James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr.: a CLT Mercury candidate profile
James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr. is one of the longest-serving figures in Charlotte politics. He first won a district seat in 1999, later moved into at-large service, stepped away in 2021 during the R.J. Leeper conflict-of-interest storm, returned in 2022, and is again asking for a citywide mandate in 2025. Below is what matters to voters: biography, record, the Leeper chapter, current platform signals, and the likely tradeoffs if he wins again.
Biography and political arc
- West Charlotte native, longtime Democratic officeholder.
- District 2 council member beginning in 1999, then at-large.
- Citywide name recognition built on event recruitment, stadium and corridor projects, and championing small-business inclusion.
What his council record actually says
Economic development
Mitchell sells himself as a “jobs and projects” guy. That is accurate. He has been central to recruitment pitches, sports tourism upgrades, and corridor investments that lean on hospitality revenues, partnerships, and bond dollars.
Upside: visible projects, vendor diversity work, a comfort level working the phones with corporate and civic leaders.
Downside: project-first instincts can tilt toward subsidies and ribbon-cuts before measurable neighborhood outcomes.
Housing and growth
He backs housing bonds, land for affordable units, and building near transit. He is not the densest-at-any-cost voice on the dais, but he generally votes to keep the pipeline moving and pairs it with bond funding or vouchers.
The catch: Mitchell’s versions of “affordable” often depend on the same tax credits and gap financing that draw fire when units run thin at 30% AMI.
Transportation
Mitchell supports a dedicated local funding stream for roads and transit. He has publicly argued for a realistic timeline, not a sugar-high sprint, and favors a roads-rail-bus mix that can actually be delivered.
Public safety
He votes for CMPD resources, but he also talks up nonprofit violence prevention and neighborhood-driven fixes. Expect him to keep backing both officer retention and prevention programming.
The R.J. Leeper episode
In January 2021 Mitchell resigned from council to become president and a would-be owner at R.J. Leeper Construction, a firm with city contracts. The ownership and eligibility questions detonated fast, his employment ended, and an investigation concluded there was no basis to prosecute him as an officeholder. He then ran and won an at-large seat in 2022.
Why it still matters: It is a window into judgment around conflicts, not just legality. The legal cloud lifted. The political scar tissue remains, and opponents will use it to test trust and procurement posture.
Platform signals for 2025
- Jobs and small business: more Charlotte Business Inclusion, more corridor capital, and a Women’s Business Center concept he has pushed in the past.
- Housing: vouchers plus production on city land near transit, with bond dollars to get deeper affordability.
- Mobility: support for a 1-cent local sales tax for a durable transportation program, conditioned on credible delivery and guardrails.
Where he usually lands in a close vote
- Stadiums and events: typically pro, with hospitality dollars rather than property taxes.
- Housing votes: largely pro-production with asks for affordable set-asides and bond support.
- Labor and wage rules: careful around state preemption, inclined to fund city workers and push airport contractors through performance and safety levers rather than ordinances that cannot stand up legally.
Strengths, liabilities, tradeoffs
Strengths
- Deep institutional knowledge of how Charlotte funds big things.
- Rolodex that makes phone calls turn into groundbreakings.
- A long record on vendor inclusion that is real to minority-owned firms.
Liabilities
- The 2021 Leeper conflict saga will never fully disappear.
- Appetite for big-ticket public-private deals can spook voters who want dollars aimed first at pipes, buses, and rent.
- Late filing lapses have drawn scrutiny in past cycles.
Tradeoffs if he wins
- You likely get more housing and corridor projects moving, more stadium and event pragmatism, and more transit advocacy.
- You accept a deal-maker’s tolerance for risk and a higher bar for transparency on procurement and conflicts.
What to watch between now and Election Day
- Transportation tax framing: does he help sell guardrails and project delivery, not just a headline cost.
- Affordable housing depth: how often does he push to hit 30% AMI versus stop at 60%.
- Procurement sunlight: clearer disclosures on relationships and recusals before votes.
How to use this profile
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About the Author
Jack Beckett once tried to cover a council budget meeting without coffee. Reader, the spreadsheet won. Please do not let this happen again. If you see me at the Government Center, the order is black, hot, and immediate.
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© 2025 The Charlotte Mercury / Strolling Ballantyne
This article, “James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr.: Record, R.J. Leeper fallout, and what another term would mean,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“James “Smuggie” Mitchell Jr.: Record, R.J. Leeper fallout, and what another term would mean”
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)