James Mitchell Jr.
At-Large · Mayor Pro Tem · Term 2025–2027
James Mitchell Jr. serves as Mayor Pro Tem of the Charlotte City Council, presiding over meetings in the mayor's absence. A veteran at-large council member, Mitchell won the Mayor Pro Tem vote in the December 2025 council reorganization in a process that revealed the early alignment dynamics of the 2025–2027 council.
In June 2026 Mitchell became one of the candidates for interim mayor, the seat the council will fill after Vi Lyles steps down June 30. Because the Mayor Pro Tem would normally help run that selection, Mitchell recused himself from the process he is also a candidate in. The council narrowed its field to five finalists for public interviews on June 18 and is scheduled to vote on the appointment June 22; the person chosen serves the remainder of Lyles' term, through December 2027.
Mitchell played a central role in shaping the MPTA board appointment timeline and rules, has been involved in zoning decisions on density and displacement across Charlotte's growth corridors, and was a principal voice in the 2026 citywide street-vending regulation debate.
In The Mercury
A Member of the Council Will Help Pick the Next Mayor. He Is Also Running for the Job.
Mitchell recuses from the interim-mayor selection he is a candidate in
Charlotte's Next Mayor Won't Be Elected. More Than 100 People Applied for the Job Anyway.
The interim-mayor applicant field and forum
Charlotte Moves to Regulate Street Vending Citywide
The split over criminal penalties for repeat offenders
What The Mayor Pro Tem Vote Reveals About Charlotte's New City Council
Council reorganization and leadership dynamics
How Charlotte Will Pick Its Transit Board Next
MPTA appointment timeline and board rules
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