North Carolina’s largest city reelects mayor after fallout over train stabbing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Voters in North Carolina’s largest city reelected their Democratic mayor, keeping her in place even as safety concerns in Charlotte have risen since the August stabbing death of a young Ukrainian woman on a commuter train.

Vi Lyles won comfortably on Tuesday over Republican and Libertarian challengers in a city that hasn’t elected a GOP mayor since 2007.

“I am just so grateful for the voters — for the people that helped me be here tonight — to be able to say that I have the opportunity to serve the city once more,” Lyles told WBTV on Tuesday evening.

The Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car sparked outrage from President Donald Trump and other Republicans about violent crime and pretrial release decisions. It also sharpened campaigning in Charlotte, where Republican candidate Terrie Donovan, a real estate agent, had made crime her top issue even before the stabbing.

Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in Zarutska’s stabbing, had previously been arrested more than a dozen times, and he was released earlier this year by a magistrate on a misdemeanor count without any bond. Public anger intensified with the release of security video showing what appeared as a random attack.

The GOP-controlled state legislature passed a law in late September that, in part, tightened pretrial release rules. Lyles, who easily won the Democratic mayoral primary, has highlighted additional safety measures for the light rail system, including a greater presence of transit system officers.

Lyles, a former longtime municipal employee, said Tuesday that city officials need to follow the lead of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on what public safety improvements are needed “instead of trying just to say, ‘well, we’ll just throw something out there.’”

City leaders announced just last week the hiring of recent Raleigh police chief Estella Patterson as Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s next chief. Current Chief Johnny Jennings is retiring at year’s end.

Brown is charged with first-degree murder in state court and was indicted on a federal count in connection with Zarutska’s death. Both crimes can be punishable by the death penalty. Brown’s next state court hearing is scheduled for April.

Democrats outnumber Republicans by over 2-1 in voter registration in Charlotte, which has well over 900,000 residents. But the number of registered unaffiliated voters is nearly on par with Democrats.

The mayor and 11 elected officials comprise Charlotte’s city council. With Tuesday’s elections, Democrats will soon hold 10 of the 11 other seats.