the council as we approach Monday night, but uh I think we should all be on the same page once we leave the meeting.

So before we ask the candidates to excuse themselves, are there any questions for the attorney?

Is there any questions that someone want to raise for the council?

So at this time, we're gonna ask the candidates uh to um leave the room.

Uh and then um, matter of fact, it might be the first time Madam Clerk to draw the first name so that person can actually stay.

So, let's see who's gonna be the first.

Be with us.

Got that.

Thanks.

Who is the staff person is going to that?

Okay.

Caleb through Drose.

Senator, come forward.

Thanks, thanks to everyone.

We'll see you shortly.

Random order.

Welcome to the Charlotte City Council meeting.

Uh, this is a special meeting to hear from you questions that many of my colleagues ask about your candidacy to be the uh temporary mayor of the city of Charlotte for the next 18 months.

You have 30 minutes.

Um, there will be a five-minute warning, a one-minute warning.

Uh, when that one minute is up, you have a minute to make any closing remarks to the council.

Welcome again.

The floor is open for questions.

Thank you.

Okay.

Council member.

Okay.

Thank you, madam attorney.

And welcome and congratulations.

I'll get right into the questions.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as mayor?

And how would you address those concerns?

Additionally, what strengths and experiences do you believe make you well suited for this role?

Yeah.

Excuse me.

Uh, and thank you, council members, for having me here and for the questions.

Um, I think part of it, uh it's a question I've gotten is obviously a term of age.

Um, you know, a question I've gotten, 32 years old.

Um, so how's it possible for somebody 32 to kind of come into this process and really help council?

Um, and to that, I think there are different ways to measure experience.

I think uh a lot of you all have seen me especially come up within city politics, um, but to also apply myself to service wherever that service may be needed.

Uh, I think that we have different ways of measuring uh said experience uh through the political circles, whether it is the black political caucus, whether it is experience within the private sector working with big uh and broad and sophisticated organizations, uh working and managing these teams.

So I think um part of the question and part of the answer is really the quality of the experience uh instead of how long have you been here.

Uh as I've tried, uh, no matter how much you try to grow a beard and look uh grown, um none of that will quite help, uh, unless you're here actually doing the work.

And so I would say that that's probably the biggest thing I've heard, anyways.

Additionally, what strengths do you feel that you bring to the position?

Uh I I think partially just um, you know, to help out with uh there are many experienced people, not within um only folks that are going for the interim role, but even especially on council.

Uh but I think experience also has to be married with foresight.

The many of the problems that the city uh and even the state face are things that I've been thinking about for quite a while.

I've worked in technology for the past decade or so, uh, and I've talked about how artificial intelligence uh has the uh ability to really change society.

So I feel like with folks that have seen other technological advancements through their experience, we can marry that with some of the things that I've brought up.

Uh and also just uh the because obvious one is the relationship with the state.

Uh I think there's oftentimes a gap between understanding of uh our friends over in Raleigh and the General Assembly and the importance of Charlotte.

Uh and I think those folks do understand that.

Uh, but I think I can help to kind of marry that divide and making people realize that listen, Charlotte is important to the state.

We are 30% of the GDP, the majority of growth, and vice versa, we have a governing structure that's predicated on a general assembly that wants to work with the city of Charlotte.

Uh and so kind of marrying those that duality is something that I would be able to help with.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Pro Ten Graham.

Thank you, Senator.

Um, as Charlotte continues to grow, what specific actions would you prioritize to ensure growth benefits all residents?

And how would you hold public, private, and institutional partners accountable for measurable progress?

Yeah.

Um, one thing is um the the oftentimes the platitudes that we say uh and the phrases have to be married with a specific metric that we are uh measuring.

Uh it's not enough just for a corporation or a private entity to say that they're here and here for the best interest of Charlotte.

But in turn, that has to look like how many uh folks have we uh how many members from CMS have we gotten to uh get an internship from a corporation?

So our asks as a city and uh constituents of some of these organizations have to be getting specific asks from these corporations, and part of it is just to understand that listen, everyone's progress is dependent on each other.

Uh, there's no corporation that's here that's not dependent on the growth of Charlotte.

Having shareholder value is not mutually exclusive to having folks um that are working class being able to progress themselves.

So I I do think relative to other cities and even other states, Charlotte has done a good job of marrying those two ideals, and we're just at another impasse where we need folks that can come in and speaks to both sides, whether it's working class grassroots organizations and also our corporate partners.

But the very pointed answer I would give is there have to be specific metrics relative to the company slogans that we're uh used to hearing.

Thank you.

So qu uh subsequently, follow-up, it's a follow-up.

Um, how would you apply that theory to when it comes to Charlotte's airport and airport workers?

Yeah, uh, I think, listen, as we have continued negotiations with um Charlotte Douglas Airport, there have to be specific asks, especially for uh corporations.

Again, we have to fit within the confines of the actual law.

Like there's state law that mandates how uh Charlotte Douglas Airport and how American Airlines are to conduct themselves and what power they have in terms of the people that they are hiring.

Uh and part of our job, it uh especially having the uh Charlotte Douglas Airport uh is to ensure that they also realize that listen, folks have to come visit the airport, and whether you travel or not is dependent on how you're doing economically and whether Charlotte is a great place for your kids to be in terms of CMS.

And so uh again, you can get overly specific because this is frankly how state law is written, but I think we have to be strong on our side in the Charlotte Douglas Airport to have specific asks themselves uh from American Airlines without us overstepping state law.

Councilmember uh Mayfield, and before she starts, I just want to remind the council members uh to be focused on the questions that we all agreed upon.

Uh, and any follow-up question has to be germane to the initial question that has been asked.

Excuse me.

Councilmember Wallington.

Uh I just also wanted as a process check, point out from a time standpoint that you are limited to 30 minutes, so just be mindful about that when you're answering.

Question is your limited 30 minutes.

You're 15 minutes into it, and we want to get around the table, so um uh I won't take up any of more of your time.

Councilmember make field.

Uh Councilmember Ash Mayer.

Thank you.

And I know we have only 30 minutes.

Stopping is called.

So if he can if he can start uh in a different direction for the second or third candidate to ensure that everyone gets their questioning.

Thank you.

All right, so okay, so Councilmember Mayfield, we're restarting his time as right now.

Starting at 23 minutes, okay, as far as his 30 minutes.

Right.

So we stop, we stopped his time during this time we just had this conversation.

Starting within 12 o'clock.

Right.

All right.

So to direct comments to the chair, and the chair will make sure that we're all uh are on the same accord.

Councilmember Mayfield.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining us today.

How do you plan to maintain your employment and do this role as it takes up a significant amount of time?

Yeah, I think uh it's just reflective of what I've had to do.

Um I'm not dependent on anyone else but myself, so all of the sort of political work that I've always had to do had to have uh maintain a job while I did it.

Um and so, yeah, just continuing to, especially within listen, the general assembly.

Uh, this is a role where I have to be in Raleigh for half the time, being able to balance private sector responsibilities, even family responsibilities.

Um, and it's just something I'm accustomed to.

Well, when I interned for the city of Charlotte, um, you know, as many folks would know, I had to balance going to class, uh, making sure I made it here on time, going to neighborhood meetings.

And so when you're just uh sort of passionate about service and uh governing and something that you've done for 10 15 years, you have always found a way to balance and to excel at both, Councilmember Drake.

Thank you.

Uh good morning, uh afternoon.

In order to achieve a more orderly council process, how would you work outside of meetings to help council identify priorities and achieve consensus?

Yeah, uh part of it is gonna be dependent on the pre-work that you do before you come to the dais.

Uh I think part of my responsibility has to be having foresight to specific timelines of different issues.

Um this week it's not that we're talking about data centers, but where do we see the discussion of data centers over the next six months?

Okay, how can we work backwards to ensure that this topic is discussed at this committee meeting?

How can we ensure that we have private one-on-one meetings throughout the week with council members that I can better understand their goals?

I think that part of the process um is where I would lean on pre-meetings, pre-preparation, uh, so that you know uh sort of discussions on the dais are all uh about getting to a final outcome and not just sort of drift.

Um, thank you.

Councilmember Owens, Senator Tedris, nice to see you.

A recent rescission of the I 77 project recommendation reflected strong public engagement and differing perspectives about transportation planning.

What do you believe should be the next step in addressing congestion and mobility challenges along the I 77 corridor?

And how would you, as mayor, ensure the public is meaningful involved in the process?

Yeah, it it goes to some of the pre-planning uh that council member uh Driggs just asked about.

Uh I think the problem with the entire process of even I 77 is for example, you didn't get public input on the specific maps until we were almost at the finish line.

Again, this is that foresight and that pre-planning that we need to get back to.

If we had more community input before a problem uh came to manifest itself, um you start to realize the goals of the community uh and even those within transportation sectors, the business alliance, et cetera, aren't too far off.

You give yourself time to have a compromise and to have a solution that the both community and everyone else can agree on.

And so that pre-work, it's a lot of work, but that is needed.

And I think an area where you saw that fail was the I-77 discussion, to where every conversation was followed by we need an answer in two, three weeks.

Uh and I don't think that was necessarily fair both for NCDOT, I don't think it was definitely fair for the community members and anyone involved in this discussion.

Okay, Councilmember Anderson.

Good afternoon and welcome.

Um, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the city right now?

And you can only pick one.

I know we have a plethora of yeah, um, I would say to the extent that the mayor, mayor pro tem and city council can work cohesively on the same goals.

Um, council member, I I don't think there are specific policy problems that city council can't solve.

Again, we are the 14th uh largest city in America.

We are the fastest growing city in America.

We are a destination uh to jobs, to education.

Out of the 157 people moving here every day, 40% of that is actually UNC Charlotte graduates.

We have the resources already here.

So whether it's affordable housing, economic development, child care.

I believe that the city of Charlotte working cohesively with staff amongst ourselves with the mayor and mayor pro tem, can actually solve a lot of those problems.

Uh and so, yeah, I I think I think it has to be just how cohesively we can all work together because I don't think that there's a specific policy we can't uh figure out.

Councilmember Mayo, are you prepared?

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

How would you ensure meetings are efficient while still allowing robust debate with discussion?

Yeah, in large part following the already existing policies and procedures that are set in place.

I think part of my training ground was managing some of the black political caucus meetings where you have many personalities, many people within the political spectrum, but ensuring that listen, I want robust debate.

We want every single person to have their voice there too.

But there are actual policies and procedures.

We're getting uh an example of that from uh Senator Graham here about uh the recognition from the chair uh needing to have to wait for people to present their actual ideas, and there's not meant to silence uh certain council members or folks, but it is meant to have order.

So I listen, I want a robust debate, uh, but part of that has to be a specific policy and procedure that we all have to follow.

Councilmember Wallington.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Um good afternoon, Senator.

Charlotte's priorities are not new conversations, but the tools, partners, and scale of these challenges look very different than they did even five years ago.

Can you walk us through a specific example of work you're doing right now or have done in the very recent past that directly connects to one of these priorities?

Yeah, I think with with every single policy that they all interconnect.

Um, but within the state senate, listen, I'm on the transportation uh committee.

Uh, and so we are looking throughout the state to see how transportation policies, how we properly fund specific projects.

And I'm sure you know, especially as of recently, transportation, not only recent I-77 decision, but the transit bill, which I supported, uh, have been big topics that we've been discussing.

And so I think it really helps to have someone who can be able to maneuver through the state policies and NC DOT and to continue to help council uh and the city at large try to uh maneuver through through these uh transportation issues.

Listen, as the PAVE Act passed, this is 20 years uh that we're going to have development within transportation.

Uh the city of Charlotte will now be a transportation hub because of the transit tax.

And so part of that is you need somebody with a good understanding of the PAVE Act, which I did vote for, uh, and how to do things like ensure MPTA are on the same board um uh as the city of Charlotte.

And so, yeah, I would definitely say transportation has been the biggest discussion point, and having experience on not only transportation committee, but also appropriations for transportation at the state level would definitely kind of inform my uh position.

Councilwoman Ash Mayor.

Welcome, Senator.

The next mayor will play a major role in shaping this election of Charlotte's next city manager.

How would you ensure city council is meaningfully included in that process?

And what structure would you put in place to make sure city staff is proactive, transparent, and communicative with council members and residents, especially in communities that often feel decisions are made without them.

Yeah.

I mean, council member, going back to some of the earlier points about uh pre-work, um, continue, but going back to some of the earlier points about pre-work, I think it's that much more important that council sets up the goals in terms of what they want within the process.

I think oftentimes where we get into sort of disagreements and deviate from certain points is we're actually arguing about different goals that we would have.

And so if something like communication and council input is an actual goal, then we need to ensure that that's reflected within the metrics that we set up when interviewing for a new city manager.

Uh and I think that that's important because ultimately you're only going to behave as good as the metrics that you set up.

Uh, and I think if you set that up ahead of time, you'll have meaningful engagement with an assortment of city managers.

If you set up the metrics to have city staff or excuse me, city council have input in the actual discussion, if it's there in the metrics, the outcome will reflect that as well.

So I think all of the pre-work uh and the metric setting in the beginning and the goal setting is that much more important to actual follow-up discussion and trying to figure out um who best to appoint.

Okay, I'm gonna ask a question, and I'm gonna kind of borrow council members' mail question, which is what is your philosophy on committee work and the role committees should play in shaping policy?

Yeah, I think I'm have a pretty biased perspective being in the Senate, but I I think the committee is where the majority of policy uh making should be done.

I think ultimately every council member is elected.

So every single person not only has a vote, has a right to say something when it comes before the dais, etc.

But I think the critical specific points should be debated, uh, and there should be along a rope to give whenever you have discussions within the committee.

So philosophically, uh maybe that's just the majority of where my experience has come from, where you kick back things to the committee to do the work and bring it before council.

But I think council has every right uh to discuss every single topic.

And if folks decide to kick it back to committee or they see a problem um with how specific committee um kind of does on a specific item, then they have every right to do so.

But I think for the sake of organization.

Um but there are obviously especially the bigger issues, data centers, um I 77, etc., that are not going to be all figured out within committee and have every right to be discussed within the dias.

Okay, time check.

We got 14 minutes, so we'll um we'll just take random questions from council members that may have follow-ups.

And I recognize Ms.

Mayo.

If you have a question, just I'll I'll acknowledge you.

And the follow-up mayo.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, I actually would like to go back to uh Lawana's or Councilmember Mayfield's question about your employment.

I didn't feel like we I quite got enough with the answer with that.

Or so are you can you tell us more about like with your current employment, how you think this time will be spent?

Because I mean, being the mayor, even being on council is a lot and having a full-time job.

So, are you can you give us a little bit more information about your schedule?

Are you self-employed?

I don't feel like I really understood the answer to that question.

Yeah, I uh thought the council member wanted a general uh response.

Right now, I don't work anywhere else.

In the beginning of the term, um I consulted for uh technology companies, smaller companies.

Um, but right now this is what I do full time in the state senate, and that's how I've been able to kind of juggle every single policy, make all my committee meetings.

Unfortunately, that's not very common in Raleigh, but uh I'm there for every single committee meeting.

And I guess council member apologies if I came up short in that answer.

Uh, my my answer was more so to reflect that all the time, all the time that I have been involved in politics, even when I worked at different banks, et cetera, I've always been able to manage uh both of those things.

I've always been able to show up to uh BPC meetings.

I've always been to show up uh here when I worked in the the city of Charlotte for under council members, and so uh just to give you the more specific, but the broader how I kind of view some of these things.

Appreciate that.

Thank you.

Just want to remind the council members to focus on the questions that are on the paper.

There's a follow-up to a question that's already been asked.

I think that's appropriate.

We just want to make sure there's some consistency for all the all the um the candidates that um that were interviewing.

Recognize Ms.

Wallington and then Mr.

Drake's after Miss Wallington and Ms.

Johnson in that queue.

Thank you.

Um, I just wanted to go back to uh the question specific to the um the work that you're doing right now or have done.

Can you just give me a little bit more specific example?

Walk us through a specific example of work that you've done or in the it can be now or in the recent past.

Just kind of give us the framework.

What was the situation?

What action did you take?

What what was the result?

