Councilman JD Mazuera Arias

44 District 5 students in this year’s MYEP + City Council interns this summer, including a fellow East Meck Eagle 🦅

Proud to see our young people gaining experience and stepping into their future.

Thank you, QuikTrip, for supporting these opportunities—and for being my go-to Diet Coke stop. 🥤

Proud to share that 44 District 5 young people are participating in this year’s MYEP! 🎉

Creating opportunities for young people is exactly what I fought for when I ran for City Council, and I’m excited to see East Charlotte youth gaining valuable work experience and skills this summer.

A special thank you to QuikTrip⁠ for helping make these opportunities possible. As someone whose go-to stop for a refreshing Diet Coke is QT, I may be a little biased—but they’re making a real difference for our young people too. 🥤

Tonight’s NYC primary results show that voters across the country are hungry for a politics that puts people before special interests.

People are tired of being told that affordable housing, quality public transit, accessible healthcare, good-paying jobs, and dignified wages are unrealistic while billion-dollar subsidies and corporate giveaways remain business as usual.

The lesson for Charlotte and North Carolina isn’t about personalities, it’s about priorities. When government is willing to invest in working families, renters, young people, seniors, immigrants, and historically overlooked communities, people respond.

A people-first agenda is possible here too: build more affordable housing all across the city not just in one area, strengthen public transportation, protect workers, invest in mental health, make growth pay for growth, and ensure prosperity is shared by everyone, not just those at the top.

The future belongs to communities that choose people over profits and courage over complacency. Let’s get to work.

District 5, thank you.

Since last night’s decision to appoint Robert Harrington as Charlotte’s incoming mayor, I have been overwhelmed by the emails, messages, and words of encouragement from residents across our district.

As Mayor Harrington prepares to step into this role, I am hopeful that he will lead with impartiality, righteousness, and fair, accessible service to the mayor’s office, while balancing a business-friendly approach with the people-first leadership Charlotte needs.

Our city is growing, changing, and facing real challenges. That means we need leadership that listens, brings people together, and ensures growth happens with people, not to people.

Thank you, District 5, for your trust, encouragement, and continued belief in a Charlotte that works for everyone.

STATEMENT ON CITY COUNCIL INTERIM MAYOR HARRINGTON APPOINTMENT

Today, I want to congratulate Robert Harrington on his appointment as Charlotte’s interim mayor.

I thank Mayor Vi Lyles for her years of service to the City of Charlotte. Mayor Lyles has led our city through periods of tremendous growth, challenge, and opportunity. While we did not always agree on every issue or policy approach, I have always respected her commitment to Charlotte and her willingness to serve. Our city is stronger because of the time, energy, and dedication she has given to the people of Charlotte.

I look forward to working with Interim Mayor Harrington to continue moving Charlotte forward. My focus remains on advancing a people-first agenda that centers workers, neighborhoods, and working families.

That includes finding a real solution for the airport service workers who are fighting for fair wages, benefits, and dignity on the job. I believe Charlotte can protect local authority over the airport while also addressing the conditions workers have raised. Corporate fearmongering should not stop us from pursuing a solution that benefits everyone, especially the people who keep our airport running.

As always, I will continue to push for a Charlotte that works for District 5, for working families, and for the people who too often get left out of decisions that shape our city.

Days like today remind me why I love Charlotte. 💚🫰🏽

I started the morning with young Latino leaders at the first-ever Queen City Summit hosted by InspiraNC — —, inspired by a generation that is already stepping up to shape our city’s future. Then I spent the afternoon at the annual Juneteenth Festival in Plaza Midwood, helping table with the African American Democratic Caucus — — meeting residents, celebrating community, and reflecting on the meaning of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is more than a commemoration of freedom delayed. It is a reminder that progress is never inevitable, that justice requires action, and that the story of America is one of people continuing to push our nation closer to its ideals.

I ended the day at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, praying for our immigrant brothers and sisters, for families seeking safety and opportunity, and for a community where every person is treated with dignity.

From Latino youth leadership, to celebrating Black freedom, to standing in solidarity with immigrants, today was a beautiful reminder that our strength has always come from each other.

The people-first movement keeps growing. Let’s keep at it. ✨💚

🌎 Promesa hecha, promesa cumplida.

Durante mi campaña, prometí luchar por la creación de una Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales, y este presupuesto financia esa visión.

Esta oficina ayudará a Charlotte a servir mejor a las comunidades inmigrantes, fortalecer las alianzas con organizaciones comunitarias y ampliar nuestra capacidad para atraer inversión internacional y nuevas oportunidades económicas.

También quiero agradecer a Enlace Latino NC por ser el único medio que explicó con precisión por qué el fondo de asistencia de emergencia de $100,000 no funcionó como se esperaba. El problema no fue la falta de voluntad, sino las restricciones legales y el clima político que rodea el uso de fondos públicos para asistencia de vivienda, lo que impidió que muchas de las familias más afectadas pudieran calificar. Las conversaciones honestas requieren información honesta.

