Orange County 2025 Election: Chapel Hill races close; 2 of 3 mayors unopposed
N.C. State University environmental professor Louie Rivers was the top vote-getter in a close Chapel Hill Town Council race Tuesday.
With all 18 Chapel Hill precincts reporting results at 9:51 p.m., the five candidates seeking four seats finished as follows:
- Louie Rivers III, 5,479 votes
- Wes McMahon, 5,382 votes
- Incumbent Camille Berry, 5,360 votes
- Incumbent Paris Miller-Foushee, 4,990 votes
- Erik Valera, 4,219 votes
In Carrboro, incumbent Mayor Barbara Foushee easily won a second term Tuesday, defeating challenger Joe Lloyd Jr., a retired heating and air-conditioning professional.
Foushee had 2,774 votes to Lloyd’s 94 votes at 9:16 p.m., with all eight of the town’s precincts reporting results.
The results are unofficial until a canvass is held Nov. 14 at the Orange County Board of Elections
Crowded ballots, rancor marked 2023 election
The races for Chapel Hill Town Council and Carrboro mayor were the only competitive races in Orange County on Tuesday, in stark contrast to the contentious 2023 election, when Chapel Hill candidates set new fundraising records and 10 candidates jockeyed for four council seats.
The Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town backed Council member Adam Searing in his unsuccessful mayoral challenge and also fielded council candidates that year, but it disbanded its political action committee this year. Searing nixed a second council term, and council member Karen Stegman left the board in June after moving to Carrboro.
CHALT urged voters this week on its Facebook page to write in 2023 council candidate Renuka Soll. There were 254 write-in votes at 9:51 p.m. The Board of Elections website does not identify the candidate receiving those votes.
Carrboro also fielded a large group of candidates in 2023, with five people vying for three seats, and 14 people competed for Chapel HIll-Carrboro School Board seats.
The Orange County Board of Elections reported 4,219 voters in Carrboro, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough cast a ballot in early voting this year.
Other 2025 town, school board results
- Chapel Hill Mayor: Incumbent Jess Anderson ran unopposed to win her second term as mayor with 6,039 votes. Write-in candidates won 326 votes, or over 5% of the votes cast.
- Carrboro Town Council: Incumbents Cristóbal Palmer (2,573 votes) and Danny Nowell (2,482 votes) won, along with newcomer Fred Joiner (2,369 votes) in the unopposed race for three seats. Joiner replaces outgoing council member Randee Haven-O’Donnell.
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board: Newcomer Melinda Manning led the field with 9,146 votes to win one of three seats. Incumbent candidates Riza Jenkins (8,903 votes) and George Griffin (8,735 votes) each won a second, four-year term. Manning will join the board in December, replacing outgoing member Mike Sharp.
- Hillsborough Mayor: Mark Bell (696 votes) was unopposed in his bid for a second term as mayor.
- Hillsborough Board of Commissioners: Incumbents Kathleen Ferguson (646 votes) and Robb English (639 votes) won their unopposed races for another four-year term.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Orange County 2025 Election: Chapel Hill races close; 2 of 3 mayors unopposed."
