Lyles, Vi, 1952-

Viola Alexander Lyles (born September 28, 1952) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as the 59th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina since 2017. Lyles is the first African American woman to hold the position. Lyles was a two-term member of the Charlotte City Council before taking office as mayor.

Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master of Public Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lyles worked for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, as a budget analyst, budget director, and assistant city manager. Starting in 2004, she worked as a consulting director for the Lee Institute and then for Flynn Heath Holt Leadership. She was the community outreach director for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Lyles was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2013, and was elected mayor pro-tem in 2015. Following the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in September 2016, she proposed a seven-point plan to reduce racial and class divisions in the city, parts of which were approved by the council. Lyles ran for mayor of Charlotte in the 2017 election. She defeated Jennifer Roberts, the incumbent mayor, in the Democratic Party primary election in September 2017 and defeated Kenny Smith, a Republican member of the city council, in the November general election. She is the first former city administrator to serve as mayor.

Under Mayor Lyles’ direction, Charlotte continues to lead the nation in community engagement and action to address affordable housing. The City of Charlotte committed $50 million to these efforts via a bond that was approved by the community in 2018. In addition, private funds have contributed more than $50 million to affordable housing. The city has turned these commitments into investments in mixed-income housing, providing housing options for more than 5,000 families. Mayor Lyles has led efforts to anticipate and plan for growth, focusing on the key areas of transportation infrastructure and community safety. The city launched comprehensive plan 2040 to establish community-driven growth guidelines. During Mayor Lyles’ first term, the Charlotte Area Transit System opened a 19-mile light rail transit line connecting North Charlotte and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to Uptown Charlotte. The city has also embraced a Vision Zero philosophy dedicated to eliminating fatalities on roadways.

In November 2021, Lyles announced that she will run for reelection in 2022.