17 Facts About Vi Lyles

Viola Alexander Lyles was born on September 28,1952 and is an American politician serving as the 59th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2017.

Vi Lyles's father owned a construction company and her mother worked as a teacher.

Vi Lyles earned her bachelor's degree in political science from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master of Public Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Vi Lyles was married to Wayne Alexander, a North Carolina State Attorney who went on to open his own private practice, for 12 years until his death in 1987.

Vi Lyles has two children from her first marriage, Kwame Alexander and Aisha Alexander-Young.

Vi Lyles's daughter is well known for her contributions to philanthropy, as well as her political commentary and community organizing.

Vi Lyles worked for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, as a budget analyst, budget director, and assistant city manager.

Vi Lyles was the community outreach director for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Vi Lyles was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2013, and was elected mayor pro-tem in 2015.

In February 2016, Vi Lyles supported an LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance that prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in public accommodations.

Vi Lyles ran for mayor of Charlotte in the 2017 election.

Vi Lyles defeated Jennifer Roberts, the incumbent mayor, in the Democratic Party primary election in September 2017 by 15,805 votes to Roberts' 12,412 votes.

Vi Lyles defeated Kenny Smith, a Republican city council member, in the 2017 Charlotte Mayoral Election, winning with 72,073 votes to Smith's 49,652.

In 2019, Vi Lyles chose to run for a second term and after winning the Democratic primary as the Mayoral incumbent, was challenged by Republican David Michael Rice in the general election.

Vi Lyles won the election, holding 70,886 votes to Rice's 20,459 votes.

Vi Lyles aided the creation of more than 27,000 new jobs by securing Charlotte as the location for expansion by Honeywell, Lowes, and Microsoft.

Additionally, Vi Lyles implemented a Vision Zero philosophy with the intention to further decrease traffic fatalities.