CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After her historic victory Tuesday night, Charlotte's new mayor-elect Vi Lyles spoke about her victory over City Councilman Kenny Smith.
Lyles easily defeated the Republican by 18 percentage points in the race to determine the Queen City's next mayor.
The Democrat sat down for a one-on-one interview with NBC Charlotte to discuss her plans as the future leader of Charlotte. Lyles, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, will be the first black female mayor in Charlotte.
She said she's still trying to process how it all happened.
"I haven't really had a moment of contemplation or thought and I'm hoping to get that soon, “ said Lyles.
As she patiently waits for reality to hit, Lyles has already started the transitioning process from her current position as mayor pro tem to her new role as mayor, working on fulfilling some of the promises she made on the campaign trail.
"I talked about what the issues are, jobs, housing, and trust with law enforcement," said Lyles. “But my passion over the years has been housing and that's really something I'm going to be passionate about."
Overall, Lyles said she wants to work on unifying the city after a controversial and divisive path surrounded events such as House Bill 2 and the Keith Lamont Scott shooting.
When asked how she'd differ from current Mayor Jennifer Roberts, Lyles said, "One of the differences, is I hope to be able to speak with that trust of our community."
Lyles will be sworn in as Mayor December 4.
