At-Large
AL
Victoria Watlington
Council Member, At-Large, Charlotte City Council
- Party
- Democratic
- Office phone
- 704-336-3435
Dr. Victoria Watlington serves at-large on the Charlotte City Council. She is a zero-based budgeting advocate with an equity focus, having previously represented District 3 before moving to an at-large seat for the 2025–2027 term.
Watlington was one of four council members who voted no on the Crosland Southeast affordable housing project, citing concerns about the concentration of subsidized housing in East Charlotte. She has been involved in the housing bond debate, MPTA board appointment process, and displacement-related zoning votes.
Watlington is a mechanical engineer by training, a licensed professional engineer, and a certified project manager. Before running for council she worked in operations and innovation roles in the private sector. She was first elected to represent District 3 before moving to an at-large seat. She helped draft Charlotte’s post-2020 policing framework and has been a regular voice on transportation, planning, housing, and safety committees, the policy lanes where, in her framing, the work of governing is most concrete.
In 2026 she questioned the youth curfew proposal, asking police to explain how the rule would produce the result and how an officer would tell a minor from an 18-year-old leaving work. On the housing bond plan she asked for data on what the city’s past housing dollars have produced and how long the homes stay affordable.
In our reporting · 20 stories
Hajoca Building in South End Becomes a Charlotte Landmark
A 1922 South End warehouse planned as a boutique hotel is now a Charlotte historic landmark. One council member objected to deferring its taxes while amendments that could limit property taxes are on the ballot.
Six-Week CLT Lease Review Dies as Harrington's Veto Stands
The lease would run through June 30, 2037, and an airline that signs it approves $1.72 billion in airport construction projects.
Harrington Calls Special Session on Lease Review He Vetoed
Mayor Rob Harrington has called a special council session Monday for one vote: the six-week airport lease review he vetoed Oct. 12. The charter puts it back on the agenda anyway; readopting it takes seven votes. The full 242-page lease is now public.
Harrington Vetoes Council's Six-Week Airline Lease Review
Charlotte City Council voted Monday to take six weeks to review the airport's new airline lease and decide Nov. 23. Mayor Rob Harrington vetoed it on the spot. The lease would run 10½ years and carry an estimated $2.1 billion building program.
Charlotte's Housing Bond Plan Now Says Where Homes Should Go
Before voters decide on a $125 million housing bond in November, city staff laid out how the money would be split, with new goals for homes near transit and in higher-opportunity neighborhoods. Council plans to adopt the plan in October.
First Union Tower Wins Landmark Status and a Tax Break, 10-1
Charlotte made the vacant office tower at 301 S. Tryon a historic landmark, which lets its owners defer half the property tax on the designated portion while they convert it to homes and a hotel. The plan includes no affordable units.
Charlotte's I-77 Bill Is $69,577,547.67
The state's claim against Charlotte for walking away from the I-77 South toll lanes is $69,577,547.67, and the money would come out of the fund the city has already programmed for its next affordable housing and public facilities bonds. Council votes Monday on whether to reinstate support, which would erase the bill. The city's own two figures for Charlotte's share have not been reconciled on the record.
Charlotte Debates What a Youth Curfew Pilot Would Test
Council approved neither a new curfew nor a pilot Monday. Charlotte's police chief asked to explore a test of the 9 p.m. rule, while members proposed different measures, limits, and timelines.
I-77 Study Would Take Months; Charlotte's Deadline Is Oct. 5
Charlotte has until October 5 to reverse itself on the I-77 South toll lanes or absorb a penalty the legislature wrote in July: a state bill the city attorney puts at $64 million, a freeze on its street maintenance money, and a block on every new state road project inside the city limits. Council members said they could not decide without an independent review. Staff told them Monday that one cannot be finished in time.
The Five Finalists for Charlotte Mayor, in Their Own Words
The council interviewed five finalists for interim mayor on June 18 and set the appointment vote for Monday. Here is how each got on the ballot, what they told council about running meetings, the I-77 tolls, and the airport, and how the June 22 vote will work.
James Mitchell Can Vote for Himself in Charlotte Mayor Pick
Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell Jr. applied for the interim mayor seat the council will fill, and he can vote for himself. Council members raised a conflict; the city attorney ruled there is no legal basis for recusal, citing the Patsy Kinsey precedent. The question of whether Mitchell should be excused was left unresolved.
Manufacturing Land Near Woodlawn Station Just Became TOD-NC
The Charlotte City Council on Monday rezoned a 0.16-acre Verbena Street parcel from ML-2 (manufacturing and logistics) to TOD-NC, 7-2. Council Member LaWana Slack-Mayfield and Council Member Reneé Johnson voted no, not on the parcel, on the trajectory it represents. Council Member Victoria Watlington voted yes but asked staff to map Charlotte's remaining manufacturing-zoned acreage.
Council Defers Rezoning After Reneé Johnson Leads 5-4 Split
Council Member Reneé Johnson pulled petition 2025-136, a conventional rezoning at 1800 West Sugar Creek Road by Larry Cooper, off the consent agenda Monday, citing her standing concern about conventional petitions filed without site plans. The 5-4 vote that followed fell short of the majority needed for approval. The council then unanimously deferred the petition.
Brendan Maginnis Offers to Serve as Interim Mayor
Maginnis is willing to commit to not running for mayor in 2027, with a qualifying clause; former Mayor Jennifer Roberts volunteered first.
Council Unanimously Sets Data Center Moratorium Hearing
A staff briefing showed the city's development code uses one definition of "data center," from a basement server closet to a hyperscale campus.
Charlotte Council Takes On Budget, I-77 and Data Centers
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's first formal floor discussion of data centers. Council Member Malcolm Graham, who chairs the budget committee, was asked twice on television Sunday whether he is a candidate to fill Mayor Vi Lyles's seat after she steps down June 30. Both times he answered with the public hearing.
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.
Lyles Breaks 5-5 Tie Against Data Center Pause Hearing
The Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on whether to even schedule a public hearing on a temporary moratorium for new data center approvals. Mayor Vi Lyles broke the tie, voting no. Meanwhile a data center campus approved for up to 2.5 million square feet is going up at 10800 University City Boulevard.
Charlotte Council Passes First Post-Sales-Tax Transit Budget
The first CATS budget built on the new 1% sales tax totals $571.7 million. Council rejected criminalizing street vendors. Staff recommended thirteen of eighteen housing trust fund proposals. The Stellar Awards are coming, but the city's check is not.