Um so even as of uh let's just say a few weeks ago, um, there was a bill that I introduced called the Coach's Care Act, uh, which attempted to get mental health uh training for every single uh coach uh in North Carolina as a requirement.

And so, you know, one thing in terms of being cohesive and worked with other different partners, being in the superminority, you don't have a great probability of passing a specific bill.

But due to the relationships that I have within the General Assembly, both at the coroner offices and many of the elected officials, we were able to get the Coaches Care Act, get adopted by the National, or excuse me, the North Carolina High School Athletics Association, and they made it a requirement, voted 18 to zero to have every coach in North Carolina have that as a requirement that they need to take the mental health first aid.

Uh, I'm sure a lot of us share that mental health is a very big important uh issue within society.

It underlies both the affordable uh housing issue, economic development, uh homelessness, all of these issues intertwined with uh uh mental health.

Um, but that's just an example of working with different partners.

NAMI was among the biggest partners that helped out, uh, and working with Republicans that were sympathetic to make that a bill.

And again, in the super minority as a Democrat and a freshman.

Um thank you.

Councilmember Drake's.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Uh to be clear, we can ask another question from this list.

Is that right?

So uh Sir, how how important are intergovernmental relations to the city's agenda and what are ways you as mayor would work with our intergovernmental partners to achieve outcomes for our city?

Yeah.

Um outside of the tactical continuous meetings that you'll need, uh, both with members of the um governor's office, uh the state senate, the house, CMS, county commission.

I think part of that is listen, trust compounds, uh, the relationships you've built with certain uh folks, whether it's in the General Assembly, ultimately compounds.

And I think uh what you have to do, especially within the role, is doing things like having continuous meetings, uh having very blunt discussions, whether it's Republicans or folks in CMS, uh, in order to talk about what are the goals of the city.

How do you ensure that you don't have mission creep and you don't creep into maybe a CMS goal that that is there?

And so I think council member, continuous discussions uh with these partners of ours, built through trust and years of knowing folks like whether it's uh uh CMS board, Stephanie Snee, whether it's a Mark Jarrell, whether it's a Senator Phil Berger, uh Dustin Hall, or even the governor, and these are folks that we've built relationship over the time that I've both been in Raleigh and in Charlotte.

Mr.

Chairman, I follow up follow-up.

Uh do you think our relationships with other governments currently are good?

Um, more so see it as an opportunity to become better, um, but only because listen, I'm I'm on both essentially sides with relationship with council members here to hear a specific city perspective, but also in Raleigh, getting an understanding from somebody like a Senator Phil Berger of what they would like to see out of a Charlotte.

And so, from my viewpoint, maybe I just see it as the gap is not that wide.

Raleigh understands that 30% of the state's GDP is Charlotte.

Uh, the majority of the reason why people come here, we have 900,000 uh people that live in Charlotte during peak hours during the week, it's about two million from the folks that live here.

So people understand the importance of that, but I think there's just been more of a communication uh and a gap uh that exists to where we get into these policy disagreements when I think, again, back to pre-work back to relationships, those things can be mended.

Thank you.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you.

Charlotte adopted an ordinance in 2024 related to individuals who are unhoused.

What are your thoughts on those policies and Charlotte's overall approach to homelessness?

Yeah, I think part of it is uh the shortcoming, I think was not necessarily doing enough.

Um, but not only from the city perspective.

I think when I have viewed our especially our homeless population, I think the shortcomings have been not enough investments in mental health, and let me prerequisite by saying this is not something that the city of Charlotte uh can do alone, uh, especially even has the power of funds to really do a lot of.

And so out of a city ordinance, I would have liked more partnerships with a county to contribute additional uh beds in order to counteract some of the city ordinances.

So I think just to answer it directly, I think I would have wanted more of the intergovernmental portion of it.

I understand the constraints that the city of Charlotte has, but I think uh the county continuously contributing to it.

Are hospitals more involved with that discussion?

The only thing I I would probably point to, but I'm very well aware of uh, especially council members being asked to do more when you know the constraints of city government relative to everyone else.

Councilmember Anderson, and then we'll do a time check.

Thank you.

How do you see your relationship between the mayor and council?

And what does it look like in practice when you disagree with the body that appointed you?

Um last part of this is how do you see your relationship with the manager on a day-to-day basis?

Yeah, I think with council, listen, we're a group of collaborators, and I see that the interim mayor has to play a facilitator's role.

Ultimately, you all are the ones that are making the policy, especially now that we're post-budget uh season, and so part of my job has to be a understanding your specific goal, and then how can I help to push that forward?

How do you do that?

It has to be through things like weekly meetings.

Uh, I have to understand what specific items you're actually personally passionate about.

There's certain maybe discussions that you don't necessarily want to contribute as much.

And I think that's reflected in what we've done in Raleigh.

Listen, the policy disagreements are even wider, obviously, especially with different uh political parties.

But even a Democrat in Asheville is not the same as a Democrat in Charlotte.

Uh, and especially one from the mountains, for example.

And so that experience has taught me listen, even though we share the same political party, you disagree on XYZ but are passionate about this thing.

So my job is like, how can we find the common areas that we do agree on, and how can we just work on those items initially?

So that looks like I I mean I have to work with you all individually.

Uh I have to have relationships with you all individually and to realize what's important specifically to you and uh city manager portion.

Again, you all set the policy.

Um I'm pretty much uh my responsibility is setting that relationship with the city manager who delivers on that policy day to day, obviously, through the functions of the city of uh Charlotte.

And so part of my job is to be that communication between you all and the city manager.

Of course, you have your individual relationships, but I see it as a daily communication that has to be done with city.

Uh listen, when I chaired the Charlotte Equitable Development Commission, I learned firsthand that you can't do anything without city staff, especially helping.

And I understand, despite that may be some of the frustration, especially with council, but part of my job has to be that diplomatic connection between you all and the city manager.

All right, you have five minutes uh left.

Councilmember Wallington has been recognized.

Thank you.

I just wanted to follow up on the on the previous question in regards to intergovernmental relationships.

You've you've spoken quite a bit about your differentiator being that you've got relationships here and in Raleigh.

You are a sitting senator, given that that is really the charge of uh of a General Assembly member is to take the needs from the local community to the to the General Assembly.

Can you help me understand why that skill set is needed here in the mayor's office versus where you're already sitting?

Yeah, I mean, when it comes to uh constituent connections, like again, you all deal with constituents, you get elected by your constituents, so it's not necessarily on that front.

Part of it is just uh connecting those interests in Raleigh, because ultimately, Raleigh is the state authority that determines uh a lot of the times what city uh folks or what policy they they are to think about.

And I think there's just has been a disconnect between Raleigh's priorities and the general assemblies and whether it's the city of Charlotte, it's not only Charlotte as well.

And so that's more so where I'm leaning on in terms of connections within Raleigh.

It's not necessarily the constituent part because you all report back to your constituents as well.

Um so I I think listen, the general assembly has shown that there is a willingness to get involved in certain what I would deem as city areas, uh city ordinances politics that you all should be concerned about.

And so what my job I would see partially there is to guide some of those conversations because there may be a disconnect there.

Um, but you know, also I do think it's a specific skill set um and experience that you need even as an elected official.

I'm sure you all get uh annoyed with all the comments about needing business people that understand business, and that's the same thing as the city as working in politics.

It's not uh there's a very vast difference between reporting back to constituents, uh taking their every single emails, and necessarily working with the private sector and other shareholders, and so that's more so what I would point to is just the experience in Raleigh relative to those figures in their relationship, not uh constituent part because we all get elected by you know our constituents.

Okay, any more questions?

I think we probably should be around the three-minute mark, I would imagine.

You don't have to use all of it.

So if you want to give your closing one-minute statement, if there's no other questions, we'll receive that right now.

And um, floor is yours.

Yeah, listen, I I really appreciate uh the time, um, and especially the time you all have taken as a bit of a last minute to come up with a policy and procedure to do interviews, and so I um I really appreciate you all taking the time.

Uh at the end of the day, I I think when this role had come up, I saw a need um to serve with you all.

Um I have individual relationship with uh council members.

I have probably one of the few people that's listening from start to finish the city council members to get involved to try to understand what's going on.

Um, and I saw that there was a need for a person to come in uh and work with you all on your individual goals as well.

Uh I think that again, much like the two minutes that I had shared, sort of my priorities they're not to come in um on an 18-month runway to try to reorganize the city of Charlotte.

Um, but I have the experience working with city staff uh for the past 10 years.

I have uh whether it's commuted from UNCC to try to understand the city politics, whether it's having certain council members force me to take the packet home on Thursday and to make sure I'm as prepared as council members on Monday when I was in school.

That experience uh has led me to a place where I think I can uh manage some of those relationships not only within city staff, uh with you all and other folks within government, and so uh I do think I'm the most prepared in order to do this.

Um, and I do hope that I I get your all support.

But again, thank you for the uh time and the questions and the experience as well.

Well, Senator, um I'm gonna thank you for your for your leadership.

I want to thank you for your commitment to public service here in Charlotte as well as in Raleigh.

And I'm gonna thank you for taking the time to speak with the counselor today.

Likewise, thank you all.

We will draw another number.

I drew uh Kerry Cook, but from my understanding, uh there's been an agreement to yield the time to Harold Cogdale.

What?

Does he have a comment?

Um please could start questions to the chair.

The chair will communicate it to the room, so we won't have this cross going forward.

So does he have a conflict?

Is the question?

Yes, Mr.

Chair, he has a conflict.

Is the council willing to make an um an amendment to our process to allow him uh to go out of order?

Councilmember Mayo.

I make a motion to oh, do I have to make a motion to do that?

Or to amend sorry, you were looking at me crazy.

Um, I make a motion to amend this for um Harold Cogdale's.

Is there a second to that?

Is there any discussion in reference to that?

My only question is uh does all the other candidates are in agreement with that.

Well I was told it was okay.

Okay, uh first uh um motions on the table has been properly second.

All those in favor say aye.

All right, aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, um, one, um, please invite Mr.

Cogdale to the room.

I I kind of know he's taking his son to Disney World.

This this afternoon at four o'clock, something like that.

Hello, sir.

So you will be disappointing.

That's a that's a priority, right?

Family first for sure.

Council Member Johnson.

Uh, then a council member Anderson.

Councilmember Johnson.

So, as far as the follow-up questions, when we had two or three questions, did someone keep track of like who asked those next questions?

Yeah.

Okay, good.

Okay, good.

All right, thank you.

And then we're gonna start on this side of the room for Mr.

Cogdale.

Uh, and again, um limited to the questions on the table.

Any follow-ups, I will permit after Stramain to the initial question, and I thought the first round went pretty well.

Councilmember Wallington.

Just to clarify, the follow-ups that came after all of the original questions were asked, those are to wait until after.

Correct.

Yes.

Councilmember Joyce?

Should our second question be the same necessarily as the first, like for each candidate.

Follow-up?

No, no, the second question that we can ask during the everything should be uniform based on the questions that we've all decided.

So, member J.

D.

I'm sorry.

Let's go.

Are you through Councilmember Drace?

I'm just saying that both of the questions we asked to be followed.

One when it's our turn, another one afterwards.

That second question that we asked be the same for each candidate.

Yes.

Okay.

Councilmember J D.

Uh, and then we have a candidate in front of us.

So thanks.

Um, let me get JD and then I'll get Mr.

Anderson.

Chair Pro Tim for uh clarification.

So the previous question, I'll ask that question, but then when we have the other round, I can ask the follow-up question, correct?

Yes, thank you.

Uh and I'm gonna this will be the last question for Ms.

Anderson, then we're gonna give out time to the um to the candidate.

Thank you.

I had a question, I was trying to ask it before the candidate came in.

But in the last round, city attorney, there was a question that was asked.

Thank you, sir.

It in the last round, there was a question that was asked that had some presumption in it about um one of our employees, and I did not have that information prior to that question or this meeting, so I didn't know understand the level of appropriateness of that question.

I just want to make sure we're okay.

I understand.

It was in here.

Okay, I think the question is to me or her.

No, that's just to the attorney.

I had no prior knowledge of the presumption of that question.

I don't know if my colleagues did or not, but I certainly have not had that information.

I wanted to understand the appropriateness of asking that question.

In light of the transitions that could happen throughout the organization, perhaps we can zoom out to to modify it to reflect um, any any transition.

There can be a number of transitions within the organization.

So, because it said will there was a very directive language there that again I was not aware of, okay.

So and I would recommend transitions in the organization as opposed to singling out a single position.

Does everyone have that noted and for the question, right?

No, page two, top of page two, bullet number two.

All right, council.

Top of page two.

And again, what I what I'm gonna do is allow one more question on this topic, and then we're gonna focus back on the candidate interview.

Council member Mayfield.

Thank you.

Where are we top of page two?

Bullet number two.

What's the actual question?

Begins with the next mayor will play.

What was the issue?

I'm sorry, I couldn't keep up with that.

What was the issue with that?

No, we got it.

Bullet.

I don't I don't understand the issue either.

So I'm gonna try to figure out because not a question's been asked, it needs to be asked again.

I just need to know what word or line are we changing in this.

Rather than rather than singling out the selection of Charlotte's next city manager.

Perhaps we would just say selection of Charlotte's next leaders.

Right.

And and not single out a specific position.

Okay.

Thank you.

All right, so all right.

So we're gonna pivot back to the candidate.

If we can invite Mr.

Collingdale in, okay.

Um and thank you.

And if I may, Mr.

Chair Pro Tim, just quickly, instead of will play, might play.

Okay.

Okay.

We're all good.

All right.

We're good.

I think the manager was probably worried.

Mr.

Cogdell.

The evening at that.

Mr.

Cardale, welcome uh to the interview for the interim mayor position.

We thank you for taking the time to be with us today.

Uh you have 30 minutes uh for your presentation.

Each council member will be asking questions.

Um we ask you to be mindful of your time limits uh uh in terms of your responses uh to fully capture what you want to say for sure.

Lastly, after your 30 minutes is done, you'll get a five-minute warning from the clerk, you'll get a minute warning from the clerk.

Uh, and then when that minute comes, if you should utilize all of it, finish your thought, you'll have to stop it properly.

Finish your thought, uh, and then um you get a minute closing argument.

First question is Councilmember Ashmayer.

Thank you.

Welcome, Mr.

Congdale.

The next mayor might play a major role in shaping the selection of Charlotte's next city leaders.

How would you ensure city council is meaningfully included in that process?

And what structure would you put in place to make sure city staff is proactive, transparent, and communicative with council members and residents, especially in communities that often feel decisions are made without them.

I borrowed that from my colleague, Councilmember Jady.

And Councilmember Esmera, the first part of the question, I want to make sure I understood it correctly.

How would I play a role?

This might play.

I do not say it's definite that's gonna happen, but you might play a role in shaping the selection of Charlotte's next city leaders, whether that's attorney, the manager, the clerk, and I I'm just interested in understanding how would you approach that process to ensure that council is meaningfully engaged and residents, especially those who often feel left out of the process.

Thank you very much, um, Councilmember Ashmer and Councilmember Graham.

Thank you.

And to all members of the city council, I appreciate and I'm humbled for the opportunity to come here and and have this chance to talk with you.

Um, I'm a big believer in inclusive government.

I'm a big believer in inclusivity.

I'm a big believer in um wanting to hear from anyone that has a vested interest in decision making for this board.

Uh I I'm gonna back up for just a moment.

And how how much time do I have for this question?

Five you as much time as you want to answer it, but all the council members would like to ask you a question, and you'll take our assumption.

Let me just 30 minutes.

Get right to it.

Having served on this board, I recognize it's a council manager, form of government.

Council makes the decisions about policy in this community.

Um each and every council member.

If I were to be given the opportunity to um to serve in this interim capacity, I would make a conscientious effort to reach out and forge a relationship.

Open up a channel of communication with each and every member on this board.

For those who I've not had an opportunity to speak to, I apologize.

I'll make more effort to reach out and talk with you.

Uh I am committed to doing that.

I think it's very important that everybody be engaged and involved in decision making.

I think it's it's fundamental, and democracy sometimes is messy.

I mean, decisions don't just oftentimes just get made without some debate, dialogue, discussion, and dissent.

So I think that it is very important to have an inclusive manner or in which and culture in which you're arriving at your decisions.

