Vi Lyles a Poor Choice for Charlotte

VI Lyles is running for Mayor again, and well let's face it this is a job no one apparently wants. 

You can't blame them, the city is a mess and the trajectory looks even worse. 

But it is also a job that Vi Lyles is just shockingly terrible at.

So let's run through Mayor Lyles achievements:

CIAA Basketball Tournament:

It's hard to imagine the CIAA without Charlotte but after 15 years the tournament decided to leave Charlotte and head to Baltimore.

But the violence brought by the CIAA is unique among college sporting events. In the final day of the 2017 basketball tournament, about 100 gunshots were reported in an incident Uptown. Young Dolph the rapper was the target of the attack which would be a prelude to his violent death in November of 2021. After the attack he declared himself "bullet proof", turned out he was wrong.

While Lyles was not Mayor when the historically black collegiate event decided to depart, she had a large role in the subsidy the city was paying the tournament as city council member.

After Vi Lyles election she continued to court the CIAA despite a strong push from local business leaders to stop supporting the violence prone event.

In spite of Lyles efforts the tournament relocated to Baltimore.

In the wake of the George Floyd riots she painted a Black Lives Matter mural uptown: 

Vi Lyles gift of Black Culture to the city, was a nice gesture to try and appease the radical Antifa and anti racism crowd, still a small fraction of citizens continued to take to the streets nightly. In doing so they destroyed property and forced the permanent closure of dozens of already decimated small businesses due to the COVID Pandemic.

Painting Black Lives Matter on Tryon Street was just a easy way to for Mayor Lyles to remind African Americans how oppressed they are, how bad they have it and that the only way for things to get better is to elect liberals because only the liberals will fight the oppression and systematic racism.

Uptown Charlotte is now a ghost town and likely won't ever recover to the thriving meca is was pre-covid.

Support of BLM Protestors:

The nightly protests continued after the mural was painted, expanding beyond Uptown and into SouthEnd. Finally when the former police chief allowed CMPD Command to "shut down" the nightly wandering protests Vi Lyles complained about the use of force and unfair treatment of the protestors. But after the protestors were "kettled" the protests stopped.

Vi Lyles on Race:

A two weeks later Vi Lyles wrote a letter about race:

Mayor Lyles:

It's Time for Charlotte to be uncomfortable about race

Growing up in South Carolina during the Civil Rights Movement, I am no stranger to racial injustice. I attended segregated schools. I was a toddler when Emmett Till was lynched. As a teen I witnessed the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Though I knew I couldn’t completely escape racism and discrimination at the time, I hoped things would be better in a more progressive city, so I set my sights on Charlotte for college. I quickly learned the battle Black America fights daily wasn’t limited to just one place. As protests against racial injustice and police brutality engulf our country, I’m reminded this ongoing fight isn’t limited to a moment in time.

The eight minutes and 46 seconds that George Floyd was pinned down by the police was not much different than the events I lived through in the 1960s. It’s why the same anger that exists in Minneapolis exists in other large cities and rural towns. Downtown and suburbia. It exists in Charlotte.

We share in the outrage and anger, because in mourning the death of George Floyd, we mourn the deaths of Keith Lamont Scott, Johnathan Ferrell, and Danquirs Franklin. We say their names. We march. We seek answers to why Black men and women continue to die at the hands of police.

In response, we call for reforms and create task forces. We do workshops and implement de-escalation tactics. Yet, we fall back into the comfortable places we’ve grown to know. We fall back into a place where black parents continue to have the ‘talk’ with their children – as I have done – on how to get out of traffic stops alive. We stop questioning why many in the Black community continue to live in segregated neighborhoods and accept low-wage jobs without healthcare or childcare. Professionally, members of the Black community become comfortable taking jobs at publicly-traded companies that lack diversity in the boardroom and in the c-suite.

We can no longer allow ourselves to fall back into those comfortable spaces. We aren’t just at a breaking point for systemic racism, but also a breaking point for the systemic comfort that we’ve grown to know.

It’s time to remain uncomfortable. We need to have the uncomfortable discussions, be uncomfortable in our approaches, and embrace the uncomfortable because that is where growth and change live.

We need more than policy and training changes and youth programs. The issue with systemic racism isn’t just a policing issue. It is education, jobs, development, planning. A systemic issue needs a systemic response.

For the corporations who call Charlotte home, we don’t just need their funding and messages of support but need the diversity in their offices and on their leadership teams. The actions of leadership must reflect those statements of solidarity, particularly in their hiring, promotion and customer service practices. We need these organizations to change the systemic practice of only recruiting in the top 10 percent of colleges and universities, which eliminates talented Black students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, state schools and community colleges.

And for our faith community, we need your support more than ever. we need to discuss your ideas and have your congregations join us in this call to action.

