Former Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon received a boost Thursday in his bid to return to City Council after being in prison on federal corruption charges.
Cannon received the endorsement of the Black Political Caucus for one of four City Council at-large seats.
He was arrested by the FBI in 2014, after taking more than $50,000 in cash and gifts by agents posing as real estate developers. He served a little more than half of his 44-month prison sentence.
Stephanie Sneed, who chairs the BPC, said caucus members discussed Cannon’s past.
“The caucus members were fully aware of his record as City Council member, fully aware of his record as a mayor and fully aware of his criminal record,” Sneed said. “In consideration of all those things, it was determined by the membership that he should be endorsed and he should be one of the four seats for City Council at-large.”
Getting the caucus endorsement is considered a boost for candidates going into the May 17 Democratic primary, where roughly half of the voters are expected to be African American.
Former Council members LaWana Mayfield and James Mitchell were also endorsed by the caucus, along with current at-large member Braxton Winston. Two current Council members running for at-large seats — Dimple Ajmera and Larken Egleston — did not get the nod.
The general election will be this summer.
The caucus also made picks in other races, including the three Mecklenburg County Commission seats. The BPC backed incumbents Pat Cotham and Leigh Altman and former Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board member Arthur Griffin.
Current CMS board member Jennifer De La Jara, who is running for a county at-large seat, was not endorsed.