Everybody has a vote.

Everybody has a voice.

Um, and I think it's very important that uh that we are working towards trust building.

We're working towards communicating with each other outside of this building.

And I think that will help the decision making process as this board moves forward to chat to the challenge and issues that it faces.

Councilmember Wallington.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Councilman.

Charlotte's priorities are not new conversations, but the tools, partners, and scale of these challenges look very different than they did even five years ago.

Can you walk us through a specific example of work you are doing right now or have done in the very recent past that directly connects to one of those priorities?

Okay.

Affordability in this community, transportation, and public safety, I hear very much from a lot of different folks.

I can speak from my own personal professional experience that public safety is something that I've been involved with, engaged with in various ways for 35 plus years, from being a probation officer to being a prosecutor to now being a lawyer.

I handle criminal defense matters.

And I think what's important is, and I I saw this recently.

Yes, protection is critically important from a police officer perspective, but so is serving, and part of that is forging those relationships with the community.

That's just public safety.

Follow up quickly.

Okay.

Well, because my follow-up was gonna happen afterwards, like it did before.

I just wasn't sure if I should ask it now or later.

Mr.

Germain to your first question very quickly, very quick response.

I'm mindful of your time.

Yep.

Um can you give us a specific example, think of a particular situation?

What action you took and what was the result?

Um my question is specific to a specific example of work that you are doing right now or have done in the very recent past.

Can you just walk us through a specific um circumstance?

Specific circumstances around one of those specific areas.

Okay.

Well, I I'm gravitating back only because that's the professional work I do every day.

Public safety, for instance.

Um there was a recent bill, arena's law.

I'm sure everyone here is very familiar with it.

Uh I thought it was critically important to try to bring together those people and stakeholders that would be impacted by that.

Um I did work with some members here at the dais um in reaching out to those individuals and talking with them about this, how this is gonna affect our city, how this is gonna affect individuals in our community.

Is this ultimately gonna be increased public safety, or is this going to increase uh incarceration?

Because increasing incarceration when you're not getting at the core issues that's driving why a person is being incarcerated is not necessarily creating a safer community.

Um, so to look at, try to put together some alternatives so input can be uh provided to the state legislature, and to have that chance to meet with some members on this dais as well as judges, as well as law enforcement professionals, mental health professionals, uh, and we were able to come together and have a very uh a collective and productive conversation.

I thought that that that yielded a message that we could send back to Raleigh.

Councilmember Mayo.

Thank you.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Certainly, how would you ensure meetings are efficient while still allowing robust debate and discussion?

Well, I can I go back to having chaired the Board of County Commission and both as chair and and many times as vice chair.

I think it's really important to give give individuals, everyone an opportunity to have their say, but I also think you have to balance that with being respectful of time.

You have an agenda.

There are certain specific things that are on an agenda.

And I it is my personal belief that when we are debating, discussing uh an agenda, then anything within the purview or parameters of that agenda item is very much permissible.

But when the conversation gravitates away from that outside the scope of that particular agenda item, uh if I'm being blunt, that whoever's chairing that needs to call that out of order and needs to re and needs to bring the focus back to the decision that's sitting in front of the board to have to make.

That is very important.

If the council's decision and desire is to look at changing policy around how meetings uh occur, um I recall council had sort of a clear policy about how meetings are are governed.

Um, that's certainly council's prerogative, and as interim mayor, I would be very open to that.

It is whatever you, as members of the council want to do if there is a majority will to do that.

Now, I do think one of the things I do recall that was changed while I was chair of the county commission was um at that time only the chairman or county manager could put an agenda item on the agenda.

Other council members felt like we weren't able to discuss certain things, we could never get to certain things, and so the issue was referred to the governance committee.

The governance committee discussed it, dialogued about it, and came back with a recommendation, and that recommendation was if more than half of the members of the board um wanted to support uh adding an agenda item to the agenda, and they could get uh support from sign off uh from the majority of the members it would take to pass that agenda item, then that agenda could be that item could be added to the agenda.

In other words, there were five voting, five carried the day as opposed to six.

If four out of five wanted to debate, discuss that particular agenda item, then that item was gonna make it on the agenda.

Uh I that is a policy that council has every right to review, look at.

I think it needs to be thoughtful, it needs to be thought out.

You need to run through scenarios to see what makes sense.

But that's certainly something that I as if I were given the opportunity to serve in this capacity, I wouldn't have objection to, and would quite frankly say absolutely, if government's committee wants to take a look at that, look at it.

But I think what's important about any committee, and by the way, the work a lot of work, my experience on serving on boards public and otherwise.

Most of the work is done at a committee level.

You have to committees come back with recommendations after having done deeper dive studies.

You need a diverse group of thought serving on committees.

If you put a diverse group of thought on committees and entrust that committee with the leadership of a member of this board that their skill set, their experience, and their passion aligns with the committee that um uh that committee, then I firmly believe that we have the opportunity to flush out a lot of the the details about a particular issue before it arrives at a board meeting.

And that recommendation is gonna oftentimes carry pretty heavy weight with the ultimate board, but you've got to also have some trust in your colleagues.

Time check and then council member.

17 minutes, Mr.

Conklin.

I'm sorry, I'm talking too much.

Mr.

Member Anderson.

Well, welcome, Mr.

Cogdill, and love your passion about public safety.

Welcome you to our citywide public safety forum next Wednesday on the 24th.

Um, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the city right now?

And I'd like for you to have a level of specificity and choose one.

I know there's a myriad you can choose from, but if you can talk about one, that would be great.

That is a tough question, council member.

I'm sure it was designed to be that way.

Um, it is really hard to say one, because right now, to be very candid, we hear a lot of conversation, there's a lot of community noise about things that are very big.

I mean, we're talking about intergenerational, transformational type of uh of issues that this board is going to be having to deal with over the next several months.

Whether that obviously is I-77, whether that's renewal of leases uh the lease at the airport.

There are a number of issues that are big.

I can't say that either one of those is the biggest issue.

I think the biggest issue, and and perhaps I'm being naive or overly optimistic, but if this, if this board figures out a method of governing in a way that people are trusting each other better, people are listening.

I'm a firm believer in a couple of principles.

Um, seek to understand before being understood.

Um make a friend before you need a friend.

Uh I I think it's critically important that everybody have a philosophy that we're here for the right reason, we're here to serve, and we're here to um try to make thoughtful decisions about the greater good of this community.

And uh I know you're asking for one particular issue, but I'm not gonna put affordability, which is critically important, over public safety, which is also critically important, which transportation is also critically important.

I I just can't say that there's one.

I can say that if there's in my mind one, let's figure out how we can do it in a consensus building, collective, respectful manner, in a thoughtful manner that's for the greater good of all.

Councilwoman Owens, thank you.

Um a recent rescission of the I-77 project recommendation reflected strong public engagement and differing perspectives about transportation planning.

What do you believe should be the next step in addressing congestion and mobility challenges along the I-77 corridor?

And how would you, as mayor, ensure the public is meaningfully involved in the process?

First thing I would do is try to reach out to each one of you, sit down, talk to you, and listen to you and try to understand what your perspective is, what your thoughts are, and what your the logic and rationale is to why you have the position you have.

But I would not stop there, that would just be the beginning.

I would want to hear from city staff, from the city manager's office, from the city attorney's office, I'd want to hear from our local delegation, I'd want to hear from the State Department of Transportation Secretary, and obviously leadership in the legislature.

This is one of the biggest decisions that are that will be made by our regional transportation planning authority for generations to come.

But at the same time, I think we've got to be serious, we've got to be pragmatic and understand that we're urban core.

We have unique circumstances, unique needs, unique um challenges that don't exist in a lot of other areas of the state.

Urge leadership in Raleigh to not make decisions that could adversely impact this community for generations.

Every one of you knows more than the five of us sitting out there.

And if whomever sits in that chair is not willing to listen to you all and listen to this community, I think that uh some short-sighted decisions could get made, and we need to really make uh sure that we're thinking it through.

We need to make sure that we are communicating in a way that is not elevating, it is not um alienating, but it is trying to help convey and move forward the message of Charlotte and what we need for this community.

Councilmember Drake's.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

There are four more of us.

So just uh there are four more of us, so I just want you to think about your answer so that you can get down in the time contract.

All right, uh Mr.

Cogdown in order to achieve a more orderly council process.

How would you work outside of meetings to help council identify priorities and achieve consensus?

Uh I think maybe uh council member drews, I touched on that before.

I think reaching out and talking with and having, I don't know, standing cup of coffee with everybody on this board on a very regular basis, um, is critically important, urging members of this board to talk to those that they know they may not agree with.

Maybe they don't agree with them, but talk with them, communicate with them in an open and honest way.

And I do firmly believe that this board or any board functions much better when you don't you don't just arrive at a meeting not knowing where we're headed, what we're doing, where is the consensus?

Um so one thing, and I and I I know this may be um out there in some ways, but I believe in innovative thinking.

I believe in creative thinking.

Just because you've always done it this way doesn't mean you always have to do it that way.

One of the things I often ask, I think about the I'm a lawyer, obviously you guys know that.

Uh, Court of Appeals oftentimes holds court in other locations.

They've held court in Mecklenburg County, they've held court at law schools around the state.

Is there any reason that this board could not meet in a district or in each and every district and rotate through the districts and give the local district representative an opportunity a short period of time to highlight what issue or challenge in that district exists?

And I don't want you to, I don't want to come here to the government center to tell you about it.

I want everybody to come out to where I am and say, look, here is what I'm dealing with in this district, and have a meeting there where the community input will be, I believe, will be greater, because you have easier access to get to a council meeting when the council meeting is five minutes down the road.

Now, of course, there would have to be logistics to that, there would have to be thought given to that, you'd have to coordinate that with city staff, but it is something that I think it shows the community we can move outside of this building and meet you where you are.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Mayfield.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining us today and taking out the time.

How do you plan to maintain your employment and do this role as it does take up a significant amount of time?

Thank you, Councilmember Mayfield.

You are absolutely right.

I did not, quite frankly, I was 30 years old, so I didn't realize just how much it was.

I have I'm at a little different place in life.

Um I have a far more stable law practice right now.

I currently um share office space with a firm here.

I've already had discussions with that firm.

I'll probably um join that firm or at least go in counsel of counsel with that firm if I were selected, which would give me more support and um more uh other lawyers, partners that could help me to cover some of the things that I would need to have coverage on because as lawyers we we have to be certain places sometimes, but you have to have collaborative work environment that's supportive of that.

And I think with this potential partnership, if this were to work out, I could find that right balance.

Councilmember J.

D.

Thank you.

Mr.

Cogdale, Charlotte is a growing city, but too often that growth is not reaching everyone equally, and working families are being left behind.

How would you balance being business friendly and people first and ensuring our private partners are working collaboratively to close social economic gaps?

Um thank you, council member.

Uh I I think that is really the question that comes up quite a bit.

That is nothing new.

That has been an a topic of conversation for 30 years or so since I've been around.

Uh I'm a big believer that balance is important.

Um, every decision is gonna be unique.

And you can't always listen to the loudest voice.

You can't always listen to the loudest voices, whether they're in your district or whether they're just emailing you to death, you've got to figure out what's in the greater good.

You also can't listen to the people that can write the biggest checks.

You can't listen.

I don't think that just because you write a bigger check or you have a a larger sphere of influence that you listen to that person, you give that any more weight than anybody else.

There's got to be intentionality and decision-making, which requires extra effort on all of our part to understand the nuances.

I've heard the devil's in the details type of quote.

I've heard you got to, you know, get down to the nuances of it.

And I hope that answered your question.

I got the time over here.

At five minutes left.

One question from Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as mayor and how do you address those concerns?

Additionally, what are your strengths and experiences?

Do you believe make you well the most well suited for this role?

Thank you, Councilmember Johnson.

Um I gotta go back and say to counsel to the previous question.

I gotta say this.

I'm a lawyer, I represent individuals.

Okay.

I do not represent corporate entities.

I do not have ill will towards the business community in any way whatsoever.

I listen.

They're not gonna fall on deaf ears, but understand I I don't represent the corporate interest.

I represent individuals.

I have now for 28 years.

Um I think understanding the plight.

I started, I gotta say, I started as a with a four-year college degree working in a convenience store.

Because that was the that era, that was that time.

It was a recession.

It was tough.

I had to move from a convenience store to finally finding a job with state government and probation.

Believe me, I firmly understand the difficulty that so many people are having, in particular with affordability, not feeling safe in communities.

So um balance is critically important.

Now, your question, uh councilmember.

I have with regard to experience, I I do believe that I am more experienced than any of the other applicants and serving in public office.

I have more years of service in public office.

I have actually chaired a public body board, the and I don't mean just the Charlotte uh, I mean the Board of County Commission.

I chaired the Charlotte Housing Authority Board, I chaired a Charlotte Housing Authority Board as it went through the transformation to in Livyon.

Um, I have worked, I've worked as or chair the governance committee for the real estate foundation for North Carolina AT for some years.

Um I think that you have a tough decision to make.

You're a very tough decision.

I don't envy you at all.

You have very good people.

I speak highly of each and every person, the other four people that are being considered.

I've at least three of them I've known for years.

I I think that um finding listening, and I go back to core principles, and that's what I really want to talk about.

Who are you at your core?

Rational, pragmatic, I listen.

I don't forget where I came from and my experience in life and how I got to where I am.

We didn't just arrive here today.

You got to consider historical context.

You also got to ext consider the uh external factors that you don't have control over and how they create parameters and challenges, but there's always a way to find a solution.

This is I really firmly believe that there's a way you find a solution.

What I hope to be able to do if given the privilege of serving in this capacity is to help facilitate this board to finding those good solutions for this community.

Thank you.

And what concerns, if any, do you think the public?

It was part of the same question.

Okay.

What concerns if you give my minute?

Okay.

Okay.

No, no, no, you got a minute.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as entering mayor and how do you address those concerns?

I don't know what concerns the public will have.

I really don't.

I'm sure I'm not liked by everyone.

I'm certain of that.

I'm sure that other people are not liked by everyone.

I'm far more concerned about being respected than liked, and I will do nothing to compromise my integrity.

Okay.

So we have one minute before your closing argument.

You don't have to use it.

Any other questions?

One minute closing argument.

Is there a follow up?

No.

One minute.

Okay.

Thank you for the um opportunity to do.

As I've said, this is a tough decision.

Um, don't I encourage you not to pick somebody because you like them.

I encourage you not to pick somebody because you've, you know, have some you've aligned with them on a political issue here or there.

I encourage you to look at the qualifications, the skill set, the experience of the applicants.

Find ask yourself, who do you think you could work with?

Who do you think will be a moderate, sensible common sense voice that won't go out, speak on behalf of the city of Charlotte when the council has not authorized that?

And I'm not suggesting anyone has.

And we're back live with them with the feed.

Okay.

All right.

Welcome back to the Charlotte City Council meeting.

Uh our next candidate is uh Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell.

We're gonna start from inside out.

Then we'll go that way.

We'll start with you.

This is my member come that's way and start with you.

That way everyone can.

Yeah.

Good afternoon, Council Mayor Pro Tem Mitchell.

Good afternoon, Council.

Welcome to the Charlotte City Council interview for the interim mirror position.

You will have 30 minutes in total.

Each candidate, each council member will ask questions that's been pre-prepared.

There may be a follow-up to those questions.

Uh you will get a five-minute warning when your time is about to expire.

You'll get a one-minute warning when you're running out of time.

Finish your thoughts.

You don't have to stop it properly, finish your thoughts.

Uh, and then at the conclusion, you'll get a one-minute closing statement uh to the council.

We're gonna start inside out.

So we're gonna start with um council member Owens, and then we'll start with Councilmember Anderson once we complete that slide.

Councilmember Owens, the floor is yours.

Okay, thank you.

Um Councilmember Mitchell, the recent rescission of the I 77 project recommendation reflected strong public engagement and differing perspectives about transportation planning.

What do you believe should be the next step in addressing congestion and mobility challenges along the I-77 corridor?

And how would you, as mayor, ensure the public is meaningfully involved in the process?

Okay.

I think the I 77 is gonna take really strong leadership and leadership from not only me but for this tired council.