As mayor, I will continue to listen. I want to have the uncomfortable conversations that matter so we have a united community vision for systemic change.

We can model the change we want. We can work to eliminate systemic racism and define our future. It’s my commitment to help do that work and I ask you to join me in being uncomfortable. 

Vi Lyles is Mayor of Charlotte

When it comes to "race baiting" Charlotte's Mayor goes all in, further adding to the division, adding more fuel to the fire and the building on to the entitlement culture of Black America that always blames the color of their skin for their failures and demands more from White America. 

Vi Lyles is 68 and desperately trying to connect herself to the "events she lived through in 1960s". Keep in mind that she was only 7 in 1960.  

Next she'll tell you how confederate statues made her feel anxious while walking with Dr. King from Selma to Montgomery Alabama.

She continues and fortifies the myth of "systemic racism" never mind that our own city council maintains a solid people of color majority, and that every top level position within our city county government is occupied by an African American.

Mayor Lyles adds her voice to the claims of systemic racism in an effort to expand the territory of entitlement. Like Al Sharpton and so many others who continue to preach the victimhood of African Americans and the shame of White Guilt. 

Yet, Vi Lyles ignores the effect of crime on our community. Explaining "the talk" as if only black parents need to tell their children to be respectful of law enforcement officers. No, she prefers blaming the police for doing their job and supporting the call to de-fund the police. Never mind that violent crime in Charlotte is solidly an African American issue. 

In our city of 97 homicides in 2021 86 were Young Black Men, of the 83 known killers thoses arrested 98% are Young Black Men several are under the age of 18. Last year saw a 17% decrease in homicides but compared to 2017 the year Vi Lyles was elected homicides have increased 43% solely due to black on black violence.

The African American community has become a culture of violence embracing gun play and criminality as a way of life, and this has nothing to do with systemic racism. 

Mayor Lyles wants us to be uncomfortable about race, well mayor we are uncomfortable about race. We are uncomfortable with the surge in homicides, the increase in property crimes, drug dealing, armed robberies and domestic violence that is a solid a problem laid squarely at the feet of Charlotte's African American Community. 

Like all liberals Vi Lyles wants to blame White America for the pain of African Americans that can only be corrected by American Liberalism. Only the democrats can save Black Lives. Never mind they elect the same democrats year in and year out with absolutely zero reforms or progress. 

To Vi Lyles you aren't Black unless you're a democrat and if you are White and have not owned up to your slave owning history then you aren't legitimate. 

Painting Black Lives Matter on Tryon Street was just a easy way to for Mayor Lyles to remind African Americans how oppressed they are how bad they have it and that the only way for things to get better is to elect liberals because only the liberals will fight the oppression and systematic racism. Her open letter expressed much of the same tired racist claims. 

Never mind that she attended Queens College (Current Tuition $35,000 Annually) which became fully integrated in the early 70's and never mind that she lives in a $600,000.00 home in South Charlotte far removed from the gun fire along Beatties Ford Road. 

Juneteenth 2020:

The week of Juneteenth 2020 started with a proclamation from the Mayors office. 

By the time the weekend rolled around the mood was joyous, and at times raucous. CMPD Officers in Charlotte's Metro and North Divisions were told to "stand down" and to allow whatever happened happen. 

By the weekend drug dealing was taking place in the open and the smell of weed filled the air along Beatties Ford Road. Rap music pulsated throughout Friday and Saturday nights into the small hours as street racers drifted and did burnouts in the street. Public sex acts were met with cheers as the crowds grew.

The order for CMPD Officers to "stand down" continued through Sunday with Officers staged more than a mile from the impromptu festivities.

With hundreds lining a mile or more of The Ford, a road that is infamous for the number of homicides, those in attendance on the night of June 21, 2020 witnessed a mass shooting that sent party goers running and four people dead. A year and a half later no one has been arrested.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials said at a later press conference they suspect potential witness were fearful of retaliation. But some Charlotteans say witnesses haven’t come forward because of the police department’s poor relationship with the city’s Black community.

In the weeks following the shooting Vi Lyles remained silent. It is not known if the Mayor's Office has anything to do with the stand down order, but her silence is a solid indictment.

North Tryon Street Homeless Camp:

In the months following the George Floyd protests the number of homeless soared in Charlotte. What once was a gathering of just a few tents became an entire tent city along North Tryon Street extending from 4th Ward to the front lawn of WSOC TV.

As the fall of 2020 became winter of 2021 and the homeless camp continued to grow, the Mayor's Officer remained again stunningly silent.

Finally help came from a rather unexpected source, Mecklenburg Health Director Gibbie Harris decided enough was enough and ordered that the residents be forced out. 

