More than 100 people applied to serve as Charlotte's next mayor, but a few names are emerging as serious contenders to fill Vi Lyles' vacancy.

Why it matters: The next mayor will serve out the remainder of Lyles' term through the 2027 election, guiding America's fastest-growing city through defining debates, from data center regulations to the future of the I-77 tolls.

The latest: Eligible candidates each received two minutes on Monday to give their pitch to city council on why they should be mayor.

Council members haven't said there are any favorites just yet. But these are the names that keep coming up in political circles as frontrunners:

• Mayor Pro Tem James "Smuggie" Mitchell Jr. is the only council member to submit an official application for interim mayor.
• Caleb Theodros is a North Carolina state senator, first elected in 2024. He previously served as chair of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. He pitched his connections in Raleigh as an advantage.
• Carrie Cook is the former vice president of community development for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and executive director of the nonprofit GreenLight Fund.
• Harold Cogdell is a former city council member and former chair of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.
• Michael Evans is a former campaign manager for Lyles.
• Rob Harrington is president of the North Carolina Bar Association.

Read what they all had to say

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Assistant Public Works Director at Town of Matthews
2. Police Captain at Town of Matthews
3. Cultural Center Attendant at Town of Matthews
4. Special Events Team Member at Town of Matthews

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Café Audire, a coffee shop and vinyl listening lounge, recently opened near NoDa.

Why it matters: The new neighborhood cafe is the latest tenant to open at The Pass, a mixed-use development that already includes Soul Gastrolounge and Borderline Bar & Billiards and PINE.

What to expect: Locally sourced coffee and teas during the day, plus pastries from a local bakery — and, soon, custom cocktails in the evening.

• The full bar will have a menu that will have about six or seven cocktails that lean into the cafe's retro '60s-'70s theme, with classics like martinis and Manhattans.

The vibe: The 1,107-square-foot space seats about 30 people inside, with a few extra patio seats.

• Inspired by Sanghvi's love of mid-century design, the café features a curated vinyl collection and local artwork for sale.
• Guests can rent portable Sound Burger record players with headphones for solo or shared listening. The café also plans to host listening nights and record swaps where guests can bring their own vinyl.
• Eventually, Sanghvi hopes to host spoken-word performances, poetry nights and yoga-and-coffee events.

Take a look around

Mano Bella Artisan Foods recently opened a new space in Dilworth called Ardente Kitchen.

Why it matters: Ardente is the latest venture for husband-and-wife Madison and Raffaele Patrizi. What began as the duo cooking out of their kitchen and selling their goods at local farmers markets has grown into three locations across Charlotte.

Catch up quick: Mano Bella took over the former Capishe space at 500 E. Morehead St. near Wildroots Coffee.

What to expect: Ardente is a dine-in restaurant and a neighborhood Italian market.

• The expansive open space facing Morehead Street includes a bar, plus patio seating with a skyline view.
• The market includes everything from boxed pasta and jarred sauces to ready-to-heat meals.

Dig in: Ardente serves organic handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, meats, seasonal vegetables, homemade sauces, plus sandwiches, salads, soups and small plates. Pizzas are 10 inches or 15 inches.

• There are also cocktails, including Aperol and limoncello spritzes, plus beer and wine.
• The focus will be on ingredients from central Italy, where Raffaele Patrizi is from.

Take a look around

ICE investigators are going straight to local election officials for individual voter files, and they obtained them in North Carolina's Forsyth County, according to emails shared with Axios.

Why it matters: President Trump's decades-long push to root out alleged noncitizen voting has evolved into a multi-agency effort reaching into state and local voter systems.

• Trump said he believes millions of people, including non-citizens, are voting illegally and that is why he lost the popular vote in 2016 and the general election in 2020.
• Documented cases of non-citizen voting are rare: The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, tracks convictions and court records of voter fraud. It shows 100 documented cases of non-citizen voting between 1982 and 2025.

Driving the news: Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative unit within ICE, asked county election officials in Texas for specific voter files this May, according to emails obtained from records requests made by Democracy Forward and shared with Axios.

• A separate records request showed another HSI agent asking last November for registration information for two voters in Forsyth County.
• In the cases of Webb County in Texas and Forsyth County, the voter files were shared with HSI, the emails show.
• HSI's fraud task force has investigated voter fraud before, but it's been a relatively small part of its investigative portfolio.

Read the full story

🚊 The Gold Line streetcar will have fares for the first time after the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority approved a fare policy. It's expected to take 12 to 18 months to implement the changes. (Observer)

🚮 City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services will collect garbage and recycling, including yard waste and bulky waste, on Friday, June 19, despite the city being closed for Juneteenth, per a release.

🎤 Comedian John Mulaney has added a second Charlotte show for his August stop at Ovens Auditorium. Tickets for the Aug. 7 show go on sale June 18 at 10am.

Zach Claywell doesn't have political experience but says he "really needs a job."

• His big ideas include building a train to Jon G's Barbecue and turning I-277 into a lazy river to float around the Bank of America Stadium, "instead of dodging Altimas or LaMelo Ball on the highway."

An immediate motion was made to appoint Claywell, but it did not appear to get a second.