I think number one, uh we learned from what we did earlier that the public was were not involved, or the public were not made aware, not made aware of what was actually going to occur.

So as mayor, if I'm fortunate to be mayor, I think the first thing we we need to do is make sure we have the right stakeholders in the room.

What we need to do is make sure this council is fully aware of all the ramifications as it relates to I 77.

I think it was very clear that the design was a big issue.

We have to address the the design to solve this traffic problem.

We never explain or articulated to the neighbors what what could have been the benefits of the community allocation?

I think we need to continue to have a different dialogue with NCDOT.

Because immediately it was a problem that we had to face that the credibility were lost the way NC DOT handled this project.

How we this how we solve it is gonna have to be a collaboration of this community, this city's council, and NC DOT come up with another approach.

But let me talk about the tough vote we had as council.

I think it was a six to five vote, and so I would not be in favor of rescinding the rescinding, it has to be a new model that we put forth for this community to solve this problem.

Councilmember Drake.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Councilman.

In order to achieve a more orderly council process, how would you work outside of meetings to help council identify priorities and achieve consensus?

Okay.

Great.

So I, you know, uh council member, I have to play to my strengths or my strength.

I'm a people person, and I believe having one-on-one meetings with council members on a monthly basis allow that dialogue and a lot of that communication, and set what I would call a new culture for us, a culture of collaboration, a culture of understanding, a culture of listening.

Having different perspectives, having debate is not wrong.

Diversity is our strong suit.

I think as a as a council member and as a mayor, I think it's important that that door stays open and it stays open for collective conversation among us all.

I'm one to truly believe that during our council meeting, we should allow more opportunities.

So to me, mayor and council topics should be the second and fourth Monday of the month.

I think when we talk about how we're gonna get the policy and the things we want to accomplish, we have to empower our committees and make sure our committees are doing the real work, which is policy.

I've been around a long time, and I'm gonna take what I think the best practices.

And the best practice I think to lead is one by trust, one through collaboration, and one by building consensus.

Thank you.

Councilmember Mayfield.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for offering yourself up for the position.

How do you plan to maintain your employment and do this role as it does take up a significant amount of time?

Thank you, Councilman Mayfield.

So, Council members, I would say since 1999, I've held two jobs.

I've been fortunate enough to have a real job, working for some top companies like Barton Milo, RJ Leaper, McFarland, and the same time to be able to do this job as a part-time.

And so I've been fortunate that my employees have seen value, allow me to serve.

And so I think uh being mayor of the 14th larger city, I will continue to have a job as business developer for McFarland, and I will continue to prioritize, make sure I get my work done, but more importantly, have the time and energy.

I tell people I work I work two jobs.

Uh one is 40 hours for McFarland, other is 70 hours for the citizens of Charlotte, Councilmember JD.

Thank you, Chair Graham.

Thank you, Councilmember Mitchell.

Uh Charlotte is a growing city, but too often that growth is not reaching everyone equally, and working families are being left behind.

How would you balance being business friendly and people first?

And how would you ensure that our private partners are collaborative partners and closing social economic gaps?

Thank you, Councilmember JD.

So, Council members, I'm actually addressing that at a town hall meeting I'm having Saturday, June 27th, and it's made of neighborhood presidents and developers.

And the title is come be a pro, let's develop Charlotte together.

I do think if you're talking about some of the pillars we have in our community, it is corporate, it is policymakers, and it's more important as our citizens.

And so we need to continue to find ways to bring them together.

What's your definition of NIMBYism?

And then what does community benefits look from your perspective?

And the conversation with developers is about why are you developing Charlotte and what does development mean to you?

Is it driven by profit or is it different driven by making Charlotte better community fall?

But let's be very clear what our main responsibility has to be.

And that's to the 879,000 citizens currently right now that call Charlotte home.

So we need to continue to have town hall meetings.

We need to continue to have open dialogue and making sure that even our zoning, our zoning practice is a one that we need to change.

Because we hear for neighbors a lot, it's like the community meeting is just a check mark.

It's not real dialogue.

And so I will be the first one to tell you maybe you defer it to TPD.

Let's look at our zoning practices and making sure our neighborhood voices are heard and heard early.

I would tell you, using my experience, 14 members of district rep and now at large, it was always insulting to me when a developer would come and they've never even picked up the phone call to district rep.

I would nicely tell them you need to call Councilmember Johnson, Councilman JD is in district four and five.

And so there has to be a different culture and a different way that our citizens feel like that we are working on our behalf.

And I would tell you, Councilmember, we need to provide what I call stability among our citizens.

What we will support and what we will not support.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you.

And thank you for your willingness to serve.

Councilmember Johnson.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as interim mayor and how we address those concerns?

Wow.

Okay.

I think I think the first concern they might have, does he still have enough uh energy in the tank to do this job for 18 months, and I uh I would say yes I do.

Um, you know, Councilmember Johnson, we are public servants, we're not perfect servants, and so we're all gonna make mistakes and at times we're gonna have different different conversations with some of our citizens.

I will hope that over my over my years of serving the public, there's been one theme that people have felt toward me, and that is I love Charlotte more than myself.

Okay.

So that leads to the second part.

Additionally, what strengths and experiences do you believe make you well suited for this role?

And how many minutes I have?

So I'm gonna do this quickly.

Okay.

21 minutes left.

So let's talk about uh the leadership because I truly think when you are prepared to work in your community, you must do what I call leadership development.

So I've been a graduate of leadership Charlotte, a graduate of focus on leadership, a graduate institute of political leadership, and we've taken some courses, John F.

Kennedy and Harvard.

And then let's talk, let's talk about just the track record.

14 years been a district rep in District 2, and now being coming back uh since 2015 at large.

I love being the cheerleader for Charlotte, North Carolina.

The city has given me so much, and it's my way of repairing saying thank you for allowing me to serve.

So, Councilmember Johnson, the energized bunny is still energized.

Um I still think there's tough issues that we need to handle, but I think I want to do it from a different way.

I want to do it for taking advantage of all our leadership that's in this room.

We all bring different leadership skills, and I just want to be the captain of the team to make sure that our team is performing at a level that each and every one of you feel like you learned something for the 18 months of the leadership that I could bring to the mayor's office.

Thank you, Councilmember Anderson.

We're going inside out.

All right.

Welcome, Mr.

Mitchell.

Thank you, Councilmember Anderson.

Um, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing our city right now?

Public safety.

Okay.

I think we heard loud and clear, Councilman Anderson, that this community does not feel safe.

And so if that's your perception, it will become your reality.

So I'm glad the current mayor decided we need to have our own public safety committee, which you chair.

I do think public safety then touches on economic development.

It touches our neighborhoods.

Um it's a selling card that people say I want to move Charlotte because it's safe.

And so I do think our budget speak very loudly, our priorities as it relates to public safety.

10% pay increase, but also we hope that the funding will allow the 324 open positions we have to be filled.

And then I think public safety also, in a way of vision zero, we got too many crashes that are taking place in our community.

Public safety is we talked about downtown and Providence 51.

We're talking about the NOS camera and red camera.

Public safety has to be our number one priority for the next 18 months.

And I'm fortunate enough to be your interim mayor.

I will make sure it's our top priority for the next 18 months.

Not saying that we don't have other ones, but you say the number one is public safety.

Councilmember Mayo.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

How would you ensure meetings are efficient while still allowing robust debate and discussion?

Oh Lord, this is a good one.

Okay.

So first of all, let me say somehow we need to take all the good work that the work group is doing on the meet on the meeting decorum.

There's a lot of items there that I think that would need to come forward.

So I don't know the referred to the BGR committee, but it's a lot of work.

So let's talk about how we need to improve.

We need to start meetings on time, much as we can, considering that most of us might have another job or other obligation.

Secondly, I think the media needs to be a decorum the way we respect one another when we have conversation.

Thirdly, I hope we can get to the point we have time allocation, how long we can speak.

Fourth, I think it has we have to change the decorum as citizens come in our building.

I don't mind the passion from citizens, but I think all of us feel a little uncomfortable.

It's been borderline disrespectful.

And so, how to how do it one time embrace we want to feel your passion, but we need you to respect the building you're in and talk to us and share your ideas in a very professional way?

You know, one thing I would say uh about our meetings, we have to find a way that we have disagreement, we do it professionally.

And so I in my mind I would say, because I'm a basketball player, I think we need to have a huddle.

So if you and I have a disagreement, how can we hold it before the scheduled meeting?

And so we clear that it's not a personal attack, but we come from different perspectives, and so how do we embrace one another differences that makes the team better?

Let me leave one one last idea, and I want to uh just throw this out.

Because one thing the meeting decorum talked about is how we state the ground rules for the behavior we're going to accept at the very beginning.

And that way, even our audience will understand our expectations, how you had to act in the chamber.

Councilmember Wallington.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Councilman Wallington.

Charlotte's priorities are not new conversations, but the tools, partners, and scale of these challenges look very different than they did even five years ago.

Can you walk us through a specific example of work you are doing right now or have done in the very recent past that directly connects to one of these priorities?

And so I'm gonna have to do a cheat sheet because I know it's five of them.

Great neighborhoods, hold up, let me do a cheap sheet, great neighborhoods, well-managed government, safety community, transformation planning, workforce and business development.

So let me take one that I'm probably more passionate about.

That's uh workforce development.

And I do remember, and Councilman Graham might have probably we might be the only two here around this time.

But I MWBE got struck in uh IMWBE MWE program, a lawsuit we filed against it.

And so we Charlotte had to make a uh change to his program, and then we say, how are we gonna set up another program that would address our small businesses in the community?

And so working with staff, we came up to the new CBI program, Charlotte Business Inclusion.

Could we were committed, and I was committed to make sure our small business and minority business still had a voice in the community, but had a voice that people are going to champion, people going to can understand and support the new program.

And so here we are today, CBI is probably now um seven years old.

CBI program now has reached almost a billion dollars in minority participation.

And so, and so councilman Waddlington, I would tell you, that's what leadership and working with staff and stakeholders is about.

Uh, being a leader, you don't have to have all the right answers.

Sometimes you have to overcome the challenges.

Sometimes you have to be strong in your conviction you want a different results for people we serving.

And so that's just one example of how even today to this day, our minority business program is thriving.

When several years ago, they were questioned was Charlotte ever embraced minority companies again.

Thank you, Councilmember Ashmer.

The next mayor might play a major role in shaping the selection of Charlotte's next city leaders.

How would you ensure city council is meaningfully included in that process?

And what structure would you put in place to make sure city staff is proactive, transparent, and communicative with council members and residents, especially in communities that often feel decisions are made without them.

So let me tackle the first one.

So if I'm interim mayor, uh hear me loud and clear, James Smudge and Mitchell's name would not be on the ballot 2027.

So I have the ultimate the ultimate freedom of just developing the level of people around this table.

And so let me apologize if I when I sent out my vision of my committees that it offended some people.

It was not to offend you, but it was to say I believe each and every one of you should have the opportunity to have a leadership role on Charlotte City Council.

So my first thing with you I think my question is uh let me be very uh specific.

When I talk about next city leaders, I'm talking about our direct reports like the attorney, the manager, and the clerk.

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I thought you said so.

Repeat it again, then Miss Ashmere.

Yes, the next mayor might play a major role in shaping the selection of Charlotte's next city leaders.

Okay, city leaders, yes, including the three that we were responsible for.

So yeah, so how would you ensure that the process is transparent, communicative, and proactive, where council is meaningfully engaged in the process, right?

And that's okay.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, I was thinking about uh the level of you all.

We have three people we know we were responsible for.

We should have their evaluation on our schedule.

We need to do a better job of being proactive, and so one idea I had is have quarterly what I call 90 days check-in.

So no, we got the city manager, we know we're gonna have the city attorney, we know we're gonna have the city clerk.

We have a BGIR committee that we can refer this item to.

So the BGR committee would talk about the valuation of scoring and the date.

We have to be respectful of everybody's time.

We got work commitments, we have family commitments, and we got other commitments out there in the community.

And so to me, the worst thing we do right now, it's always we look at our calendar and it pops up like next Monday from 2 to 5.

We have our city uh clerk evaluation.

Proactive and communication has to improve in the way I would like to improve it on a 90-day look-ahead schedule.

How we're gonna do that valuation be referred to the BGR committee.

What criteria we're gonna use goes to the BGR committee.

So let's ensure all the work is done through committee and let's work on men being proactive on scheduling these evaluations that fits council's schedule.

Okay, let's do a time check.

10 minutes.

Um, so raise your hands and I'll recognize anyone who wants to ask a question.

Councilmember JD, Councilmember Anderson, thank you.

Thank you, Chair Graham.

Um Councilmember Mitchell.

One second.

Um, how would you balance out the priorities and and protect the local authority, the city of Charlotte has on our airport?

Oh, yeah, but also improving the conditions of airport service workers.

Thank you.

So I did have our a referral actually put in to kind of address the airport, and unfortunately, it did not get sent to the uh um economic development committee.

So let me share my thoughts.

One is, and I give council member owens credit.

We were at Breakfast in Politics, and we heard from uh two companies, ABM and Prospera, about the working conditions out there.

And Councilmember Owen said at a particular time, there need to be a service level agreement that we need that we need to include as it relates to the working condition at the airport.

We have to let citizens know that when we hear your concerns and conditions you have, particularly in the area of politics and I mean public safety and workforce development, we need to help a plan.

And so my thing at that particular time, I asked Mayor Lyle so she can refer, is to a job fair with the ABM employees, to really understand how we can improve their quality of life.

Can we assist them in getting more opportunities at the airport?

We heard about their public safety concerns.

Well, we got a public safety committee, and so how can we address some of the real concerns at the airport?

I think, and this is my motto.

I think doing nothing does not solve any problems, and it definitely not solved the problems that we hear at the airport.

Councilmember Mayo and I were invited to attend a conference this past Sunday uh Sunday, talking about an airport advisory council for minority companies.

Charlotte, we were there to support them, and Charlotte was recently charted to have an airport minority advisory council along with the city of New York.

We were proud to be there.

We was proud to represent, but you know what I took away from that is our minority businesses at the airport have a long way to go so they can sustain themselves.

And so, Councilmember Mayo and I was proudly sitting up there, and as they say, Charlotte, we have a new chapter, and you can just see the draw among our minority companies who have been working for three years to get this charter.

Airport is an economic development as well as a transportation, but we need to make sure our airport reads certain guidelines that this city council would like to establish to make sure the employees are taken care of.

Thank you.

How do you see the relationship between the mayor and council and what does it look like in practice when you disagree with the body that has appointed you?

How do you see your relationship with the manager, the city manager on a day-to-day basis?

Let's talk about the most important relationship is the 11 people that's around this table.

Um the mayor doesn't have a vote.

So the mayor, the best thing, facilitate and create a culture that people can be honest and there's dialogue.

Councilmember Anderson, I would say that's why the one-on-one meetings we will establish will help that trust be built, but also gain an understanding of what do we need to do as a council to move forward.

I think the city manager is responsible for staff.

The staff is responsible for implementing the policies that are leveling us around this table, raise our hand and tell them to work on, and so uh has it been a different culture?

Um, I think there's been frustration for all of us about how things have been moved and how we are being heard.

Councilman Hassan, I can only bring you what I'm used to, and that is used to talking to people, working with people, and making sure people understand that there's more power when we work together.

I've never been someone who um needs attention or who likes to grandstand.

I think as mayor, it's more importantly that your 11 feel comfortable working together.

Your 11 feel comfortable, you can come to talk to the mayor on pressing issues, and I have to be open and to listen to that.

Let me let me tell you one thing too, I think helps that.

That is open dialogue when we have meetings here at 5 o'clock, we do agenda review or at city council meeting.

Five minute warnings been given.

Councilmember Wallington is up.

Councilmember Drace is in cue.

Thank you.

As a follow up to the previous question regarding uh intergovernmental relationships, um, Mr.

Mitchell, you are currently the mayor pro tem, the economic development chair, and the CART Pro alternate.

Given where you already sit, why would you be more valuable in the mayor's seat versus all of the roles that you currently have?

So, Councilmember Wattington, uh, first of all, I think there's other leaders on this table that can fit the role of mayor pro tem, chair of economic development, and carpal uh that's number one.

