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Neighborhood activist Joi Mayo won the Democratic primary for Charlotte City Council District 3 Tuesday, defeating incumbent Tiawana Brown, who was indicted on federal fraud charges in May.
Mayo finished with 49.5% to Brown’s 25%. Former City Council member Warren Turner was third with 22%.
Mayo, who works in community engagement for Trees Charlotte, built a wide level of support across the district. Though she didn’t bring up Brown’s legal troubles during campaigning, it was a key part of the race under the surface.
When she first won in 2023, Brown campaigned on a story of redemption. She had served time in federal prison in the 1990s for fraud, and she later started a nonprofit called Beauty After The Bars that helps women who are incarcerated.
Brown grew up in Southside Homes, which is in the district. She won her first term easily, winning every precinct in the district in both the Democratic primary and the general election. But her indictment in May proved too much to overcome.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Brown and her two adult daughters fraudulently received $124,000 of COVID-19 relief loans in 2021, two years before she was elected. They pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Brown was the first City Council member to run for reelection while under indictment.
(Former Mayor Patrick Cannon was indicted in 2014 while in office and resigned. He did not run for reelection.)
Brown lost several endorsements, including from the crucial Black Political Caucus, which she lost to Mayo by a single vote.
Brown did, however, still have the support of the Service Employees International Union. The SEIU backed her because earlier this year she voted in favor of council members studying ways to improve the working conditions and pay of contract workers at Charlotte Douglas Airport.
Her slogan in 2025 was that she is the “People’s Champ.” One of her T-shirts featured a small pair of boxing gloves.
Mayo will face Republican James Bowers in the November general election. An unaffiliated candidate, Robin Emmons, is trying to secure enough signatures to get on the ballot.
WFAE Reporter Nick de la Canal contributed.
