A Conversation between Charlotte and Krefeld

The American Council on Germany has launched a new series of online meetings titled [virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German-American Mayors Forum, held under the auspices of WunderbarTogether USA 2020, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.

The sister city relationship between Charlotte and Krefeld was established in 1986. Krefeld’s industrial economy and the common influence of the textile industries was one of the initial reasons for the partnership. In the intervening years since then, both cities have undergone significant structural change.

Join the American Council on Germany for a conversation with Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte, and Frank Meyer, Lord Mayor of Krefeld, about how their cities have addressed structural change and the lessons learned.

Vi Alexander Lyles, a Democrat, is now in her second term as Mayor of Charlotte. A proud history of public service distinguishes Mayor Lyles’ career in Charlotte. Prior to her election as Mayor, she served two terms on the City Council as an at-large representative from 2013 to 2017 and was voted mayor pro tem by her peers for two of those years. Even before turning to elected office, Mayor Lyles was a valued city employee. Highlights of her career of service include creating the city’s first capital budget and leading the restructuring of government programs to evaluate and assess performance audits for city programs. Mayor Lyles holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Queens University, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a trained facilitator and executive coach, completing programs at the Institute of Government, North Carolina State University and the Lee Institute’s American Leadership Forum.

As a genuine Krefeld native, long-standing local politician and administrative expert, Frank Meyer has been Lord Mayor of the city of Krefeld since 2015, in September 2020 he was re-elected for another five years. In April 2018 he also took over responsibilities for Krefeld’s cultural department. Born in Krefeld in 1974, he spent his childhood and youth in Krefeld-Uerdingen, where he completed his high school diploma. In summer 1993, he spent four weeks in Charlotte as an exchange student. Up to this day, he still keeps in touch with the family he lived with during this time. Mr. Meyer completed his studies at the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration. Later, he also obtained a Master of Arts in political management and administration and became the office manager for Siegmund Ehrmund (SPD), a member of the German Bundestag. Mr. Meyer has been politically active in the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1992 and was elected to Krefeld’s city council in 1999. From 2009 to 2015 he served as a deputy mayor.