"The Mayor and city council are elected every two years, with no term limits. The mayor is ex officio chairman of the city council, and only votes in case of a tie. Unlike other mayors in council-manager systems, Charlotte's mayor has the power to veto ordinances passed by the council; vetoes can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the council.
Unlike some other cities and towns in North Carolina, elections are held on a partisan basis. The most recent mayor of Charlotte was Patrick Cannon, a member of the Democratic Party. Cannon was sworn in as mayor on December 2, 2013. On March 26, 2014, Mayor Patrick Cannon was arrested on public corruption charges. Later the same day, he resigned as mayor. On April 7, the City Council held a special election, and selected State Senator Dan Clodfelter, also a Democrat, to fill out the balance of Cannon's term.
Charlotte tends to lean Democratic, but voters are friendly to moderates of both parties. Republican strength is concentrated in the southeastern portion of the city, while Democratic strength is concentrated in the south-central, eastern and northern areas.
The city council comprises 11 members (7 from districts and 4 at-large). Democrats control the council with a 9-to-2 advantage, winning all four of the at-large seats in the November 2013 municipal election."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte,_North_Carolina
