CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A familiar face to Charlotte voters is looking to return to the government center in Uptown after a conflict of interest forced his sudden resignation from city council last year.
"Well, people got to trust me. You look over my years, I've always been a man of my word," James "Smuggie" Mitchell, a former councilmember, said.
In January 2021, Mitchell resigned from Charlotte City Council after taking a job as president with RJ Leeper Construction, a firm that does work for the city. Since then, Mitchell has stepped down as president and is once again running for an at-large seat on council.
But Mitchell still owns 25% of the company, more than 15% allowed under North Carolina law. If elected, Mitchell said he will sell the remaining stock to get him under the threshold.
"I'll make sure I will comply with the state law and sales shares of my stock 25%. So I can get below the 10% threshold is required from the state of North Carolina," he said.
The primary is May 17.
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