CHARLOTTE — Former four-term district Rep. LaWana Slack-Mayfield is attempting to return to Charlotte city council. The Democrat is running for an at-large position.
In 2019, she finished fifth in the Democratic primary. The top four move onto the General Election.
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“I love my city,” Slack-Mayfield said. “That’s really what it boils down to. Even in these years, since the 2019 election and through a pandemic, I’m still helping the community.”
The former eight-year representative is never afraid to speak her mind. When city leaders proposed holding the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, she was the only councilmember to be opposed from day one.
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“I didn’t just say ‘no’ for the sake of saying ‘no,’” she said. “I presented a reason as to why we should not attempt to move forward with this particular project because of what we were seeing across the nation with civil unrest.”
Her 2019 Democratic primary loss came on the heels of three controversial posts. The posts were a comparison of former President Donald Trump to Hitler, a 9/11 conspiracy and a tweet comparing some police officers to terrorists. The police officer was in response to a video showing the cries of the grandmother of Stephon Clark. Clark was shot and killed by police.
Former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Kerr Putney publicly condemned that tweet at the time, saying it made him “sick to his stomach.”
“What I shared was my hurt my heartbreak regarding yet another life that’s lost and not having any justice or feeling like this any justice to atone for what has happened,” she said.
Slack-Mayfield said she is not worried the posts will overshadow her message.
“Overshadow my work? No,” Slack-Mayfield said. “Because the work that I’ve done in this community, you can’t deny it. You cannot deny all of the community meetings, all of the development, all of the jobs I helped create in this city.”
All candidates in the Democratic primary have Charlotte city council experience. Slack-Mayfield wants voters to consider the record of her work.
“I want you to consider the fact that I showed up and I didn’t just show up when it was convenient,” she said. “I try my best to speak for you as a resident of the city. We’re not going to always agree. But I try my best to be as accessible as possible to understand what your concerns are and to make sure those concerns are represented at the dais.”
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Eyewitness News reporter Joe Bruno is interviewing at Charlotte City Council at-large candidates ahead of the May 17 primary.
(Watch the video below: Slack-Mayfield’s full interview on the Political Beat)
(Watch the video below: Councilwoman Lawana Mayfield explains tweets about police officers)
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