Voters in Charlotte will decide on a measure that would change the term of the city’s mayor from two years to four.
Charlotte has a city manager form of government. The mayor’s main responsibility is to run council meetings.
Mike Armitage was appointed mayor in the summer of 2020 to fill a vacancy. He was then elected to the post last November. The mayor’s office is not on this year’s ballot.
"The reason we initially looked at it was because for a position like the mayor, two years really isn’t a long time for somebody coming into office to really learn the position and be effective at it,” Armitage said.
Armitage points out that his current term as mayor of Charlotte would not be changed by this amendment.
“If this were to pass,” he explained, “and I wished to continue seek election, I would have to go on the ballot. It’s not going to extend my current term.”
Currently, city council positions in Charlotte are four-year terms, so this change would put the mayor’s job on equal footing.