Number two, I think my leadership style and leadership skills is perfect for this transition period we're having.

This is a true transition period.

And so I hope you all will feel comfortable that someone who is willing to do the work, who's willing to make sure we are developing have leadership abilities to grow, and someone who's going to put the city forward instead of himself.

I do not think in all my 20-something years of serving that I've always been selfish.

Um I take pride in developing other people.

And so I would like to say that after 18 months, the 11 of you all will be better leaders, the city council will be more accountable, and we have accomplished that we set out to do as relates to our priorities.

And I think I'm suited best, Councilman Wallington, leading this team to accomplish those objectives.

Councilmember Drace, we'll get the last question, and then I think we should be ready for the one-minute closing statement, unless there's any other questions from members.

Councilmember Drake.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

How important are intergovernmental relationships to the city's agenda?

And what are ways you as mayor would work with our intergovernmental partners to achieve outcomes for our city?

Thank you, Councilmember Drake.

So I I think there needs to be quarterly meetings between committee county commissioner Mark Durrell, school board chair Stephanie Sneed.

Quarterly meetings.

We had demonstrated success with the uh with CMS with the teacher village.

We gave a million dollars.

And then, and then Councilman Driggs, I think there's two other relationships though, we need to maintain.

So I would like us to have a government day in Raleigh.

We need to make sure our relationships with Raleigh is respected from Raleigh as well as us.

I'm going to encourage you all to go and march with our congressional relationships at NLC because our congressional delegation is very important.

Councilman Driggs, I have always believed that when you have the three governing bodies in this community working together, schools will be better, the county will be better, and the city would definitely be better.

Thank you.

Okay, any vice pressing questions before the closing statements.

Saying none, the floor is yours for a minute to give us your closing statement.

What uh Chair Proteil, I'm just gonna go back to something I left for you all when I did my two minute speech.

And I talked about the four C's, so I want to reiterate them and I'm so honored to get your support on June 22nd.

And the first C is collaboration.

And so I talked about, I want to create a culture about collaborating, meeting with the mayor one on one-on-one and seeking your input.

Second, it's about our committees.

We need to empower our committees to do the real work.

And so I would like for the committees to have they stand to meeting on the first Monday, and then you determine what I call a special committee meeting.

We have to be flexible enough to get the work done.

Committee assignments are very important.

So I seek your input.

I just want to have chairs and vice chairs on each committee, because it's about increasing leadership capacity on this council.

Thirdly, about communication.

We need to do a better job being proactive with our communication, engaging with our communication, and sharing our results.

The last is our citizens who we need to work for each and every day.

Thank you, Chair Pro Tem, for this opportunity.

Thank you, Council.

Mayor Portel Mitchell, I want to thank you for your civic leadership for all these years.

Thank you for your commitment to the city of Charlotte, and thank you for applying for the interim mayor position.

We appreciate your leadership.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Who's up next?

Councilmember Owens, you're next.

Robert Harrington.

Robert Harrington is next.

Oh my.

I'm good.

I know I mean it's a letter.

Yeah.

Truth be told.

You want to take another two-minute break?

I'll just tip out.

I don't want to stop nobody.

Okay.

How many more do you have?

We have two more.

Just two more.

Robert and then Carrie.

Let's break for two minutes, three minutes.

After Robert?

Okay.

Do you want to break?

In total, you will have 30 minutes.

Members of the council will ask question.

Uh there may be a follow-up question that's germane to the question that was previously asked to you.

Um, you will have a five-minute warning when your time is about to expire, a minute warning when your time is almost done.

Uh, when you get the minute warning, um, just finish your thought.

You don't have to stop properly.

Uh, and then at the end, you'll get a one-minute closing argument uh to sum up your case.

And so if Mrs.

Johnson is ready, we'll start from that side and we'll work our way around the dais.

Uh, Councilmember Johnson, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Chairman.

Thank you.

Hello.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you for your willingness to serve.

Absolutely.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as interim mayor?

And how would you address those concerns?

And then there's a second part, so I'll just ask that first.

Okay.

No, so on the first part, I mean, I think I am one of the final five, who has not served in elected office.

Uh, it has not served in government per se.

Uh, and I think that raises, I would imagine the public would have questions about that, and I think it brings opportunities, right?

Because I I have served um in a number of positions from the North Carolina Bar Association to leading the board of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library system, and so I've got a good deal of experience in the around the public sector and in the public sector.

But I would expect that to be a question, and I think the answers are that I've had good experience working with city and county and library and also working with private sector.

Thank you.

Additionally, what strengths and experiences do you believe make you the most well suited for this role?

I think it it dovetails uh council member with what I you know said just now.

I think I've I think we are in a time where um, you know, sort of bringing all of those experiences to bear, particularly in this interim period, uh, would be helpful.

I don't have political aspirations beyond this, and I think you know, we've all said, of course, that we will not run for run for mayor, uh, but I think this interim period gives us an opportunity to work internally, uh, some within the council to make sure that all the council members' voices are being heard and that the council members feel that their voices are being heard, and then moving out from there, making sure that the public believes that there is a free flow of information and of viewpoints.

Uh I think my experiences up to now in my life experiences helped me to do that, and I'm eager to bring those skills to bear uh on the current situation.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Councilmember J.

D.

Thank you, Chair Graham.

Thank you, Mr.

Harrington.

Charlotte is the fastest growing city, but oftentimes that growth is leaving behind working families.

How would you balance being business friendly and people first, as well as ensuring our private partners are collaborative partners and closing social economic gaps?

Yeah, I guess I would start council member with the with my experience.

So I have spent my career here in what I would call the business sector.

I mean, I have been a practicing attorney handling primarily business matters.

I've also been heavily involved in the community, and that goes from I think the first organization I was involved in here was probably Friendship Church, the second, probably right around the same time, was what within Siegel Avenue Partners, which is now Freedom School Partners.

Uh so I've I have spent my career, certainly the last 30 years of it, uh bridging those gaps and making plain to you know partners on both sides of those issues.

I won't say that divide because I don't want to concede that there's a divide, but in those different pockets of the community, the need to work together, and as we grow, I I agree with you.

I think it is particularly important that we do everything we can to make sure that you know working citizens and citizens, particularly families who have been here for generations aren't lost in the growth.

Um we need to make sure that the shiny new things don't overwhelm the things that have been here and the things that are distinctive about Charlotte.

I think it's a balancing act, right?

I mean, it is a balancing act because the fact that we are there's something about the city that's drawing whatever that number is a hundred and the the metropolitan area, a hundred and whatever a day.

There's something we're doing right here that people see on the outside.

I think we need to celebrate that, maintain those engines that drive the growth.

But I completely agree with you that you know, and I can see it in the work that I do and have done in various civic organizations.

We need to make sure people don't get lost.

Thank you.

Councilmember Mayfield.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for offering yourself for this particular role.

How do you plan to maintain your employment and do this role?

As it does take up a significant amount of time.

Councilmember, I suspect that's almost an understatement that it takes up a significant amount of time.

Um, you know, I unfortunately come to a point in career and a place of work where my priority is getting this job done well, and that takes time, and I know it takes time.

Um, you know, I I couldn't tolerate, and I frankly, I think the folks that I have worked with couldn't tolerate having a public figure who was not doing what he or she but they needed to do in the community, and so that has to be the priority, or you just don't do it.

Councilmember Droyes, thank you.

Good afternoon, afternoon.

In order to achieve a more orderly council process, how would you work outside of meetings to help council identify priorities and achieve consensus?

So I think you know, when when I step back and look at the situation, um, look at the council, look at the um, you know, just the structure.

You know, the first thing is the overriding thing is trust is how do you maintain, preserve trust among the entire group.

Um, I think that's to me that's the purpose for the orderliness.

You know, you you this body, it's vital to obviously it's vital to Charlotte that this body be efficient and effective and create not just the reality but but the perception of that.

I think we, you know, we need to be attentive to prior to meetings or outside of meetings, having the committee structure work the way the committee structure should work.

Uh, and that's with you know, leadership of the committees that uh is energized about what they're doing, it's you know, considering committee structure, you know, maybe you have you know engaged, I know we've had this in the past vice chairs, but the committee structure's got to work, and people have to trust the members have to trust that the committee structure will work.

Um, and then for meetings, there, you know, I've my some of my colleagues would say I've done too much of this in my career, but I I've chaired a lot of a lot of meetings.

Uh, and I think there is a um necessary task, a necessary skill to making sure that voices are heard and that folks um you know are are recognized that motions are orderly, that process is followed.

Um, you know, there's a detailed procedure um, you know, for this council that I believe you all revisited in June.

I want to say June 8th of this year, and you know it's laid out there, and I know the overlay to that is Robert's rules, and the overlay to that is the city charter, which has some provisions.

But I think we have to follow those, and it's not for the mechanics of following it is because that's how you create trust.

If people understand the process to be heard in meeting and follow that process, we have to be attentive to that.

Um, but again, I'd step back from that and say, both a reason for that and an outcome is trust.

And without trust, you can't accomplish anything effectively.

Thank you.

Councilmember Orlans.

Thank you, Chair.

Afternoon, it's nice to see you.

Thank you.

The recent rescission of the I 77 project recommendation reflected strong public engagement and differing perspectives about transportation planning.

What do you believe should be the next step in addressing congestion and mobility challenges along the I-77 corridor?

And how would you, as mayor, ensure the public is meaningfully involved in that process?

So I'll start with the end of that uh uh council person, uh council member.

I think the the engagement of the public is vital.

Um, you know, we can't do anything without hearing the voices of the public.

Um I think the you know, there's there's no question that there's a congestion problem.

There are congestion problems all over the metropolitan area, but there's a particular congestion problem on 77 South.

Uh, to to uh to address that problem takes you know I know we have the the regional areas with car with CARPO, but it also takes the legislature, and I think we have to have meaningful dialogue with the legislature with communication going both ways, right?

And so it is the need for Charlotte to be in fact a municipal area, uh municipal place that de that is treated with integrity, um, but it's also the realization that funding and a lot of control emanates from Raleigh and and for that matter from Washington.

So I think we have to I don't think any of these are simple problems.

I think communication is vital.

I think finding a way to um re-engage in an appropriate way in the process of developing 77 South is is important.

I think it has to be done.

I think it is an immediate priority for whoever holds this role.

Um, and I think we have to be attentive to the public.

We have to, and part of being attentive to the public is communicating both the city, but also importantly the state and the you know Department of Transportation communicating fully and effectively with the citizens.

There's a whole, I mean, we all know there's a whole lot of background here, right?

There are years and years of background here that are real to people.

Um, and they're real to people who, you know are are my age, and so how we address those concerns of it gets back to trust again.

Trust as we go forward is is important.

But I do think we have to re-engage in that discussion and figure out how we handle those challenges of transportation from you know middle middle of Charlotte to the South Carolina border.

We can't ignore that issue.

Councilwoman Anderson.

Thank you and welcome.

Thank you.

In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing our city?

And I ask that with the understanding that we have many challenges, but if you could focus on one that you believe is the biggest one, I'd like to hear from you on that.

Yeah, I I think it's I think it's a broad issue that involves affordability, you know, affordable housing, and the issues that I mentioned earlier with council member of how we make sure that a prosperous city, the prosperity is shared as broadly as it should be.

I think affordable housing is in the middle of that.

Um if I were going to stress on one, I think it's you know it's affordable housing and the things that revolve around that.

So services for folks in the pockets where we're you know struggling with residents who can't afford housing anymore.

But there's a there are a bunch of wraparound services that I know are addressed to some extent in the budget.

I mean, I think we're we're working on those issues, at least in the you know, the bond proposal uh for affordable housing, uh, the referendum in November.

I think that's going to be really important for whoever takes this role to engage on behalf of the city and with the council on immediately because I think that's going to be vital.

Uh the success of that is vital.

But I I think it's affordability combined with I'll use the word inclusion, but by inclusion I mean that that all of our citizens have a real chance of participating in the prosperity of the city while maintaining the prosperity of the city.

If I'm going to do a second, I would say of course, at all times public safety, right?

Because none of this is possible uh without public safety.

I know the budget included at least a strong start towards um you know policing and public safety and fire, but I don't think that can be left out of any equation because the citizens look to us for that.

Councilmember Mayo.

Thank you.

Uh good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Uh, how would you ensure meetings are efficient while also allowing robust debate and discussion?

Um great question.

I think the I think that's largely it gets back to trust again, but order, right?

I think you have to there has to be a, and there is.

I mean, when you look at the procedures and you look at what we have available to us, running meetings efficiently, effectively, and according to our procedures is the sure, that's why the rules exist, um, so that you know the process to be heard, you have the opportunity to be heard.

Um, you know, I think there are there are issues that we should we that council and leadership should send to appropriate committees, you know, when there are issues that can be more robustly addressed in the committee structure.

Um but I think overall, and and I guess I'd add another thing, communication, right?

So, you know, one on one, I would intend to be in this building and among council members as the default, right?

And I hope that we can create a you know, sort of create or continue a process where many of us are in here because being able before meetings, between meetings to talk, and to talk, even you know, we're all gonna disagree at times.

And my career is frankly, you know.

I you know, put a kid through college largely on disagreements.

That's what we do, but respecting disagreements and being able to work through them to some resolution.

That takes time, it takes individual conversations, and it takes orderly meetings and process.

And I'm accustomed to working on that from you know, the I keep going back to the Bar Association, but that was 14,000 lawyers from across the state with a board of approximately 30 who are lawyers, right?

And so not only do they have opinions, but they express them.

And learning how to manage that process, um, working together to manage that process by the rules.

We have procedures, we just need to make sure we're following them.

Councilmember Wallington.

Thank you, and thank you for being here.

Perhaps following up on your bar experience, or you can certainly pick something else.

Charlotte's priorities are not new conversations, but the tools, partners, and scale of these challenges look very different than they did even five years ago.

Can you walk us through a specific example of work you are doing now or have done in the very recent past that directly connects to these priorities?

Council member to the priorities specific to Charlotte or in general?

To Charlotte.

So I think the most recent experience that I had in Charlotte in the you know the public sector was as chair of the uh the board of the uh the library board of trustees.

Uh and we work through a number of issues.

I mean, we go through a process periodically, I won't say every year, but periodically with the county on capital priorities and where um you know library facilities need to be constructed or renovated, you know, otherwise worked on the dedication of of you know human resources of people to particular areas.

Um I maintained a process, I won't say I started the process, but I maintained a process where we were in communication with you know staff, senior staff, and other trustees who we selected because they hopefully represented the city well, and it was a diverse in every sense of the word board on purpose to make sure that we were getting the feedback from citizens about what they need and what they need in fast growing new areas and what they need on Beatty Sport Road.

Um, you know, we invest it around that time in the you know, Beatty Sport Regional, which we changed the name of to honor a citizen.

Um but that's a it's a process of communicating with the public and then working internally to make sure that you're effective in getting it done.

I think my library experience is probably the closest in in that sense experience public sector in Charlotte.

And obviously, I've done stuff with the Bar Association, that's statewide.

Um, but again, you're there you're working with, and I think it would be I think it would be helpful here that experience of working with people from across the state, and with working, you know, not as a you know lobbyist, we have our own lobbyists, right, but working conscious of the goals of folks in the legislature who have various opinions about Charlotte and various needs in their own communities, and I would really look forward to engaging that.

So I would say the the experience is Charlotte is primarily library, um, but I think the skill set is developed from a range of other experiences.

Hope that answers.

Thank you.

Uh time check?

13 minutes and 14 seconds.

Okay, council member.

Thank you.

Welcome, Mr.

Harrington.

Thank you.

Thank you for your service on the board of Charlotte as well as the library.

So the next mayor might play a major role in shaping the selection of our direct reports, whether that be a manager or clerk, or the city attorney.

How would you ensure city council is meaningfully included in that process?

And what structure would you put in place to ensure city staff is proactive, transparent, and communicative with all council members and residents, especially in communities that often feel decisions are made without them.

Oh, great question.

I think, and thank you, Councilmember.

Um, I think the communication on those issues, and you know, none of this is easy, right?

I mean, that's why we're here.

Uh that's why you guys devote so much time to this.

The communication on all of those issues is key.

