CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – The candidates began their campaigns months ago, and now it’s up to the voters in North Carolina’s
largest city to decide which of them will be the new mayor.

Polls in Charlotte will open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and will close at 7:30 p.m. Democrat Anthony Foxx and Republican John Lassiter are competing to replace Pat McCrory, who is stepping down after 14 years. Foxx and Lassiter, both lawyers and city council members, say their priority as a leader will be turning around the faltering local economy.

With the nation’s banking meltdown, Charlotte has lost thousands of good-paying financial services jobs. Bank of America, one of the nation’s largest banks, is headquartered in Charlotte.