Phil Berger
Coverage (6 articles)
NC Budget Framework: Most Workers' Raises Trail Inflation
Senate Pres. Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall announced a budget framework Tuesday afternoon, ending a ten-month standoff. Teachers get an 8 percent raise and a $48,000 starting floor. Most state employees get 3 percent, below the 3.8 percent inflation rate reported the same morning. The income tax steps down through 2034, and a constitutional amendment capping the rate at 3.5 percent goes on the November ballot.
Vi Lyles to Resign June 30; Race to Replace Her Has Started
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the remainder of her term, and the field is already organizing in public, with former Mayor Jennifer Roberts offering to fill the vacancy and Council Member Dante Anderson breaking for the outsider option. The vote that decides who fills the seat has not been scheduled.
Berger Requests Recount in 23-Vote NC Senate Primary
A 23-vote margin in the NC Senate District 26 Republican primary has triggered a recount that could reshape leadership in Raleigh and ripple into Charlotte policy.
Charlotte $19B Transit Tax Vote Amid Shutdown, Redistricting
Federal shutdown hits day 34 as Charlotte votes on $19B transit tax. How Washington chaos, Raleigh redistricting, and local politics collide three weeks before Election Day.
No Deal in Raleigh: Medicaid, Pay Raises, Tax Plans in Limbo
NC lawmakers end session with no budget deal, leaving Medicaid cuts, teacher raises, and tax plans in limbo as House and Senate trade blame and head home.
Iryna Zarutska's Death and Charlotte's Nov. 4 Election
Three weeks before one of Charlotte's most consequential elections in a decade, a murder on the Blue Line became the story that wouldn't let go. Somewhere between Iryna Zarutska's death and the November 4 ballot, tragedy was transformed into campaign currency.