CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Following a tense vote during Monday night’s Charlotte City Council meeting, District 1 Representative Dante Anderson was elected the city’s new mayor pro tem.
Historically, the person with the most votes from the city’s at-large race typically gets the majority vote from council members for the mayor pro tem seat. However, this is now the second time in a row that council broke from that tradition.
Dr. Victoria Watlington was the top vote-getter among at-large candidates, and argued she should have been chosen for the role.
“I am uniquely qualified to help improve our internal processes, as well as work with external partners to further our policy goals,” Watlington said during the meeting. “Not only am I qualified, I am proven.”
Despite her arguments, Anderson, who has been on the council for just 10 months, won the seat by a 7-4 vote.
“I’m helping to forge a better solution for the city who have birthed me and for the city that we all love and call the Queen City,” Anderson said Monday night.
Before the vote, some councilmembers spoke out about the mayor pro tem selection process. Currently, it simply comes down to majority vote amongst the council.
Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera, who was the highest at-large vote-getter from the last election cycle, also lost out on the chance to become mayor pro tem to Braxton Winston.
She said she believes the council should come up with a better election process, while some argue it should go to whoever is best fit for the job.
“There is a lack of process that we need to put in place, so we don’t have this breakdown like we are having right now,” Ajmera said.
“I don’t think it matters if you are a district rep or at-large,” Councilman Malcom Graham said. “I don’t think it matters if you’ve been here 10 months or 13 years. It’s who can help us manage the work to lead this council in the right direction.”
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