Charlotte has hired a new city attorney. Andrea Leslie-Fite is currently Guilford County’s attorney and has served as senior assistant city attorney for Charlotte. She replaces Anthony Fox, who had been in an interim position since January after replacing Patrick Baker. In a memo last year, Mayor Vi Lyles detailed the future of Baker’s employment. The specifics were not disclosed, but multiple council members who were part of the discussions told WFAE the talks about Baker centered on his decision to facilitate a public records request by WFAE.
Members of Charlotte City Council are at odds with each other over the appointment process for a new transit authority, should a referendum pass in November. Last month Lyles chose James Mitchell, Ed Driggs and LaWana Mayfield to lead the process of sifting through applications for the authority. Some council members are pushing back against this process. “It’s more of the same, and people are tired,” said Council member Reneé Johnson. Meanwhile, there are questions about a possible conflict of interest by outgoing Council member Marjorie Molina applying for the board.
In Washington, North Carolina U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis pushed back on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a congressional hearing this week. He said he’s struggling to make sense of some National Guard deployments and worries they’re masking an “abject failure” by state and local leaders. Tillis also defended Charlotte, saying it should not be considered unsafe. He says anyone who disagrees can “bring it on.”
And Tepper Sports & Entertainment is putting construction hats on again. The group, which owns the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte F.C., plans to build an 89,000-square-foot indoor music and events center next to Bank of America Stadium. Construction is set to begin in 2027, and the venue will open in 2030.
GUESTS:
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Ryan Pitkin, co-founder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Erik Spanberg, managing editor at the Charlotte Business Journal
