The Powers of Your Mayor & City Council

In North Carolina, mayors and city council members can have a direct impact on how local city police departments interact with your community. Mayors and city council members have the power to:

• Create and approve city- and municipality-level budgets, which means they can choose to “defund the local police,” and instead fund community-led programs.
• Have the authority to hire and fire local police chiefs. Much like sheriffs, local police chiefs have a great deal of power over how their department operates.

With your vote, you can elect mayors and city council members who can use their power to:

• Demilitarize city police forces
• End the over-policing and harassment of Black and Brown neighborhoods
• “Defund the police” and fund community-led health and safety programs instead