Vi Lyles | |
|---|---|
 Lyles in 2019 | |
| 59thMayor of Charlotte | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Jennifer Roberts |
| Mayor pro tempore of Charlotte | |
| In office December 7, 2015 – December 4, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Barnes |
| Succeeded by | Julie Eiselt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Viola Alexander (1952-09-28)September 28, 1952 (age 73) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Queens University (BA) University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MPA) |
Viola Alexander Lyles (born September 28, 1952[1]) is an American politician serving as the 59th mayor ofCharlotte, North Carolina, since 2017. A member of theDemocratic Party, Lyles was a member of theCharlotte City Council before taking office as mayor.
Lyles was raised inColumbia, South Carolina.[2] Her father owned a construction company and her mother worked as a teacher.[3] She earned her bachelor's degree inpolitical science fromQueens University of Charlotte and aMaster of Public Administration fromUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.[4]
Lyles was married to Wayne Alexander, a North Carolina State Attorney who ran his own private practice for 12 years until his death in 1987. Lyles later married John Lyles who died in 2013.[5] Lyles has two children from her first marriage, Kwame Alexander and Aisha Alexander-Young. Her daughter is well known for her contributions to philanthropy, as well as her political commentary and community organizing.[6][7]
Lyles worked for the city ofCharlotte, North Carolina, as a budget analyst, budget director, and assistant city manager. Starting in 2004, she worked as a consulting director for the Lee Institute and then for Flynn Heath Holt Leadership.[2] She was the community outreach director for the2012 Democratic National Convention.[3]
Lyles was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2013,[8] and was elected mayorpro-tem in 2015.[9] Following theshooting of Keith Lamont Scott in September 2016, she proposed a seven-point plan to reduce racial and class divisions in the city, parts of which were approved by the council.[10] In February 2016, Lyles supported an LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance that prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in public accommodations.[11]
Lyles ran for mayor of Charlotte in the2017 election. She defeatedJennifer Roberts, theincumbent mayor, in the Democratic Partyprimary election in September 2017[12] by 15,805 votes (46.13%) to Roberts’ 12,412 votes (36.23%).[13]
Lyles defeated Kenny Smith, aRepublican city council member, in the 2017 Charlotte Mayoral Election, winning with 72,073 votes (59.15%) to Smith's 49,652 (40.75%).[14] She is the first African-American female mayor of the city, and also its first former city administrator to serve as mayor.
In 2019, Lyles chose to run for a second term and after winning the Democratic primary as the Mayoral incumbent, was challenged by Republican David Michael Rice in the general election. Lyles won the election, holding 70,886 votes (77.3%) to Rice's 20,459 votes (22.3%).[15]
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Following another Democratic primary election in 2022, Lyles was again chosen as the Democratic candidate for the 2022 Charlotte Mayoral Election where her challenger was Republican Stephanie de Sarachaga-Bilbao. Lyles secured 49,324 votes (68.4%) and won election to her third mayoral term as de Sarachaga-Bilbao received 22,580 votes (31.3%).[16]
During the 2017 Charlotte mayoral general election, Lyles received endorsements from both local and national groups including: Black Political Caucus, Charlotte Firefighters Association, Democracy for America, Human Rights Campaign, MeckPAC, Equality NC, andThe Charlotte Observer.[17]
The City of Charlotte has a professional city manager who runs day-to-day operations. The mayor along with four of the eleven council members are elected by the entire city while the other seven council members are elected by district.
Governmental spending on policies is directly contributable to budget expenditures. The General Fund budget for the 2023 fiscal year in millions: Police 40.5% ($317.6), Fire 19.7% ($154.8), Solid Waste Services 9.6% ($75.3), Innovation and Technology 6.2% ($48.8), Financial Partners/Other 5.4% ($42.7), Internal Services 5.1% ($39.8), Transportation 3.9% ($30.4), General Services 3.1% ($24.7), Housing and Neighborhood Services 2.8% ($21.6), Planning 1.6% ($12.8), Street Lighting 1.2% ($9.8), Economic Development 0.8% ($6.6).[18]
Mayor Lyles entered office in 2015 with Charlotte's unemployment averaging 5.30%.[19] Lyles aided the creation of more than 27,000 new jobs by securing Charlotte as the location for expansion by Honeywell, Lowes, and Microsoft.[20] This combined with the development of homegrown businesses, such as LendingTree and Avid Exchange,[20] led to an influx of employment opportunities. As more jobs became available in Charlotte, the unemployment rate average decreased: 4.85% (2016), 4.38% (2017), 3.88% (2018), 3.68% (2019), 7.76% (2020), 4.67% (2021), and 3.76% (2022 Jan-Aug).[19] Before theCOVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment average in 2020 was 3.77% before jumping to 13.0% in April 2020.[19]
In April 2018, Lyles sought the expansion of the Housing Trust Fund, which promotes the construction ofpublic housing for low-income renters through subsidies.[21]
In 2021, Mayor Lyles and the city of Charlotte implemented a program called Alternatives to Violence in Charlotte to curbviolent crimes and shootings. The program was first used in the Mecklenburg County area before expanding to the Beatties Ford and LaSalle county areas.
In September 2025, Lyles stated that thekilling of Iryna Zarutska was caused in part by the failure of the justice system that allowed the perpetrator to re-enter society despite his mental illness and violent behavior.[22] On September 9, 2025, she said in the statement: "We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets."[23]
On November 1, 2021, Mayor Lyles launched theRacial Equity Initiative that would invest $250 million to “address inequities and remove barriers to opportunity through four priority focus areas…” The project used those funds to build a new Center for Digital Equity, invest in Charlotte's six corridors of opportunity neighborhoods, turnJohnson C. Smith University into a top HBCU,[citation needed] and ensure commitment from organizations to advance black leaders and leaders of color throughout their corporations.
One of the areas of policy that Mayor Vi Lyles focuses her efforts on is the expansion of Charlotte because it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.[20] To connect the different areas of the city, Lyles alongside theCharlotte Area Transit System, opened a 19-milelight rail transit line.[20] The railway that opened in Lyles’ first term, was expected to reduce traffic accidents[24] and increase urban mobility and accessibility.[25][needs update] Additionally, Lyles implemented aVision Zero philosophy with the intention to further decrease traffic fatalities.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Charlotte 2017–present | Incumbent |