The president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, Rev. Corine Mack, publicly blasted white candidates who have reportedly shown interest in becoming Charlotte’s interim mayor once Lyles officially steps down on June 30, 2026.
Lyles, who made history as Charlotte’s first Black female mayor, announced she would resign early after serving five terms, saying she wanted to spend more time with family. Because the mayor’s seat is being vacated before the end of the term, the Charlotte City Council — which is currently controlled by Democrats — will now appoint someone to temporarily serve until the next election cycle in 2027.
But according to Mack, that replacement should absolutely not be white.
“WHY WOULD WE REPLACE THE BLACK OUTGOING MAYOR WITH A WHITE PERSON?”
In a Facebook post that immediately got a lot of reactions, Mack said it was “seriously disturbing” for white people to allegedly lobby for the interim mayor role.
“It is seriously disturbing for white folks to be lobbying to be the interim Mayor in Charlotte,” Mack wrote. “Our Mayor who recently resigned is a Black woman who is a registered Democrat. While Black representation is being undermined and stripped nationwide; White folks are either tone deaf or worse … self centered! It’s not about YOU!”
Charlotte NAACP Facebook Post
And she didn’t stop there.
Mack also warned Charlotte City Council members that voters would allegedly “hold you accountable” if they selected a non-Black person for the role.
During interviews with local media outlets, Mack doubled down on her comments and made it clear she believes the seat should remain occupied by a Black leader because Lyles herself is Black.
“My bias comes from the fact that a Black woman had the position for five terms, and in this critical time, why would we replace the Black outgoing mayor with a white person?” Mack said.
One of the people, former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, who is white, reportedly volunteered to serve as interim mayor without pay.
