Candidates running for the citywide at-large seats on the Charlotte City Council are preparing for a round of questions from members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Political Caucus this weekend, in hopes of receiving an endorsement.
The caucus will host the candidates at Vernon Missionary Baptist Church for a public forum, where the candidates will be grilled on a range of topics revolving around solving racial inequities in the city.
"And that's in the area of economic mobility, access to affordable housing, transportation, economic development," said caucus chair Stephanie Sneed.
A moderator will preside over the forum and direct questions to individual candidates and to the group. Candidates will also face questions from audience members.
Sneed said caucus members will use the forum to shape their opinions of the candidates, and then vote as a group on who to endorse in the race.
Roughly half of the Charlotte electorate in the 2019 Democratic primary was African American, according to the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, and in the past, endorsements from the Black Political Caucus have carried political weight.
The caucus is credited with helping to propel Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles into office in 2015, and in the last general election, five of the seven candidates endorsed by the caucus won.
Endorsements from the caucus could be especially important in this year's election for Charlotte City Council's four at-large seats. There are six Democrats running in the May 17 primary, all of them current or former City Council members experienced in local politics.
They include current at-large council members Dimple Ajmera and Braxton Winston as well Larken Egleston, who currently represents District 1 but is running for an at-large spot.
Also on the ballot is former Democratic council members James "Smuggie" Mitchell, Lawana Mayfield, and former Mayor Patrick Cannon, also a Democrat, who was convicted and served two years in prison for public corruption and is now asking the public for a second chance.
There are four Republicans in the race, and if Cannon makes it through the Democratic primary, the GOP has said his past will be a campaign issue.
Early voting for the May primary begins April 28.