Um there, you know, I've not been through a process, obviously, of selecting a manager or or city attorney, um, but the the voices in this room have to be involved meaningfully because if they're not, you set up a prescription for folks not to feel a part of the process, and in any situation like that, you run the risk of you know creating, you know, setting someone up for failure, right?

Uh I think that's one of the keys for whoever is the next mayor, is to make sure that the intent going into the process is that voices be heard.

Sometimes that takes longer, right?

Because you might have to work through disagreements, you might have to work through a lot of questions.

The outcome there is better.

Um, and so I would look for certainly to involve this body uh and look for appropriate ways to involve the body so that you have a voice and not just a you know a vote.

Okay, we probably got about 11 minutes.

All right.

So the floor is open for general questions from the paper.

Uh I recognize Councilmember Johnson and um Councilmember J.

D.

You're in Q.

Thank you.

Charlotte adopted an ordinance in 2024 related to individuals who are unhoused.

What are your thoughts on those policies and Charlotte's overall approach to homelessness?

I think we need to continue to devote the resources to the underlying causes, and that's I'm sure that is collaboratively with the county, uh, and the areas that the county you know works in in human services and human resources, human services.

Um I think we the the balance to that balance is probably the wrong word.

Um, I think we need a vibrant city across the board.

I think we need to take care of folks who are temporarily unhoused, you know, and realize that they're not the enemy, that they are folks who are um in a situation that we're blessed not to be in as we sit here today.

Um so we have to be compassionate and we have to put the resources, we have to, you know, I would say, and I think I can help in this process, we have to um combine the resources and perhaps help to guide the resources of the public and not the private and non-profit sectors in working on these issues, and then both for the folks who are you know find themselves on the streets and for those who are using those areas, we need the not just the perception but the reality of safety, and so I think it's balancing those things so that we are attentive to the needs.

These are our neighbors, right?

Um, but we also all have to feel, including those neighbors have to feel safe in our various areas.

Councilmember J.

D.

Councilmember Mayfield, thank you.

Thank you, Chair Graham.

Charlotte's airport is one of our city's most important economic engines.

How would you protect Charlotte's role in shaping the future of the airport while also ensuring airport service workers benefit from its success?

I'll try, great question.

I'll try to take that in in some order.

I mean, I think we have to continue to show that we are not good but exceptional stewards of that business because we are um as is any city like us that operates an airport, we are at risk with Raleigh, and I don't mean that adversarially to Raleigh, but we are at risk.

We're in a state where Raleigh has that type of control, as most states, um, and we are conscious of you know actions by Washington.

Um, and so you know, it is a it's an economic driver, and it's a um you know, municipal issue of municipal integrity that we continue to be able to operate the airport and that we operate it in an exceptional manner, which I think we historically we have.

Um I agree that we need to, you know, continually be looking at the support that we provide for all of our municipal employees, including those at the airport, but we have to be, you know, mindful.

I've again stretched from the the business sector to the nonprofit sector to the religious sector.

We've got to be mindful of the balance of making sure that we protect and preserve that asset while also making sure that we treat the employees there and our team members there uh with respect.

Councilmember Mayfield, Councilmember Drake, thank you.

Thank you.

This is a really long question, but I'm gonna try to condense it.

So, if appointed interim or mayor, how would you identify and manage any actual or perceived conflicts of interest arising from your employment, clients, business relationship, or financial interests specifically?

If they're if your current profession require you to frequently recuse yourself on matters knowing you don't have a vote before the council, would you be willing to modify a step away from the role to from that role to ensure that the public has a fully engaged and independent mayor?

Thank you, Councilmember.

I great question for someone sitting in my position of continuing to work.

With the caveat that I think I gave to um council member earlier about this has got to be the priority.

Um you can't do this job when it's not the priority.

Um I think I believe to the extent there are conflicts they can be managed.

I think they would be you know few and far between, but they're important when they arise.

Um I think we have to work our I would have to work my way through the process to make sure that they are in fact manageable.

Um, but you know, we've got examples of, you know, Richard Venroot was mayor and was continuing to practice, and I think that that is a very successful mayor.

Um I believe Mayor Gantt uh was continuing to work as time allowed uh as an architect during his time.

Um believe Mayor McCrory continued to, you know, with a connection employment with Duke Energy.

I think there is a model here, and perhaps one of the things that's helpful for for all of the lawyer jokes out that it's helpful to lawyers, is you know, this is one of the things we do that that question of ethics and being thoughtful and being careful, not to say anyone else doesn't, but it is a part of the profession, it's who we are.

Um so I would I would I think it's a manageable uh situation.

I'd look forward to managing it.

Um I would err on the side of protecting the city's interest um in getting the job done.

Um, but you know, my intent at this point is to maintain my partnership at Robinson Bradford.

Thank you.

Uh, how important are intergovernmental relationships to the city's agenda?

And I know that you've alluded to this, but uh, what in particular are ways that you as mayor would work with our intergovernmental relations partners to achieve outcomes for our city?

I think I got that.

I was I was making sure I looked at I was attentive to the time.

Um I mean I think there is a you know hierarchy is the wrong word.

There are there's a list of partners that we need to you know work with.

I think probably we have good relationship with them, but I would want to jump into that immediately.

Obviously, Mecklenburg County in our you know um dovetailing areas of of engagement in the city, uh making sure that those continue to work, which I think is communication with um, you know, Chair Gerald and uh Jarrell and and others, making sure that works.

Um, and then there's, you know, the host of others, if you sort of work your way out from the you know, through the region, you know, the work that we're now doing with uh, you know, standing up watching being standed up, participating and standing up, the metropolitan um public transit authority, uh, the work that we do on the transportation level with CARTPRO, um, the regionalism, both the combination of regionalism, the Charlotte metropolitan area, and the shared interests of municipalities and particularly large municipalities, as we go to Raleigh and we're having discussions or debate, or however you want to frame it, having it's not just Charlotte, it's not just Raleigh, it's not just Greensboro, it is the shared interests of municipalities and the shared interests of the the this incredible engine for the state that is the Charlotte area.

So I I've named a few of the entities, but I think understanding the importance of those partnerships is vital to access.

We should not be in this on our own, and we aren't.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Councilman member as mayor, and then I think we're running close to how much time you have.

We got three minutes, and then you get a closing argument for one.

So you got in total of four minutes left.

Yes, I just wanted to follow off on Councilmember Mayfield's question about uh your private employment, especially in your case.

See, I just want to make sure you said that you would prioritize the council work, right?

And did you say you were you were willing to step away from your private employment, or you would maintain the ownership interests?

I would maintain.

Yeah, no, I I recognize the priority of the city um for my own interests and for those that, you know, I've worked for almost 30 years around.

Um the the damage to your really sort of sense of self and professionalism if you don't do this well, uh, is irreversible.

So the the focus has to be doing this well.

And the advantage in doing that is it's an eighteen month, you know, role, and one that you know, I wouldn't be running for re-election to.

So it's a defined period where you realize that your number one task is serving the council and the citizens of Charlotte.

But I would, my intent is to stay with the uh with the firm.

Thank you.

And you are a partner, right?

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, seeing that there are more no more further questions.

You have a one-minute closing argument.

Well, thank you.

Uh uh, Mr.

Chair.

I um appreciate the opportunity to interview.

I take the opportunity very, very seriously.

Charlotte has been incredibly good to me and my family.

Um I believe very strongly in paying that forward, and I think this is um perhaps the ultimate way of paying that forward.

As I said the other day when I had my short speech before the uh before the council collaboration, communication, transparency, figuring out how to work together in an orderly, continue to work together in an orderly manner, I would hope would be hallmarks of this eighteen months.

And I see this eighteen months as yes, they're going to be immediate priorities, but also as a bridge from now until the next elected mayor, hoping to put this city in the next elected mayor and council's hands in fantastic shape.

I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you all today, and thanks so much for all that you do.

Mr.

Harrington, we really appreciate your leadership and your commitment to public service and your willingness to consider this opportunity.

And on behalf of the council, we thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Last but not least.

Let's take let's take five minutes.

We'll be back in five minutes.

As soon as Miss Wallington returns, we'll get started again.

Okay.

Give her a second or two.

And after the last speaker, there's two process questions that we have to go through.

They should go relatively quickly.

Um, so we will see.

Let's make sure that we're all on the same page about how we're going to process what we do.

I don't know I should have brought my tennis close with me.

I could have left straight from here to go to the tennis court.

I'm playing tennis and district um council member JD's district today at Veterans Park.

That's I gotta be there at six o'clock.

I think I would like to do it.

Are the Veterans Park?

The pizza.

All right, I think we have everybody here.

So we're gonna call the meeting back to order.

I think everybody's here.

We have one more speaker, and after this speaker, again, we have two quick process items.

We just need to make sure that there's consensus in the room in terms of how we move forward.

So we're ready for Miss Cook.

Thank you.

You will have a total of 30 minutes.

Okay.

Um every council member will go have a round of questions.

Uh there may be a follow-up question or two uh for clarification.

Uh the city clerk will let you know when you get your five minutes warning.

Uh, and then you'll get a one-minute warning.

Uh, once that is completed, don't feel free that you have to stop appropriately, finish your thought.

Uh, and then you'll get a one-minute closing statement towards the end.

Okay.

Okay.

And so, Councilman Bash Mayer.

Well, welcome, Miss Coke.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

So the next mayor might play a major role in shaping the selection of our direct report.

So we have three director boards, manager, clerk, and attorney.

So, how would you ensure City Council is meaningfully included in their process, and that process is proactive, transparent, and communicative with all council members and residents, especially in communities that often feel decisions are made without them.

Thank you for the question, Councilwoman Ashmer, and thank you for the opportunity to be with you all today.

I appreciate this uh chance to speak with you about my candidacy.

When you think about the role that the mayor plays with uh the city manager and the city clerk and residents and internal and external stakeholders more broadly, I mean, I think there's a key emphasis on trust, on transparency, on consensus building.

And those are the things that I have done throughout my life and throughout my career on building trust, on building relationships, on building consensus and coalitions with different groups of people across this community, from the east side to the west side, from north to south.

I have been in communities, and I think uh a reputation that I've had is being both grass tops and grassroots, which I view as a strength because I can connect and walk with the folks across our community hand in hand, be in the neighborhoods, understand and talk with residents, but also I can sit with executive leaders and ask for their input and ask for their concerns.

But the biggest thing that I know that's important to all of us is for our city to succeed and for our residents to have quality of life.

And so when I think about that, for our city to succeed, we've got to have trust, we've got to have transparency, we've got to have efficiency, and we have to deliver results.

And so I am someone who would work with the three different um entities that councilwoman Ashmer mentioned to deliver results, but to do it together with you and to empower you and the roles that you have as council to lead.

I think that's really important.

I think it's important to listen.

I think it's important to understand uh what you all are wanting to advance, and not bring you a fully baked plan, but come to you for early iteration, for early feedback, for opportunity to build something together that we can all be proud of.

And so that's you know, when I think about the way in which the mayor operates with council and internal stakeholders and external stakeholders.

Uh, last night my daughter said, Mommy, what does the mayor do?

And I said, the mayor is a bridge in a lot of ways, and you have to be a bridge of information, you have to be trusted and transparent as a bridge.

I don't want to go over any bridges that I don't trust.

And so when you have relationships, when you're able to work with folks, when you're able to include people in a process and galvanize people and build consensus, those are the ways that I have led and been known to lead across our city for over two decades, and that's what I would continue to do.

Councilmember Wallington.

Good afternoon.

Charlotte's priorities are not new conversations, but the tools, partners, and scale of these challenges look very different than they did even five years ago.

Can you walk us through a specific example of work you are doing right now or have done in the very recent past that directly connects to one of these priorities?

That's a great question.

Thank you for the question, Councilwoman Watlington.

I'll just tell you all, I'm very excited about the areas of strategic focus that you've outlined since your retreat in March, because all of those areas, whether it's safety, whether it's housing, whether it's well-managed government, great neighborhoods, or planning and investment, are areas that I've worked in over the course of my career and areas that I've worked in hand in hand with residents of this city.

And so just to give a specific example, as requested, you know, over the last um couple of years, I've done a couple uh a number of significant things I'd say related to housing and to workforce development, and and so let me just talk just for a minute about that.

Um, a few years ago, I served on the city's affordable housing committee when we were advancing our opportunity to move from to think about a continuum of care for our residents, and so not just those who are unhoused, not just those in the missing middle, not just those who are moving into ownership, but really thinking about that continuum and what we need to do to advance an opportunity for all of our people, no matter where they are in trying to find housing and build their life here in our city.

And so when I think about the ways that I've engaged, one again working with city leaders, working with other internal and external partners, building collaborations, working with folks who are looking to build and develop more housing in our city, working to increase the housing trust fund allocation, thinking about innovations and ways we use those dollars and way we support and increase the uh supply of housing, preserving our NOAA, right?

So making sure that our naturally occurring affordable housing remains in communities.

And so those are things that I've done, but I also currently serve on the Westside Charlotte Land Trust Board, and so continuing to advance the work there, have done that also in an informal uh capacity as an advisor.

And so advancing housing issues so that everybody in this community, even if you are on the front end of being unhoused and we're working with other partners like the county and others, where you need a continuum of care to support our residents, whether it's mental health or other services, county services that are needed, that is really important to our residents to be able to have a quality of life here.

And so when you think about those core areas that you all have outlined as your priorities, I've been working in all of those areas, but those are some specifics I'd give you around housing.

The last thing I would say is that you know I've partnered over a number of years, a couple of uh decades now to work on the city's capital investment plan.

And so when you talk about investments in streets and neighborhoods and housing, you know, I've been on the front lines of leading our advocacy and organizing campaigns to invest in our area so that we have shared prosperity for our residents.

And so that's really important to me because when people have housing that's connected to transit, that's connected to sidewalks, that's connected to work that allows our folks to live, work, and play here in a way that everybody can benefit from.

And so I'm really excited about that and grateful that you've outlined it as one of your core priorities moving ahead.

Thank you.

Councilmember Mayo.

Thank you.

Uh good afternoon.

Uh, how would you ensure meetings are efficient while still allowing robust debate and discussion?

That's a great question.

Thank you for the question, Councilmember Mayo.

Um, I think over the years, what I've been able to demonstrate in leadership across public, private, and nonprofit sectors is just someone who is an active listener, but also a leader and a facilitator.

So I've been able to uh govern in rooms, be a strong facilitator, be someone who is really a parliamentarian who says, okay, we've got a process, we're gonna stick to our process, and we're gonna drive that process forward to deliver results for the people that we're delivering them for.

And so when I think about effective meeting facilitation, it's not just about the meeting itself, it's about again relationships, trust, and transparency.

It's about collaboration and building consensus, and that's how I've shown up in our community to work with residents, to work with different leaders, and it's how I would want to show up with each of you if given the honor of working with you in that way, because that's the way that we advance things with um with uh priority that with the priorities that have been set up, and that's the way we advance them in a way that's best for our residents because again, everybody wants us to succeed here.

So, strong trust and transparency, allowing for uh discussion and dialogue to take place before you arrive at a meeting so that there's some um galvanizing and some rapport and some consensus and some trust around what we can do together, and those are just really active listening and facilitation, building consent, those are just core tenets of governing well and continuing to lead to meet the moment.

And I'll say that, you know, it's been quite some time since I finished this program.

But going back to even serve at um on the board at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Government.

I mean, we train local leaders to be effective, and so that was an important part of my own professional journey and allowed me to learn ways to listen and learn and lead, but also now being a part of helping to train other municipal leaders to lead effectively, those are the things that I've continued to do throughout my career, and it's what I'd want to bring to meeting facilitation and to helping to galvanize this group as we contend with the issues of the day to support our city.

Councilmember Anderson.

Thank you and welcome.

Thank you.

In your opinion, what is the biggest issue or challenge facing our city today?

And I ask that with the understanding that we have lots of challenges.

But if you could pick the one that you believe is the biggest and speak to that.

So the biggest issue, and I'd reframe it also as the biggest opportunity facing our city is we're a world-class city, the secret is out, and we're growing.

