Many of Charlotte's top executives sit out the city's elections, a review of voting records shows

Charlotte's corporate chiefs were once closely tied to the city's political life. A review of voting records suggests that many of today's top executives are far less engaged at the ballot box than their predecessors.

WFAE reporter Steve Harrison examined the voting histories of members of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, a group made up mostly of business leaders. The council says it is committed to accelerating solutions that position Charlotte as a national leader in economic vitality, equitable opportunity and quality of life. The review followed a Charlotte Magazine story by Jim Morrill, published earlier this year, asking who is in charge in Charlotte. It argued that a small group of business leaders once worked with politicians to shape the city, and that this model has faded.

The council's two chairs are Mike Lamach, the retired chief executive of Trane Technologies, and Gene Woods, the chief executive of Atrium Health. Woods successfully lobbied for Atrium to receive $75 million in city and county funds for infrastructure at its new Innovation District in Dilworth, an offshoot of its planned medical school. He has been registered to vote in Mecklenburg County since 2016 but has never voted in a Charlotte general election or school board race. He did vote in the September 2019 election, which featured the congressional contest between Dan McCready and Mark Harris and included a Charlotte primary. Lamach, registered in the county since 2019, missed last year's mayoral and City Council primary and general election.

The council has 38 members, 35 of them business leaders. Using the state Board of Elections voter lookup, Harrison found most were easy to identify. Some, including Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and Carl Armato of Novant Health, do not live in the area. Others live outside Charlotte in towns such as Waxhaw and Davidson, which hold their own municipal elections, and a few have common names that made them hard to trace.

Of the 35 business leaders, eight clearly voted in last year's mayoral and City Council races, among them Fred Whitfield of the Charlotte Hornets, John Giannuzzi of Deloitte and Lucia Zapata Griffith of the architectural firm Metro Landmarks. Others sat out. Duke Energy chief executive Lynn Good skipped both the 2022 council primary and general election, though she voted in the 2019 council election. Honeywell's Darius Adamczyk, registered in Mecklenburg since 2019, missed the last two city elections, and Sealed Air's Ted Doheny missed both of last year's contests. Outside the council, Doug Lebda of Lending Tree missed the last three city elections, and Susan Devore, the former chief executive of Premier, also does not vote in them.

Ned Curran, the former chief executive of the Bissell Companies, links the earlier era to the present. He has not missed a Charlotte general election since at least 1987, the earliest year available in online state records. He said he is "disappointed" that many colleagues do not vote in city elections, but added that many business leaders remain engaged in civic issues. "Perhaps it's not as broad as it used to be, but some deeply engage on issues that are very important to them," Curran said.

Former Bank of America chief executive Hugh McColl, a leading figure of the earlier generation, also remains a regular voter. He cast a ballot in last summer's city election and has voted in every City Council election since at least 1987.

Harrison noted that the stakes of local elections have arguably diminished. There has been no competitive mayoral race since 2017, Republicans have almost no chance of winning an at-large council seat, and last year's general election was held in July rather than the traditional November.