City Council member David Howard, who finished a close third in the Democratic primary for Charlotte mayor, is endorsing the second-place finisher, Dan Clodfelter, for next Tuesday’s runoff, the Charlotte Observer is reporting.
Howard will make the announcement Monday at a news conference with Clodfelter.
Howard came to the decision Friday, he told the Observer editorial board. He hadn’t necessarily planned on making an endorsement, but he’d received calls from supporters who wanted his thoughts on the runoff between Clodfelter and first-place finisher Jennifer Roberts.
The endorsement comes as a bit of a surprise. Howard was critical of Clodfelter for deciding to run for mayor after telling Howard he would not. Clodfelter had been appointed mayor in 2014 by the Charlotte City Council after Patrick Cannon’s arrest and resignation. Both Howard and mayor pro tem Michael Barnes say Clodfelter assured them then he wouldn’t run in 2015 if he were appointed by the council. Clodfelter says that’s not the case.
Howard admits there are still some lingering “trust issues” with Clodfelter because of the disputed promise not to run for mayor. But, says Howard, Clodfelter’s vision and plans for Charlotte clearly align with what he believes Charlotte can become in the near and distant future.
The Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum invited both runoff candidates to address this week’s meeting. As of Sunday evening, only Clodfelter had confirmed.
Read more at CharlotteObserver.com.
