The new Charlotte City Council will be sworn in and a new mayor pro tem will be selected tonight during ceremonies at the Government Center uptown. Four council members are leaving, including current mayor pro tem Julie Eiselt, Greg Phipps, Matt Newton, and Larken Egleston.
Former council member James Mitchell, who resigned in 2021 after taking a job with a major city construction contractor, is returning to the council. He was elected in July after he left that job, but questions about a potential conflict of interest remain since he still owns stock in the company.
Lawana Slack-Mayfield is also returning to the city council after winning an at-large seat.
Traditionally, the at-large council member who gets the largest number of votes in the election has been picked by the council for the role of mayor pro tem. That would be Dimple Ajmera. Despite the buzz around Ajmera, there's a faction of council members that could support Victoria Watlington or Malcolm Graham, WFAE's Steve Harrison reported last week. And WSOC TV reports council member Braxton Winston, who finished second in the at-large race, is also backed by Charlotte City Council members.
You can watch the meeting this evening at 6 p.m on the Government Channel, Facebook and Youtube.