Lee la historia completa:
🇨🇴 https://enlacelatinonc.org/charlotte-creara-una-oficina-de-relaciones-internacionales/

Gracias a Enlace Latino NC por su periodismo reflexivo, preciso y centrado en la comunidad.

Charlotte creará una Oficina de Relaciones Internacionales Noticias en español sobre política, inmigración y asuntos comunitarios para los latinos en Carolina del Norte.

🌎 Promise made, promise kept.

During my campaign, I promised to fight for an Office of International Relations and this budget funds that vision.

This office will help Charlotte better serve immigrant communities, strengthen partnerships with local organizations, and expand our ability to attract international investment and opportunity.

I also want to thank Enlace Latino NC for being the only outlet to accurately explain why the $100,000 emergency assistance fund did not work as intended. The issue was not a lack of will, but legal restrictions and political climate tied to public housing assistance dollars that prevented many impacted families from qualifying. Honest conversations require honest reporting.

Read the full story:
🇺🇸 https://enlacelatinonc.org/en/charlotte-creara-una-oficina-de-relaciones-internacionales/

Thank you to Enlace Latino NC for the thoughtful, nuanced, and community-centered journalism.

Charlotte will create an Office of International Relations News in Spanish about politics, immigration and community issues for Latinos in North Carolina.

Update on Hood Road Data Center:

East Charlotte,

I want to provide a clear follow-up on the proposed data center project on Hood Road, because I know there has been a lot of concern and confusion about what the City can and cannot do under the current data center moratorium.

Here is the key distinction:

The City’s data center moratorium applies to new proposed construction, new developments, and new rezonings related to data centers.

That means the proposed 40,000-square-foot data center rezoning petition on Hood Road is paused during the moratorium. There are no construction plans submitted or approved for a 40,000-square-foot data center on this site.

Because that larger project requires a rezoning, it cannot move forward to a rezoning hearing during the moratorium. As of now, that petition hearing has been pushed out to November 2027.

However, there is a separate, smaller project on the same site by American Tower: an 8,380-square-foot unmanned data center.

That smaller project already fits within the site’s current zoning, meaning it did not require City Council zoning approval. Construction plans for that smaller project were approved on July 16, 2025, before the moratorium was adopted.

Vesting for that 2025 permit is valid for three years and expires on July 16, 2028.

To be very clear: I am not sharing this because there is new action or new news on the smaller project. I am sharing it because residents deserve the full picture, and I want to make sure this is on everyone’s radar.

I also asked why this approved smaller project was not disclosed earlier. The answer from staff is that the developer/owner was not required to disclose that the smaller building had already been approved. However, that information is typically included in the staff analysis during the rezoning process.

Because American Tower deferred the rezoning petition, the staff analysis that would have been provided at the public hearing was never presented. That analysis would have shown the approved smaller permit in several places, including the By Right Development Map and the Rezoning Activity Map that is included for all petitions.

I also asked whether American Tower is allowed to begin construction on the smaller approved project during the moratorium.

The answer is yes: American Tower would be allowed to construct the approved 8,380-square-foot unmanned data center during the moratorium.

However, as of now, a building permit has not been filed.

That matters because under North Carolina state law, a city moratorium cannot stop certain projects that were already legally in the pipeline before the moratorium took effect.

In plain language: if a project already has valid approvals, permits, or has moved far enough through the legal process, the City is prohibited from stopping it unless there is a specific, immediate threat to public health or safety tied to that project.

This is not me saying I agree with it.

This is not me saying residents should not be concerned.

This is me being transparent about the limits placed on cities by state law, especially in a Dillon Rule state like North Carolina, where local governments only have the authority the state gives us.

The frustrating truth is this:

Charlotte’s current zoning rules allowed data centers in too many places, including areas too close to neighborhoods. And state law limits our ability to pause or stop projects that already fit the existing zoning and already received approvals.

That is exactly why the moratorium matters.

The moratorium gives the City time to study data centers, their impacts, and what changes we need to make to better protect neighborhoods moving forward. It also gives us time to look at how our zoning rules got us here and what needs to change so residents are not put in this position again.

I know this is not the answer many neighbors wanted to hear, especially those directly impacted by the Hood Road site. I share that frustration. But I also believe you deserve honesty, not false promises.

The City has created a Data Centers Moratorium Hub with FAQs and updates. It will continue to be updated with presentations, community engagement opportunities, and information about the work ahead:

https://www.charlottenc.gov/City-News/Data-Centers-Moratorium-FAQs

I will continue pushing for stronger protections, clearer rules, and a process that puts residents first.

Growth should not happen to communities.

Growth should happen with communities.

Frequently Asked Questions: Data Centers & Moratorium A resource for frequently asked questions about data centers in Charlotte.

*in my Love Island narrator voice*

Last night… the candidates entered the villa. 🎤

Tonight… Council sends in their nominations by 5 PM. 👀

Thursday night… well, Thursday at noon… the top 5 get pulled for a chat. 📝

Next Monday… someone gets a text: “You are now Charlotte’s interim Mayor.” 📱

And on July 1st… Charlotte enters a brand new era.