Long-serving Charlotte, North Carolina Mayor Vi Lyles, who faced calls to resign after urging compassion for the deranged vagrant accused of brutally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a city train last year, announced she will leave her post just six months after being re-elected.
The five-term Democrat, 73, said in a press release that she would resign June 30 and would not be seeking another term next year when her term ends, but offered no concrete reason for her sudden and unexpected departure.
“Serving as Charlotte’s mayor has been the honor of my life. I am proud of our record navigating various challenges, strengthening our economy, investing in our neighborhoods, and building a foundation for Charlotte’s continued success during a time of rapid growth,” she said.
“Now, it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward.”
She acknowledged the suddenness of her resignation would lead to rampant speculation, and leaned on a classic politician’s explanation in her announcement.
“As in all things politics, I am sure there will be speculation as to why I am making this decision now. Simply put, I am going to spend time with my grandchildren,” Lyles said. “Like many of us, I have missed some moments with them and intend to not miss anymore!”
Lyles trounced her primary and general election opponents last November, securing her fifth term by a margin of 45%.
Just two months earlier, 23-year-old Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine riding the city’s Blue Line Lynx train home after her shift at a local pizza shop, was savagely murdered in an unprovoked, caught-on-camera attack that shocked the world.
Arrested for the crime was Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, a schizophrenic homeless man collared at least 14 times in North Carolina for crimes ranging from assault and firearms possession to felony robbery dating back to 2017.
At the time of the killing, he was free on cashless bail after a magistrate released him with a “written promise” to show up for court after placing a bogus 911 call.
In the aftermath of the beastly killing, Lyles was ripped for using the opportunity to proselytize about the need to have compassion for those suffering from mental health disorders.
“This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place,” Lyles wrote in a statement to WSOC-TV reporter Joe Bruno at the time.
The Democrat added that Brown “appears to have suffered a crisis,” and insisted “by and large” the transit system in her city was safe.
She added that she is “not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused.”
She said mental health, like the schizophrenia Brown was diagnosed with, “needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer and heart disease,” adding, “those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators.”
Brown’s legal fate is up in the air after he was found “incapable to proceed” on state murder charges last month.
Lyles didn’t return an email from The Post seeking comment.
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