So our growth, the 150 plus people a day who are coming here, balancing that growth in a way that provides shared prosperity for all of our residents, and a way that we make investments in corridors and communities across the city, and a way that says we're going to drive this forward with not only these core priorities, but with the fiscal responsibility and with the uh prioritizing resident voice and the bringing in of cross-sector stakeholders, that's the biggest opportunity and challenge that I see because if you don't do that well, you risk losing losing folks or leaving folks behind, and you risk asking yourself: can our local teachers, can our firefighters, can our nurses, can our EMS workers, can our neighborhood coalition leaders and nonprofit leaders and working families build a quality of life here?

And I believe they can and will continue to build a quality of life here if we manage growth well and support growth that is um that provides benefits for all of our residents and their shared prosperity in that growth.

Councilmember Owens.

Thank you, Chair.

Good afternoon.

It's nice to see you.

Um, the recent rescission of the I 77 project recommendation reflected strong public engagement and differing perspectives about transportation planning.

What do you believe should be the next step in addressing congestion and mobility challenges along the I 77 corridor?

And how would you, as mayor, ensure the public is meaningfully involved in that process?

Councilwoman Owens, I appreciate the question.

And you know, we hear from residents that congestion is a concern.

We also hear from residents and we understand from our neighbors that they want quality of life and they want their voices heard on these issues, and so as we think about the next step and the path forward, again, I'm gonna go back to trust, so building trust with communities so things happen with people and not to them.

Um I'm gonna go back to transparency and be an open in deliberations as a group around this diet, but also open with the public in the process.

I'm gonna go back to relationships.

So the relationships that uh that I've built over the last two decades plus with legislative delegations and with um uh transportation planning organizations.

I mean, going out and continuing to find a way to advance together is important.

So, whether it's calling members of the MPTA or crypto or um calling on regional mayors, calling on others to say, all right, we need to sit around the table and identify how we're gonna address the demands that we have with our growth and the demands that we have so people can continue to enjoy a quality of life here, and we have to do that strategically, but it has to be people-first and people-centered, and so that's what I would say.

I mean, I I am um firmly supportive of making sure our neighborhoods have connectivity, making sure folks can continue to um enjoy the neighborhoods that they built, but also balancing that with our growth demands.

And so I think a path forward is to say, when we come back around the table, and and nothing is in my career.

I've learned that you got to give a little bit and you got to be able to, you know, sort of there's a push and pull, and there's a dynamic in place where nobody will get 100% of everything they want.

Uh, but I've been able to work with different groups and say how do we build a coalition, advance a solution, and deliver results for our people that everybody can live with and that everybody will be proud of in some way.

Everybody won't get 100%, but that's what it takes to lead and govern is to find a solution and find a path forward.

Councilmember Drake.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

In order to achieve a more orderly council process, how would you work outside of meetings to help council identify priorities and achieve consensus?

I would work outside of the process doing the things I've been doing for my entire life, which are showing up, listening actively, leading intentionally, building coalitions across sectors, working with stakeholders.

Again, the significance of building relationships and working with stakeholders, working with local neighborhood groups, working with corporate partners, working with neighborhood partners, working with all of the folks that it takes to get things done.

I mean, that's how I would show up to continue to advance processes.

It's the ways that I've always shown up with communication, with active listening, trust transparency, and also an acknowledgement that I don't have all the answers.

So I don't have all the answers.

You all are listening to your different constituencies and representing different perspectives.

And that's a difficult process, but through that process and through being out hearing from folks, advocating, I mean, you really in this role have to be someone who's willing to pick up the phone, go to Raleigh, go to Washington, go to the places and sit with the people, even when you disagree, and say how do we get to a point and a place of agreement to advance Charlotte's priorities for Charlotte's people?

And so I think that's an important thing that I've done in my career is calling on state legislative delegations, whether it's business growth and expansion, whether it's um education and supporting our talent pipeline, whether it's investments and how we think about growing our city.

I mean, all of those things are things that I've done and I'm comfortable to do on day one, and and they would be an extension of the work that I've already done.

Thank you.

Okay.

Okay.

Councilmember Mayfield.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for joining us today.

How do you plan to maintain your employment and do this role?

As this does take up a significant amount of time.

Well, I've recently transitioned from employment, and so I'm at a great place in my life, and part of this was the impetus or the catalyst to say, what's next?

What are you gonna do next?

How are you gonna serve next?

How are you gonna step in next?

So recently I led uh community development for the Fed and was able to drive investments and analyze data and inform monetary policy to support communities across six states and and then work with folks across our country around best practices, around solutions, around low-income communities being better capitalized and better uh um uh supported with building capacity and making investments, everything from um skills and uh access to jobs to uh non-skill-based barriers around housing, transportation, education, those things.

And so my career has been one that spanned public, private, nonprofit, grassroots sectors, and now I'm at a place in my life where I've taken a pause to evaluate what is the next step so I am able to fully devote myself to this endeavor with you all and advancing the priorities.

Um, of course, I have uh a family, and so I that is always gonna be first and foremost for me.

Um, but I very much, as I have always done, lean into leading in different areas of my life, and it would be an honor to lean in to lead with you in this season, knowing that there's an interim period, and the voters will next fall choose their next mayor, but there's an interim period to help support and advance the issues that we all care about for Charlatans to succeed.

Councilmember JD.

Thank you, Chair Graham.

Thank you, Ms.

Cooks for being here.

Charlotte is a grown city, but too often growth is shaped and leaving folks behind, especially working families.

How would you balance being business friendly and people first and ensuring that our private partners are collaborative partners and closing social economic gaps?

Yeah, that's a great question.

Thank you for for it, Councilmember.

I uh I think balancing uh business friendly with people first is the epitome of who I've had to be uh over the course of my career.

And so when I think about balancing the opportunity to talk with court corporate partners, whether it was when I started long ago, long before this city started talking about economic mobility and social capital, when I built programs that invested in young girls in this city and invested in youth in our city and brought corporate partners to the table to say you have to be a part of building our local talent pipeline.

I mean, that work existed long before someone told us that we needed to work on economic mobility in the city, and then it just continued from there.

So the balance of saying, hi, corporate partners, we need you.

We can't do this work to the exclusion of you.

We need you around the table for these difficult issues, but we also we're we're here for our people, and so our people have to be the ones that are at the table making decisions, driving decisions, putting forward input.

And I'll just give you examples of when I've been able to do that.

Uh one of the recent examples was when I launched Greenlight Fund Charlotte and was able to galvanize a number of public private nonprofit partners partnered with the city and the county to make investments in uh in workforce and launching the Center for Employment Opportunity Charlotte at the Goodwill Opportunity Campus so that neighbors could have jobs in our community and have financial stability and security.

I also helped to launch financial security CLT, which is a coalition of folks working together to make sure families can build a life here, and when we're allowing and making sure that those opportunities are possible, you're working with folks who we have to say corporate partners, we need you side by side with us in this because many of the corporate partners are employing the residents of this city.

And so when you think about the chance to uh invest in things like the Center for Employment Opportunities, invest in uh youth advocate program and alternatives to violence, which was another thing that we launched, and um it was in a few of you all's districts, and and the program has now expanded across the city.

Um, when we are able to bring together those strong partnerships with city, with county, with private sector stakeholders whom um were also in those uh collaborations to hire our residents and make sure they had a pathway to financial security, those are the things that I've continued to do throughout my career, and I think it's an important balance.

So I've always tried to be a consensus builder, a trust builder, someone that leads with um servant leadership, quite frankly, and a heart for people, but also understands the dynamics and the different stakeholders that have to be around the table together.

Thank you.

Councilmember Johnson.

Thank you.

Thank you for I'm sorry.

Thank you for your willingness to serve for my question.

I'm sorry.

While you're looking for your question, I'm gonna inject one more thing to Councilmember uh JD's point.

And you know, this is just a really point a point of pride because when I think about the partners that we've worked with in ESHOT and the Charlotte Bilingual Preschool and our bridge for kids and a number of other partners, and hired local parents to be educators and be um neighborhood partners and to be leaders, I mean, those types of collaborations with public, private, and nonprofit partners.

I mean, I've just really gained uh uh a tremendous amount of respect and pride to be able to work with folks across East Charlotte and bring programs and investment into an area that sometimes has not always received that investment.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your willingness to serve to serve.

What concerns, if any, do you think the public might have about your appointment as interim mayor?

And how would you address those concerns?

And there is a second part also.

Okay, thank you for that question, Councilmember Johnson.

Concerns.

What I've heard uh to community, and what I've also heard to business.

And so, you know, I find that to be an interesting balance of concerns and a good mix, quite frankly, because you want to uh have trust across a number of different stakeholders, and so for people to say she's too community, she's been organizing on the ground, she's been leading nonprofits, she's been doing this, and for other people to say she's too business, she's been at the chamber, she's been at the Fed, she's been at these places.

I mean, I think that's what we would aspire to have in a leader who has sat at the table, who has advanced issues, who knows um what people uh across different perspectives are leaning into, who has relationships across those different groups.

I mean, I think that's the kind of person that is uniquely served in this moment, and I have those relationships, skills, and experiences.

And again, I'm gonna go back to trust, relationships, transparency, and consensus building because those are the things that I think are important, and the challenges that people would say, I think are the very things that would help us be successful together for Charlatans.

Okay, let's do a time check.

Uh Councilmember Drake's is up.

Does anyone want to be in Q?

If I can, I'm sorry.

I think she answered it.

Well, it's the second part.

I'm sorry.

I think she answered it, so we might be able to move on.

But additionally, what strengths and experiences do you believe make you well suited for this role?

Yeah, okay.

Yeah, she she answered she knocked out the part.

Um, can I ask you?

Council Member.

Because my mic is on.

Can I?

And do you want to be in Q?

Yeah, all right, so Councilmember Drags, Councilmember Johnson, Q.

And I don't see any other hands.

Councilmember JD.

So, how important are intergovernmental relationships to the city's agenda?

And what are ways you as mayor would work with our intergovernmental partners to achieve outcomes for our city?

That's a great question.

Thank you, Councilmember Driggs.

I mean, intergovernmental relations are incredibly important.

And going back to you know, 20 years ago when I moved back to Charlotte after uh completing my studies, uh, coming in to BGR meetings and sitting around and making sure I'm hearing the issues of the day and still continue continuing to do that today has allowed me to build relationships with city leaders, with county leaders, with school board leaders, um, with state legislative delegations and federal delegations, again, with regional mayors and cogs and local planning and transportation and investment organizations, and so doing that work over um a number of of years has really just provided an opportunity to be thoughtful with partners, to um be fearless as an advocate for Charlotte's issues and Charlotte's priorities.

So whether it was trying to determine how we continue to lean into emerging industries around logistics or transportation or energy or any number of things, you know, working together with COGS, with regional mayors, um, with uh, you know, other regional transportation groups, state, federal groups, that's really important.

So intergovernmental is uh something that I believe we have to continue to do really well to advance Charlotte's priorities and Charlotte's issues.

Um, and it's something I'm comfortable with.

I'm comfortable picking up the phone, I'm comfortable getting on the road, I'm comfortable leaning in and having conversations with people who again sometimes have different perspectives and experiences, but um at the end of the day, you do that because for me it's about being an advocate for our people and moving our issues forward, and I'm very much aligned with the core issues and priorities that you all have outlined and would be excited to support those and and pick up the phone and and be a chief advocate for the city and for our people.

Okay, so the five-minute warning was given a minute ago, so you probably got about four minutes left.

Okay, Councilmember Johnson, Q, and then Councilmember JD.

Charlotte adopted an ordinance in 2024 related to individuals who are unhoused.

What are your thoughts on those policies and Charlotte's overall approach to homelessness?

Thank you, Councilmember Johnson, for the question.

Um, so again, I'm gonna go back to a couple of things with housing and thinking about it on a continuum.

So when we start with our unhoused neighbors, I think we do have to continue to advance um policies that increase the supply of housing and provide housing for our neighbors who are unhoused, but we also have to be thoughtful about the partners that are around the table and think innovatively about how we continue to address the issues around our unhoused neighbors.

And so, one of the things again coming back to the question is how do we partner um with other folks?

Going back to Councilman Drake's question, um, intergovernmentally.

And so the county has a big um part in this.

And when we think about some of the reasons that our neighbors are unhoused, including mental health and other challenges.

And so, you know, part of part of my thoughts are around yes, we have to advance policies and opportunities to increase housing supply.

We have to advance opportunities for stakeholders to build a continuum of care together so that we can move neighbors from being unhoused into housing stability.

And we also have to think about not just housing stability, but economic mobility and opportunity.

So once somebody is stable, how do they now participate in market rate rent?

How do they now participate in home ownership later on down the line?

And there are so many partners, good phenomenal partners in this community from you know dream key partners to other uh developers and partners to a number of housing organizations, Habitat Charlotte, I mean a number of housing organizations, public and private partners and nonprofit partners who are working to advance issues.

I mean, you've got um Liz Clayson Kelly, you've just got so many leaders around this community that are doing work around housing and building and bringing people together and who have been doing the work for years, and so I think just continuing to advance those issues is important.

Councilmember JD, and then probably a quick response time check.

Charlotte's airport is one of our most important economic engines.

How will you ensure that Charlotte continues to protect that economic engine but also protecting airport service workers and their conditions?

Thank you for the question, Councilmember J D.

Um, so Charlotte's airport is a tremendous asset for our city and for our residents to live, work and play and be mobile.

When I think about the issues and opportunities, you know, a couple of things at play.

One, you've got an opportunity to think about how to support the workers who work at the airport.

Um I recognize the time is running short.

Two, you have an opportunity, we don't want to wait until we get 18 months from now to really get into the details of renewing this lease and talk about what it's gonna take to make sure that there's satisfactorily satisfactory satisfactory agreement amongst all the parties.

So I think just again, trust, transparency, um, engagement early, understanding the tremendous asset that the airport is, understanding that we have to balance that with workers' ability to live here and build a life here.

Um I think all of those things are in the balance here.

Um but again, uh we're fortunate to live in a city with an asset like our airport, and so a combination of um consensus building, thoughtful processes and negotiations, supporting workers' ability to live here and build a life here, and um uh being thoughtful with advanced planning uh that allows us to continue to make the investments that we need for our citizens to enjoy the city is what I would say is important here.

Okay, very good.

Okay.

So you have a minute to share with the council.

Any closing thoughts?

Well, I just would say thank you.

I think we're in a moment where my skills, um, my heart, my um experiences in the way that I've led are really uniquely positioned to help us move forward.

And so I don't um uh I don't believe that anybody around this table is not here for Charlotte's best interests.

And while there are different constituencies and different issues and different groups, what I do believe is that we're all here now in a unique moment to be able to advance and balance the growth and opportunities in this city with um the ways in which uh everybody can share in the benefits of that growth and that prosperity.

And so I'm a Charlotte, I was raised in Charlotte.

My mom is um, you know, my Shiro, and and we grew up uh in Councilwoman Johnson's district, uh bought my first home in councilmember uh Graham's district.

Uh you know, have done organizing and work in councilmember Wattlington's district.

I've organized with folks in Councilwoman as Mayor's district, and so last week or last month I spoke to an uh economic club in Councilman Driggs district.

I mean, I've just really had an opportunity to show up in spaces and places across the city again without a title.

Um I did this long before there was ever a title associated with it because I just believe in and I love our city.

I have imported a husband into this city.

We have we have had two children here, and it's just a great joy to continue to build a life here, and I'd love to partner with you to do that for uh for our residents.

Well, let me thank you for your leadership and your commitment to public service, uh, and for showing up and showing up today as a candidate, and we appreciate um the opportunity to hear from you today.

Thank you all so much.

Council, we have two, we have two process questions that should take relatively a short period of time, right?

So here we go.

Uh the first question is to determine the number of nominees on the ballot for June 22nd.

I would suspect that we're advancing all five candidates.

Is there consensus on that?

Correct.

Okay.

The second question is to determine the number of votes required to perceive subsequent balance if necessary, i.e., um they get six votes, they are our winner.

Uh if a candidate doesn't get six votes, are we in agreement that the two top vote getters will move forward for a runoff?

Councilmember Anderson.

Then council member mayfields and Q.

Thank you.

Um, so I just want to combine this with what we heard from city attorney, I believe, on Monday.

Um, so I'm open to this discussion, but um should we think about a threshold of votes, right?

And so, if for example, someone gets five votes and then the next person closest gets two votes.

