Mayor ‘caught with out trousers’ on the town corridor resigns after months of stress
A US mayor who allegedly roamed town hall with no trousers on has retired after months of public outrage and a vote of no confidence
Mooresville mayor Chris Carney announced he is calling time on his political career(Image: WBTV)
A mayor is stepping down from his position after allegedly being caught walking around town hall with no trousers on. Chris Carney, the mayor of Mooresville, North Carolina, announced he is calling time on his political career following months of public outrage, a vote of no confidence and an ongoing legal battle over CCTV footage.
The scandal unfolded after a local news station launched an investigation into a late-night trip Carney made to the local municipal building in October 2024.
According to court filings from WBTV, the mayor arrived after midnight alongside a woman, twice triggering motion detectors that brought police officers to the scene.
The mayor was allegedly caught walking around Mooresville Town Hall with no trousers on late at night(Image: Google)
WBTV reported that court documents allege CCTV cameras inside the facility captured the local leader walking around without his trousers on “for an extended period.”
Town officials have since spent nearly $83,500 (£61,000) in legal fees attempting to block news outlets from securing the clip.
Public records obtained by The Charlotte Observer revealed the town appealed a judge’s ruling that ordered the immediate release of the footage, with officials insisting the tape contained sensitive security information.
Carney is the subject of an ongoing legal battle over CCTV footage of his late night trip to the town hall
Carney broke his silence over the bizarre event, blaming it on a bad reaction to mixing alcohol and prescription drugs after a night out.
“Just like I said…like I’ve expressed to other people, the alcohol and anxiety meds…don’t always work that great with me,” Carney previously told WBTV.
Speaking to The Charlotte Observer, he insisted the woman was a “longtime family friend” who snapped a photo of his condition to send to his wife.
They mayor said: “I never thought, to be fair, that vomiting and making a mess would become a national story. I really couldn’t have imagined that.”
He added: “And I would tell the public, I am so sorry. I truly didn’t think anything other than I needed my phone and then, when I felt bad, this is a safe space…a place where, when I felt better, I would go home.”
Despite the town board voting 4-2 on a motion asking him to resign earlier this year, saying the undisclosed footage “does show a lack of good judgment”, Carney rejected the idea he was being forced out.
He insisted his departure on September 30 was a planned “retirement” after completing his political goals.
Carney said: “The deal I made with my wife, we had a list, and we wanted to get the list done and when the list was done, I was done. This mayor job takes a lot of time and takes a lot of energy.”
Carney also claimed his departure had nothing to do with “the silliness” surrounding his reported trouserless night. He added that he plans to remain in the area to support local charities.