This led to finger pointing in all directions. County blamed the City, the police blamed the Fire Department. County manager blamed the City manager and finally it was the private sector that stepped in to solve the problem. And Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles remained silent.

Explosion of Panhandlers:

Woodlawn at South Blvd where the relentless pacing of panhandlers has worn a dramatic deep path in the vegetation. 

On a typical day no less than 8 sign holding men and women pace along a 1/2 mile along Woodlawn Road between South Tryon and South Blvd thanks to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles.

In 2017 the year that Vi Lyles became Mayor and Republicans still held positions on Mecklenburg County Commission there were no panhandlers and no well worn dirt path. 

This is the before, back when crime was a priority for city leaders and CMPD and the DA enforced city ordnances.

And now the over head view. After democrats began to implement their liberal decriminalize homelessness and minor offenses and defund law enforcement agenda. 

This has been replicated on every major intersection in Charlotte since Vi Lyles became Mayor.

Free Stuff for Mayor Thug:

Vi Lyles has made it no secret she loves free stuff. But even the local press was surprised when the Mayor popped up on Twitter and Instagram in a Trayvon Martin hoodie. Lyles was reportedly was not paid to model for the 704 Shop Inc and promote the store’s new merchandise. Just apparently given "swaaaag" as the company tweeted.

According to the local paper the mayor was asked to promote the city’s partnership with the 704 Shop Inc, city spokesman Jeremy Mills added that more information on that partnership would be disclosed at a later date. The local paper story is here. Nothing has ever been disclosed as far as CP knows.

And the "free stuff" doesn't stop with just free (I mean "swaaag") hoodies. 

Myers Park Country Club:

Apparently Mayor Lyles has had her eye on a Myers Park Country Club membership since her Queens College Days or at least since last year. More "free Stuff"?

As the saying goes "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Especially when it includes a perk, like a free membership one of Charlotte's oldest Country Clubs.

So did Mayor Vi Lyles  apparently attempt to join Myers Park Country Club for free?

Hard to say, but it seems at least one member didn't appreciate the diversity and inclusion motivation and outed the proposed freebie.

The following from a Local Charlotte, News Station:

One of the most exclusive country clubs in Charlotte, Myers Park Country Club, is considering giving Mayor Vi Lyles a free membership. If approved, Lyles’ $95,000 initiation fee would be waived and she would be dining and golfing with Charlotte’s top 1%.

After repeated requests for an interview, to no avail, Lyles’ city staff said in an email she “has no interest in becoming a member at Myers Park Country Club” despite the fact that she applied for a membership months ago. 

 A member of Myers Park Country Club took a picture of the Club’s internal website, showing the current “proposed members”. At the top of the list is Mayor Vi Lyles, but her potential membership was different than the rest. The website says she would be an “honorary” member, which means she wouldn’t have to pay the almost six-figure initiation fee. 

“It’s less of a question of a legal problem and more of an ethical problem. I mean, $95,000 of a fee waived to join an elite, exclusive Country Club in the City of Charlotte. That’s way above the $50 that is allowed under the city ethics code and gift code,” said Kyle Luebke, Local Attorney/ Community Activist. 

Luebke is very concerned Lyles is being considered for such an expensive perk. 

According to a former Carmel Country Club employee, who wants to remain anonymous, the process of applying to get into the Myers Park Country Club is an extensive one. He said for Lyles to get to the point where her name and picture are on the Club’s internal website, it would’ve taken months, multiple letters of recommendation and a member to sponsor her. The former employee also said an elected official getting their membership comped is almost unheard of. 

Luebke still has many questions. 

“Does she know that she was going to get this comped? And if she wasn’t going to get this comp’d, and didn’t submit an application to get it comp’d, then why isn’t she just going to pay the $95,000 to become a member like she would have originally planned?”

“What do we expect from our public leaders and our public servants? Do we expect that they use their public service and their elected office to get $95,000 fees waived from elite country clubs? Do we expect them to raise their salary during a pandemic? Like what do we expect our community leaders to do? And I do not think that, you know, many of our elected officials, including the mayor here, have conducted themselves above reproach,” Luebke said.

MPCC apparently thought it would be a good idea to extend a free membership to Vi Lyles, you know for diversification and inclusion purposes and since its 2021 it needed to be equitable so because of her skin color it needed to be free. After all her total compensation as Mayor is only $59,868.00 annually.

Given that consideration perhaps Myers Park Country Club would offer free memberships to CMPD Officers?

As the above news story stated the Mayor has refused to answer questions about her joining the club.  But apparently the city attorney said NFW, that accepting any sort of membership would be an ethics violation.

But her dishonor didn't bother to run the question by the city attorney until news media started asking questions. 

Guess if you have to ask you shouldn't do it doesn't apply if you don't think you have to ask?

Is anyone demanding that she release her federal tax returns? Perhaps she's making more from being a mayor than taxpayers assume? 

