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 applied for the interim mayor’s seat the council filled after Vi Lyles resigned. Council members raised the conflict in a sitting member voting on his own candidacy; the city attorney advised there was no legal basis to force a recusal, and Mitchell did not step aside. He was one of five finalists and put his own name on his ballot. On the first ballot June 22 he drew two votes. In the runoff his support, including his own vote, moved to Robert Harrington, who won 6–5.
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.
Mitchell sits on the council’s economic development committee and serves as an alternate to the regional transportation planning board.
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
← Back to City Council