{"biography":"Leigh Altman is a Democratic at\u2011large member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and is seeking re\u2011election for a third term in the November\u202f3,\u202f2026 general election.  She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board and will finish her present term on December\u202f2,\u202f2026 if re\u2011elected [1][12].\n\nAltman earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from New College of Florida in 1994 and a Juris Doctor with honors from Florida State College of Law in 1997 [1][5].  After law school she spent six years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Georgia Governor\u2019s Office of Consumer Affairs and the Commission on Equal Opportunity, where she was recognized as one of Georgia\u2019s top lawyers under\u202f40 [2][11].  Relocating to Charlotte in 2009, she worked as a guardian ad\u202flitem for seniors and adults with disabilities, then as a staff attorney for the Council for Children\u2019s Rights, and later as senior counsel at a private firm before opening her own practice, the Law Office of Leigh B. Altman, in 2010 [2][11].\n\nAltman was first elected to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners in 2020 and has been re\u2011elected in 2024, serving as Vice Chair and chairing several key committees, including the Metropolitan Transit Commission, the Economic Development Committee, and the County Manager Performance Review Committee [2][11].  In these roles she helps oversee a $2.5\u202fbillion county budget that funds public health, mental health, education, social services, parks, and environmental protection, and she works to allocate those resources efficiently for the county\u2019s 1.1\u202fmillion residents [5].\n\nHer legislative record emphasizes transit, economic growth, and community infrastructure.  Altman was a leading voice behind the historic transit referendum that approved a $24\u202fbillion investment\u2014the largest jobs initiative in county history\u2014aimed at expanding mass\u2011transit, reducing congestion, and improving access to jobs, schools, and health care [5][2].  As chair of the Economic Development Committee she helped attract roughly 4,100 new jobs with an average salary of $111,000 and $438\u202fmillion in new private investment since November\u202f2024 [5].  She also supports funding for affordable housing, park and recreation expansion, and fully funding the county\u2019s budget requests for three consecutive years [5].\n\nAltman is active in a range of community organizations, including Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County, the Mecklenburg County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Habitat for Humanity Charlotte, and the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization.  She has been honored as one of Charlotte Media Group\u2019s 50\u202fMost Dynamic Women (2021) and appears on Legal Services of Southern Piedmont\u2019s Pro\u202fBono Honor Roll (2011) [11].  Altman lives in the Dilworth neighborhood with her husband and three sons and is a member of the local Jewish community [2][5].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Leigh Altman - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Leigh_Altman)\n- [2] [Leigh Altman - Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners](https://bocc.mecknc.gov/leigh-altman)\n- [4] [Past and Present Commissioners | Board of County Commissioners](https://bocc.mecknc.gov/past-and-present-commissioners)\n- [5] [Leigh Altman | The Election Hub](https://www.theelectionhub.org/mecklenburg-county/leigh-altman/2026-primary/mecklenburg)\n- [9] [Leigh Altman (@leighaltman) / X](https://twitter.com/leighaltman)\n- [10] [RE-ELECT LEIGH ALTMAN FOR COUNTY COMMISSION - Home](https://www.leighaltman.com/)\n- [11] [Credentials - RE-ELECT LEIGH ALTMAN FOR COUNTY COMMISSION](https://www.leighaltman.com/credentials.html)\n- [12] [Leigh Altman | BallotReady](https://www.ballotready.org/people/leigh-altman)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","county":"mecklenburg","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners At-Large"},{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","county":"mecklenburg","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners At-Large"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Leigh","fullname":"Leigh Altman","lastname":"Altman","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","contest_title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners At-Large","county":"mecklenburg","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"mecklenburg","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","contest_title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners At-Large","county":"mecklenburg","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"mecklenburg","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"mecklenburg","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_at_large","contest_title":"Mecklenburg County Board Of Commissioners At-Large","county":"mecklenburg","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"mecklenburg","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Leigh Altman, Democratic Vice Chair of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, is running for re\u2011election in 2026 after a career as a public\u2011interest attorney and transit advocate.","terms":[],"token":"0294696af299507f"}