She is the perfect example of failed democratic leadership in this city. Happy to take credit and completely silent when it comes to any issue that might require effort or could upset her voting block.

The Mayor's Racial Equity Agenda:

When the mayor wants something done apparently she doesn't mind skirting the law or Charlotte City Council. In a classic here vote for this and sign here, much like Joe Biden's Build Back Better (look you'll know what is in the bill after you vote yes for it) Vi Lyles pushed through her racial equity initiative. 

During a Charlotte City Council meeting, Republican Councilman Tariq Bokhari made allegations that City Manager Marcus Jones and Mayor Vi Lyles conspired on a vote for council to hurriedly approve federal covid dollars in order to move forward with the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative, which was announced just a week later.

On October 26, 2021 during the council retreat in Winston-Salem, City Manager Marcus Jones told council that city staff wanted them to vote then and there on approving a $60 million plan with funds from the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act).

The agenda made no mention of any motion or vote on the issue. The presentation did not get into specifics about how the money would be spent, other than how much on specific city initiatives.

Council approved the plan with only Bokhari dissenting.

One week later, Mayor Lyles gathered with private industry leaders to announce a new racial equity initiative totaling $250 million. Included in that plan was $10 million from the city in bridging the digital divide, which was approved by council during the ARPA vote.

City Attorney Patrick Baker said that he would not have recommend voting on an agenda item without it being properly noticed ahead of time.

But Councilman Braxton Winston said he doesn’t know how the Mayor could have a racial equity initiative if the city has never adopted an actual racial equity plan.

“It is missing a step that could prove fatal,” Winston said.

“And that step is equity.”

Mayor Vi Lyles admitted she does have regrets about how she failed to keep councilmembers in the loop.

“That wasn’t sufficient and that wasn’t enough and so for that I really would like to let you all know  thought about it i regret that it happened and I am going to work toward that type of disclosure as things come up.

But she did not provide details on how the public-private partnership evolved.

One week later, Mayor Lyles gathered with private industry leaders to announce a new racial equity initiative totaling $250 million. Included in that plan was $10 million from the city in bridging the digital divide, which was approved by council during the ARPA vote.

City Attorney Patrick Baker said that he would not have recommend voting on an agenda item without it being properly noticed ahead of time.

Property Taxes:

In early December someone pointed out on the CP Blog that Vi Lyles had not paid her real estate property taxes which were due on September 1st, 2021. After at least one TV News reporter inquired about the tax bill, she apparently paid her personal residence property tax on December 23, 2021, but her rental property bill remained outstanding until January 5, 2022. The last day to pay your late property taxes without an interest penalty.

What kind of Mayor doesn't pay her property taxes on time?

Also of note are several people offering excuses for the Mayor. Many people believe property taxes are not due until the late fees start accruing on January 6th. The fact is late is late. The due date is September 1st, on September 2nd its late. Period.

Others blame her mortgage company. IDK my mortgage is with BofA and my property taxes are escrowed my bill was paid in October. Rental property that I own was paid the first week in September. So seriously why would the mayor of Charlotte not set an example and pay her property taxes on time? The reason is because she is a poor leader.

Silencing Tarig Bokhari 

Just into 2022 Lyles announced her council committee assignments, ousting Bokhari after less than a year in leadership and replacing him with Malcolm Graham. Lyles and Graham are Democrats; Bokhari is one of two Republicans on the 11-member council.

The changes take effect this month. Bokhari is no longer part of the economic development committee despite his role as executive director of the Carolina Fintech Hub and a track record of recruiting fintech companies and jobs to the area. He became head of the committee in February 2021, replacing James Mitchell, a Democrat who resigned from council last winter.

Lyles said she decided to replace Bokhari with Graham as part of deliberations and discussions with council members about how to make the council more efficient and effective.

Bokhari has clashed with the mayor, including a call to fire planning director Taiwo Jaiyeoba. Jaiyeoba wasn’t fired, but he is leaving local government after accepting an offer last month to become Greensboro’s city manager.

Lyles, Bokhari said, informed him of her decision a week before Christmas. Bokhari said the mayor acted out of “vindictiveness” because he challenged her on how federal recovery dollars were allocated for the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative.

Lyles has stated: “You know that Councilman Bokhari has made both public comments as well as private comments about people we work with as well as me as an individual. And I just think we need to have a leadership that has the maturity to not take these things personally.”

Lyles told Bokhari that she couldn’t have someone in a leadership position who refused to show proper respect, hisreported reply was: ‘By proper levels of respect, do you mean the person who had the courage to stand up and really push back when we caught you lying, and you apologized for?’”

In short there is nothing good to list as an accomplishment during Vi Lyles tenure as Mayor.

Is there?