Um, should we think about a threshold if you have to at least have, you know, three or more votes or four more votes to advance?

It's just a question I want to put it out, put out here.

Clearly, I hope we can get the six, and then we don't have to worry about this.

But uh, as we try to prepare the process ahead of time so we don't have confusion on Monday.

Thank you.

So we have Mayfield and Wallington and Q.

Thank you.

So on the same line as far as a threshold I've shared when we had small group discussion.

I do think there needs to be a threshold for me.

That threshold is five or more.

Six is the majority.

I would hope that we would be able to garner support of more than six for the individual that will be stepping into this role.

I don't think three is the number for us to get to for conversation on Monday.

I would hope that we have the opportunity and can identify our majority or better for uh individual.

I know was stated that if it's six, they automatically get it.

Personally, I'm looking for seven and nine, if not consensus of eleven, that might be a little bit more difficult, but six is the minimum threshold.

I think we have the opportunity to do better than six for this person is gonna be stepping in.

So I do agree that we should have a threshold.

I just don't think it should be as low as three.

Okay.

Just reminding the council there will be 11 votes casted on Monday night.

So that's right.

All of five folks.

So I think you need to take that into consideration.

Councilmember Wallington, then council member Drace is in Q.

Uh Councilmember Ashmer, I got you.

Thank you, Mr.

Chair.

And maybe this what you just spoke to maybe addresses my question.

I Madam Attorney, can you just remind us of what you recommended, if anything, last time in terms of number of nominations for the day of for the day up, Dr.

Rottlington, thank you for the question.

For the day of each council member, I recommended that each council member would have one vote.

Okay.

And the minimum threshold in reference to council member Mayfield's point, I suggested it at a minimum three to keep it to keep it moving forward to advance to subsequent balance ballots if required.

Um, but certainly it's council's pleasure.

Okay, so with that, uh I would I would um support keeping it at three simply because if we each only get one vote and you get more than I I'm just not sure how that would even work if you have to have at least five that means only two people could even be in contention and that means the other person lost um so I'm saying if they if if you're saying that you have to have five or six or seven to get it and we each only cast one vote if one person has five and then the others have three and three for example that means we are awarding or I don't say awarding we're appointing a mayor with less than a council majority vote and that doesn't feel procedurally correct.

Correct so I I can I well I concur with that council member Drake's is in queue the uh next I'm sorry and then council member as mayor uh and I think I saw Mayo hand go up okay council member Drake's so we need to think about sort of the contingencies how the numbers could play out right uh if you had two people that had four votes for example uh then somebody had three then you run you bring the two forward if somebody has six right away they're chosen but what about uh five three and three yeah that's what mine yeah so that's a tough one uh because now you don't have a basis right you could have a runoff between the true three vote getters to determine who is and then and then run them against the top vote getter right that would strike me as being the the best way to do that uh and I think with that we've probably covered the bases I'm not sure there's a I mean it it would be weird right eleven votes and if all five of them get two or something uh it could happen though so uh I I guess uh as I say you you bring forward the top vote getter or the two tied top vote getters and if people are tied at less of the top you then run them off against each other and try to get it narrowed down that way yeah okay so uh councilmember ashmere so I I just want to make sure uh I am clear on what what Mr.

Drake said so you are not suggesting any threshold correct well I'm I'm looking at the possible no I'm just saying I I guess I'm just sorry I'm not I agree I I agree with you if if you have if you have a situation where nobody got six right so then obviously you're gonna have a top person you may have a tie for the top you run those two no I I get it I just I'm I just want to make sure we are clear I you are not suggesting a threshold and I I agree with that approach um there is no threshold what maybe just the top three ends up or I I remember what how did we do with MPTA?

Did we MPTA process um I know there were four or I I just wanted to if the attorney can if you've got six because the MPTA process was it wasn't easy right appointment process I want to see if we could replicate that for the final round so the challenge well excuse me a council member ash mayor has the floor so we can so we can hear uh attorney the one noteworthy distinction between the MPTA process and this process is that each council member only has one vote you had multiple votes for the final round we only had one oh you yeah after the interview but you were voting for different categories right that's and and in this instance at all times each council member will have one vote council member mayo has the floor thank you I'd actually like to make a motion regarding this so I would like to move that we um when we're doing our first round of ballots that we do the top two vote getters and if there is a tie um that we do a runoff between those two to determine who will be you know with the top vote getter and then we're just having two people go against each other if we have to go to a round two it's a motion on the floor is there a second just a comment if I may you can't comment on a second of a discussion I'm asking for a clarification.

Well just please address the chair so we can all hear right second that's what that's what we that's the purpose right so it's been properly moved it's been properly seconded council member Drake has a comment so just so I understand clearly right if you have an a top vote getter and you have a tie for second place then what I'm suggesting is you have a runoff between the two second place people in order to determine then who will run off against the top vote getter yes all right so is that your motion yes sir all right so okay I'm in favor of that all right council member anderson is recognized council member Owens is in queue okay so in that scenario if we have and I'm not sure it's gonna happen but if we have two people that have five votes how would we advance from that in the midst of your in your motion are they the there's 11 votes being cast I understand but it still is this is math of two candidates could get five and there could be two candidates with five one candidate with one so I'm just asking in in the face of this motion city attorney how how would that work is recognized thank you Mr Chair the five and five would run they would they would run off to select the mayoral candidate the the let's say the the third highest vote getter would would fall off it would just be this hot that one perfect I just wanted to have clarity so we're clear on what that is right exactly exactly um councilmember makefield thank you so the scenario that I'm considering is the six five to me six five is because that's where we land more often than not I don't think I to me that's a runoff because we're 11 members to me that will be the top two I don't think for this particular pit position that we are looking at for mayor out of five candidates that by that one vote an individual should then be appointed mayor I feel like if we're looking at the five and we're and we have the opportunity to get to the top two then if it's a six-five vote when it's all done and that's all eleven counted that that six five are the two that would go to the runoff that's where I want to try to make sure there's clarity there's more clarity.

So I I'm I'm saying I'm not saying what I Billy make sure you capture I am saying clearly that I do not think for this particular opportunity when we are appointing a mayor that the standard six out of 11 should automatically be appointed if we have and this is only if when the votes come in if we have a six five then those two should be in the top two I think we should give ourselves at least the opportunity of having a choice of two and not just say well out of 11 members six chose this particular person so this should be the person that or even if it's six four and one person abstains I just want to make sure that we do have another opportunity to ensure that we're identifying who we think is the most appropriate right now to serve in this role of our city and I just don't think doing the minimum the bare minimum of six out of the eleven which is our majority for this particular role in a dream world we will be closer to eight nine if not full consensus if it is a sample an example of a six five to me that's the top two and those would be the two that we choose between for runoff so I just wanted to make sure that I had that in the minutes.

Councilmember Owens so um my question has morphed a bit in light of that comment.

Um I'm I'm processing that, but for me, if you do have a six-five, uh, for me, that does not suggest that she would then go to a runoff because you've had those eleven votes and you would just continue to perpetuate a six-five potentially.

That was the runoff.

So that that is the runoff.

Um the way to vote is the five.

So I would propose that we not advance for a supermajority that we would continue to do a simple majority as we do our votes.

I think it is it is commendable the aspiration that we would have a degree of consensus around us.

I think it would serve the city well if we were aligned and we were to communicate with one voice, and then we did achieve unanimity, but I don't want to handicap us to continue to perpetuate a repeat six-five vote as you advance those two people to a runoff.

I I would I would propose that we maintain the motion, which I believe is on the floor, that it would be a simple majority, and we would adopt um Mr.

Driggs' language with respect to what would happen were we to have uh a five as the as the dominant and then the other votes split between parties that we would sort it the way that he suggested.

Thank you, Chair.

And then after if that scenario plays comes into play, we can also have another vote to accept the the nominee by consensus.

And which I think we should do, right?

No matter who who the winner is, because I think it's really important.

Uh that that we do that, right?

So we we can do that.

I think that's appropriate.

Is that our name?

I think it's just protocol, right?

Somebody that just do it, right?

Um make that motion.

So uh council member Anderson.

Just point of information.

Can the clerk read what the motion is that we're about to vote on?

Um the motion made by Miss Mayo, second by Miss Mayfield.

Was top two vote getters move forward, and if we have a tie, we do a runoff.

Okay.

No, runoff.

Councilmember Anderson has the floor.

That's what that's why I was asking because I just heard something a little bit different.

Yeah.

Um I thought I thought that's that was the motion, right?

But then I just heard I would sort of make sure we're all on the same page here.

The top vote getter will advance clearly if there's a top vote getter and they don't get six.

But I just heard that then the rest of them would have a runoff to select the top two.

That's only if there's a tie.

Is that already?

Right.

I just want to make sure we were all on the same page because I just heard something different, okay.

Councilmember Dre's Johnson, and then we're gonna call the question.

So I want to clarify top vote getter less than six, right?

You got a runoff, okay.

Then that person runs against the second highest vote getter.

If there's a tie for second place, then you have a runoff between those two to determine who will run off against the five vote getter for the final outcome.

So I'm not sure the motion care captures that, does it?

No, it didn't.

I can get I can add that to it.

You accept it, but you but then go through the chair so we can so we can everyone can kind of know what we're doing, right?

Sorry, we're now you still have that.

Okay, thank you, Chair Prothan.

You're doing a great job.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

I like this cue thing.

So the clerk has captured the elements of council member Anderson's question about the motion.

Yes, the top vote getter that get less than six.

That person in the other individual will have a runoff, okay.

So that's incorporated in the motion that's on the floor.

So let me ask a question.

I think this clarifies it.

Councilman Johnson, you have the floor.

Thank you.

If someone has if there's four, three, two, and then a tie at one, they don't have a tiebreaker.

It's only if the second place has a tie.

Is that correct?

We're only advancing the top two.

Okay.

So if the bottom number is a tie, then that's we're not advancing that.

Okay, so that's the clarification.

It's not an automatic tiebreaker, it's only if the second place has a tie.

That's okay yeah thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Are we all good?

Any clarifying questions?

No.

Are we ready for the vote?

Yes.

Can you read the motion one more time?

So, and I'll I'll clear it up a little bit, but the top two vote getters or the top vote getter that is less than six, those two people will have a runoff if there is a tie okay if I may may I may I take a stab so if we have a top vote getter who has less than six that top vote getter will advance if the second place is a tie that's right there will be a runoff between the second place two people two candidates in the second place and the winner of that runoff will advance against the top vote that's right is that correct that is the motion are we all good to vote all right let's all those in favor say aye aye all those opposed the ayes have it last item is process right so it is my understanding that the ballots will be distributed to the council members at the beginning of the 5 30 meeting there's not a right all right madam turney help me out thank you mr chair this is a little bit different than your typical process for boards and commissions uh the proposal is that the ballots would be provided at the beginning of your 5 30 meeting you will have a hard copy ballot an envelope you will fill out the ballot you will turn it in to the clerk's office well representatives from the clerk's office will be present you will turn it in the meeting will begin the clerk's office will tally while the meeting is is ensuing and we'll prepare a report it will be provided to madam madam mayor to read the results and if we have a winner we have a winner if not we will proceed as we've outlined here today.

Okay the only thing that we discussed earlier and I just want to council input there there will be public speakers coming to speak to the issue the question is should we wait until after they make their presentation to vote or do you guys want to vote at the beginning of the meeting that's just a question for the floor um so I recognize councilmember always raise your hand I'll get you council member owens council member jd council member ash mayor and queue just a question yes or no a process thing thank you chair I am in favor of awaiting an actual vote until we've heard from the community I think that the community has probably felt a bit of disintermediation and we need to do all within our power to help them feel incorporated into our process and so voting before we've heard for them seems contrary to that so I would be a fan of um not doing that.

Councilmember JD short and sweet I agree with that council member okay any council member anderson just a question just a question because I just looked at the agenda so when is that taking place in the space of the agenda and and the reason why I ask is if it's not at at the appropriate space in the beginning should we um deliberate around whether we should move it up so residents aren't sitting here all night as we conduct our business agenda let me um I agree with that the clerk has been raising her hand for a while so let's hear from her and then we'll come back to um council member anderson's question it is item 22 on the agenda which is the part of the agenda where you normally would have appointments to boards and commissions because you do have an appointment to the planning commission also that night I was just also going to add that as of this moment we don't have any speakers that have signed up to item 22 just yet however today is Thursday and persons could sign up to speak to that agenda item between now and Monday or even at the meeting for that matter.

So I just wanted to provide that information.

Okay I heard Councilmember Mayo, Councilmember Anderson is in queue.

Okay, I'm in Q.

Yes okay mayo um can can Madam Clerk, when would you recommend that we potentially add this I I'd rather be respectful of residents' time and start the public hearing for the mayor enter a mayoral race and then we have our vote so that you know if people have other things to do in the evening, they can.

Perhaps if not after the public forum, because you also have a public forum that night, so there will be, you know, we have probably at least 15 people or close to 15 people signed up for the public forum on Monday, and um perhaps after that, or either at the time of the city manager's report in that area, one of those two things, but there is a public forum scheduled for Monday at 5 30.

Okay, Councilmember Drake.

Um, I'm sorry, Councilmember Anderson, I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Um again, I'm reviewing the agenda, which I did earlier.

So we do have a public forum, but this particular item is not under the section of public hearings, and so I just raised that because we hadn't discussed that uh the whole concept of having a public hearing on this particular item.

So I just want to make sure in the public hearing section here is it's not listed.

It is not a public hearing, however, it is an agenda item, and public can speak to any item on your agenda uh if they sign up in it in advance.

Well, at the meeting, even it's just an agenda item.

You know, the title number 22.

So they could potentially someone could sign up to speak.

I understand.

Thank you.

I just wanted to speak to the fact that we actually hadn't had that discussion as a body around this action.

So thank you.

So I suggest that we kind of move it up on the agenda right after the public hearing.

Uh, that way we we and we can also do the other appointment.

I think it's only one at the same time.

We just advanced it on the agenda, uh, so the public won't be waiting there all night.

Um, that's my recommendation.

Councilmember Drake, you're on the I agree with that, Mr.

Chair.

I'm just wondering, have we published that agenda already?

Yes, yes.

All right, so then what action does it take by us, if any formally to just move it up?

Uh city clerks.

Um, it would just be a matter of communicating that to um the manager's office and to strategy and budget.

I don't know that there's necessarily a need to republish the agenda just to move an item up.

We could just make them aware of council's desire to consider this at an earlier time in the meeting.

Okay.

Uh Councilmember Jay Z, Councilmember Owens, then we're going to close out the discussion.

Could I follow up?

Uh quick follow-up for councilmember Drake's.

So if somebody wanted to sign up and they came late and we had already done it.

Uh, I mean it's a technical issue, but somebody could show up later in the meeting seeing 22 and then be told, oh no, they already did that.

So uh I just want to be sure that we observe the right procedure.

Thank you, Councilmember Owens.

Sir, I'd like to ask the question of the city attorney.

Can you clarify that point and what is best practice?

Does it make um more sense to publish that to obviate the need for somebody arriving and not being able to speak?

In light of council's decision today, I would highly recommend republishing the agenda with directing the manager's office and team and staff to republish the agenda with it being moved higher up in the agenda.

Yeah, thank you.

All right, Councilmember JD, then we're gonna kind of close this conversation.

We don't need a motion, but if we could just get consent, well, we can get consensus.

Is that the direction of council?

Yes, yeah, after the public forum to be clear.

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, this is just a suggestion to get our communications team to uh disperse this in our social media channels to ensure that all constituents are aware that they can speak.

Okay, that sounds good to me.

All right, so no votes necessary, just consensus, madam attorney, madam clerk, we're all on the same page again.

Again, so even when we if there is a runoff, you will get another ballot.

I just want to make sure in the envelope you will mark, they'll go back and they'll calculate and come out again and give it to the mayor, and she will make the announcement.

Just to clarify, and this is i if it there's a runoff, it's going to be done Monday, the twenty second, right?

It's all done.

Okay.

Okay.

All right, good.

Okay.

Big day, everyone.

Second council member may fell second.

I got a uh motion to adjourn.

I did.

May second.

I second.

Let's go home.

Thank you.

Thank you.