Charlotte Talks Friday News Roundup: Charlotte’s New Mayor, A Young City Council, Bonds Pass, More

On this edition of the local news roundup….

Local Elections wrapped up Tuesday evening, giving Charlotte its first female African American Mayor, in Vi Lyles.

The new Charlotte City Council is sporting several younger council members and keeps a Democratic majority.

Area towns elected new mayors and town boards.

The School Bonds passed, and a few new faces will be seen on the CMS School Board. We’ll talk through the results and the “what’s next” from this year’s election.

And now that this election is the books, Pat McCrory is making headlines, laying blame for his gubernatorial election loss last year and he hasn’t closed the door on a future run for office. We’ll talk about what he said, including his wife’s reaction to his chilly reception now that he’s back in the Queen City.

In the wake of the shooting at a Texas church last Sunday, houses of worship here in the Queen City are evaluating their security and safety. We’ll discuss that.

Those stories and much more with Mike Collins and a panel of Charlotte reporters on the Charlotte Talks Friday News Roundup.

Guests:

Tom BullockWFAE Reporter.

Ann Doss Helms, Reporter for The Charlotte Observer.

Kirstin Garriss, government reporter for Spectrum News.

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for RollCall.com and WCCB.

Opinion: Will 2018 Midterms Follow Scorched-Earth Playbook?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It was a nice little mayor’s race in the largest city in North Carolina, considering that Charlotte has gone through a lot of mayors (seven) in the past nine years. And that’s even taking into account Democratic incumbent Jennifer Roberts losing, in the primary, her chance to defend her spot because of her part in a “bathroom” bill that labeled the state in all the wrong ways and her handling of protests that turned violent after a police-involved shooting.

But all that aside, the scorched-earth campaign between two mild-mannered city council members competing to move into the mayor’s office was a bit unexpected. It reached a heated crescendo with a digital ad from the N.C. Values Coalition, which supported Republican Kenny Smith. The ad said Democrat Vi Lyles “is Jennifer Roberts” and featured an ominous voice-over, a man entering a bathroom to the frightened chagrin of a girl already claiming the space, scenes of rioting and the image of comedian Kathy Griffin holding a blurred severed head.

Charlotte Elections 2017: What Happened? Why? What’s Next?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Democrat Vil Lyles beat out Republican mayoral candidate Kenny Smith to become Charlotte’s first female African American to take the city’s top office.

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis stops by to discuss Tuesday’s election results, what’s next for the city, and who the new voices are in our city government.

Charlotte Will Have a New Mayor

CHARLOTTE, NC — Mayor Pro Tem Vi Lyles won the Democratic Primary over Incumbent Mayor Jennifer Roberts. Lyles will face Republican Kenny Smith in the General Election on November 7th.

Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses what will be the key issues the General Election and why Roberts couldn’t hold off Lyles.