REBIC – Charlotte City Council Revamps Committees

From REBIC - January 6, 2026

There are several items to report on today. The Charlotte City Council Committees met yesterday for the first time in 2026 and there have been a few changes worth noting. Along with the addition of several new council members, the Safety Committee now becoming a stand-alone entity. Finally the meeting times have been changed. Here are the new committee assignments along with links to additional committee information including agendas and links to presentations, all contained within these agenda links:

Housing Committee

LaWana Mayfield, Chair

J.D. Mazuera Arias

Reneé Johnson

Joi Mayo

Kimberly Owens

January 5, 2026 Agenda

Economic Development and Workforce Committee

Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell, Chair

Danté Anderson

J.D. Mazuera Arias

LaWana Mayfield

Victoria Watlington

January 5, 2026 Agenda

Safety Committee

Danté Anderson, Chair

Dimple Ajmera

Ed Driggs

Malcolm Graham

Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell

January 5, 2026 Agenda

Budget, Governance, and Intergovernmental Relations Committee

Malcolm Graham, Chair

Dimple Ajmera

Joi Mayo

Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell

Kimberly Owens

January 5, 2026 Agenda

Transportation, Planning, and Development Committee

Ed Driggs, Chair

Malcolm Graham

Reneé Johnson

LaWana Mayfield

Victoria Watlington

January 5, 2026 Agenda

 

Rob’s Take: tarting on a positive note, I would say it was a good move to create a stand-alone Safety Committee. I have a lot of confidence in Councilmember Anderson and her ability to steer the committee to a positive outcome. Also, the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) pilot program has far more participation than was predicted. This is a good thing, but it is indicative of a broader problem that exists – housing is less attainable today than it was just a handful of years ago and it’s getting worse (UNC Charlotte’s State of Housing in Charlotte 2025). That’s why a couple of things I heard during the final moments of the Transportation, Planning, and Development Committee gave me pause. Several committee members indicated they wanted to explore the imposition of ADDITIONAL regulatory barriers to the development process. Seriously? Shouldn’t we be exploring ways of reducing barriers and getting more people into homes? I’m hopeful this was just more of the same rhetoric aimed at pleasing the uninformed few, not those who are clamoring for more housing. In the long run though, this is not the direction we should be heading.