Charlotte, N.C.'s New Mayor Sworn In

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BRADENTON, Fla. - Former state Sen. Dan Clodfelter is the new mayor of Charlotte, N.C.

Clodfelter, a Democrat and former City Council member, was sworn into office April 9, two weeks after former Mayor Patrick Cannon resigned after he was arrested by the FBI and accused of accepting bribes.

The City Council voted to appoint Clodfelter as mayor on April 7. He will serve out the remainder of Cannon's term until December 2015, and reportedly has said that he will not run for election then.

While in the state Legislature, Clodfelter did not support a bill removing Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the city's control and placing it under an independent commission.

The bill passed last year but the commission has not taken over the airport because the city is challenging the law in court. The case is still pending.

The 63-year-old Clodfelter told the Charlotte Observer that he hopes to talk with legislators to convince them why it would not be good to take the airport away from the city.

Some people have speculated that Cannon's arrest on corruption charges would reinforce lawmakers' resolve to strengthen last year's bill to change the airport's governance. The legislative session begins May 14.

Cannon, a 49-year-old Democrat who took office four months ago, was charged with theft and bribery following an FBI undercover sting. He faces up to 50 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all charges.

Charlotte Douglas, operated by the city for decades, was the eighth-busiest in the nation in 2013, according to preliminary rankings by the Airports Council International.

Last year, Charlotte experienced the largest passenger growth among the top 10 airports in the country with 43.45 million travelers, a 5.4% increase over in 2012.

The city, which issues debt for the airport, has $838.2 million of airport revenue bonds outstanding. The senior-lien bonds are rated A-plus by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's, and Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service.

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