Pat McCrory founded the N.C. Metropolitan Coalition of Mayors in 2002.
But when the group meets Thursday in Chapel Hill to tackle the issue of global warming, McCrory will be leaving early.
Mayors of some of the 25 biggest cities in the state, including Bill Bell of Durham, Allen Joines of Winston-Salem, Tony Chavonne of Fayetteville and Bill Saffo of Wilmington, will meet Wednesday and Thursday.
McCrory, who is the immediate past chairman of the group, will be there all day Wednesday, but he'll head out after just a half hour Thursday morning.
The mayor's office told Dome that McCrory has "other meetings" that day. They would not say whether that includes, say, a trip to Jamestown.
Beau Mills, director of the Metropolitan Coalition, said that he did not know why McCrory was leaving early.
"I'm not sure about that," he said, laughing. "You'll have to ask him."
Dome left a message for the mayor to call us back.