Mooresville Mayor announces retirement, two years after pantless controversy

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney announced during Tuesday night’s meeting that he is retiring and stepping down from office by the end of the month.

Residents and colleagues started calling for Carney’s resignation in 2024 after he was caught pantless with a woman at Town Hall after hours. Earlier this year, the majority of town council gave Mayor Carney a vote of no confidence.

During his retirement announcement, Carney says he will be spending more time with his wife and kids. Mayor Pro Tem Eddie Dingler will serve as Mayor starting October 1st. Dingler will complete Carney’s term, which ends in November 2027. Carney said, “I think Commissioner Dingler will tell you, when I came into office, I was very honest with him when he took the mayor pro tem job. This is the plan. And the goal was, we were never gonna see term three.”

Carney stated he has no plans to seek any other political office and intends to spend his time traveling with his family.