Charlotte’s First Gen Z Council Member Talks Leadership and Change

A Queens University News Service QA

By: Penelope Goldstein

Outlets: Queens University News Service

Published: June 1, 2026

Words: 2,339

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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“I grew up in a working-class family, and I’m still very much working class,” says Councilman Mazuera Arias.

The 27-year-old J.D. Mazuera Arias is the youngest member of Charlotte City Council, and the first Gen Z, Latino and formerly undocumented person ever elected in the city. Mazuera Arias grew up in low-income housing, in a mixed-income community, in East Charlotte. “It really has shaped and massaged the way I think about this role in …

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