It’s a 3-way race for Chapel Hill mayor. Others on Orange County town, school ballots.
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Carrboro mayoral and Town Council candidates
Who are the candidates running for mayor and council in Carrboro? Get to know your candidates with our Voter Guide.
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Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger now has two challengers in her bid for re-election this fall.
Town Council member Hongin Gu filed to run for mayor Tuesday. A second challenger, second-year UNC-Chapel Hill law student and legal assistant Zachary Boyce, filed Wednesday.
Hemminger, a commercial real estate professional, and Gu, a mental health research and analytics consultant, both were first elected with support from the grassroots citizen group Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town.
Gu also has had the support of the town’s growing Asian population, which was about 13% of the over 64,000 people estimated to live in Chapel Hill in 2019.
Chapel Hill voters also will choose at least three new council members, since only incumbent council member Karen Stegman is seeking re-election.
In Carrboro and Hillsborough, incumbent board members are seeking re-election, while one Carrboro council member is running against a local business owner to replace Mayor Lydia Lavelle, who is not seeking re-election.
Hillsborough’s Mayor Jenn Weaver is running unopposed so far.
In addition to new mayors, voters in the towns will choose four council members in Chapel Hill, three in Carrboro, and two in Hillsborough in the Nov. 2 municipal election.
Three seats on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education are on the ballot, including the seat held by board member Lisa Kaylie, who was appointed earlier this year to serve out now-Orange County Commissioner Amy Fowler’s term. Kaylie and board members Mary Ann Wolf and Joal Broun, who was recently appointed to be a District Court judge, are not seeking re-election.
Lavelle announced in May that she will not seek a fifth, two-year term, and in Chapel Hill, one council seat has remained vacant since former member Rachel Schaevitz moved to New Zealand in 2020.
Chapel Hill council member Allen Buansi has announced he will not seek a second term in office, while Gu, by seeking the mayor’s office, will vacate her council seat in December.
All of the school and municipal races on the ballot are nonpartisan.
Voter registration deadline: Voters can register through Oct. 8 to vote in this year’s municipal elections, or register during early voting, which runs from Oct. 10 through Oct. 30.
Chapel Hill Mayor
▪ Name: Zachary Boyce
Age: 25
Address: Cleland Drive
Political experience: Senator, School of Law, Graduate and Professional Student Government; chair, Resolutions Development Senate Committee; member, Black Law Student Association
Career: Legal assistant, Hatley Law Firm; second-year student, UNC School of Law; master’s degree candidate, information science
Quote: “I am running to inspire students interested in local government proceedings. With compassion and critical reasoning, going forward together means focusing on producing reparative social services and evidence-based policy reforms aimed at providing restorative justice throughout the Town of Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina. We can and must move forward together. I am optimistic about running for mayor because my peers (undergraduate, graduate and professional students alike) do agree that student-researchers are uniquely equipped to inject the most cutting-edge research to the frontlines of policy-formation discussions.”
▪ Name: Hongbin Gu
Age: 53
Address: Parkridge Avenue
Political experience: Chapel Hill Town Council member since 2017; Chapel Hill Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board; former principal and board member, Chinese School at Chapel Hill; United Chinese Association (mental health committee); Chinese-American Friendship Association; organizer, Chapel Hill LightUp
Website: facebook.com/hhongbingu
Career: consultant, mental health research and analytics
Quote: “This position I feel like is something that’s very important, something I feel very passionate about. Chapel Hill is at this conjunction with regards to where we’re going and what we want to be, so I think it’s a very important election, and I’m hoping that I’m going to bring in this debate about who we are and what is the role of our government, what are our priorities and our focus, and I think these are all very important questions — systemwide questions — that need to be resolved through elections.”
▪ Name: Pam Hemminger (incumbent)
Age: 61
Address: Boxwood Place
Political experience: Chapel Hill mayor, 2015-present; Orange County commissioner, 2008-12; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, 2004-08; treasurer, N.C. Metro Mayors Association; founder, Jordan Lake One Water; former member, Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Commission and Greenway Commission; former chair, Upper Neuse River Basin Authority
Website: pamhemminger.org
Career: Owner, Windaco Properties LLC
Quote: “In the coming months, I look forward to talking with everyone about mobilizing our entire community around the Climate Action Plan. I’m also eager to share my next steps for advancing strong economic development that will bring additional good-paying jobs to Chapel Hill and fund the things that Chapel Hillians care about, including affordable housing, public and cultural arts, more green gathering spaces and a vibrant downtown.”
Chapel Hill Town Council
▪ Name: Robert Beasley
Address: Ridge Trail
Website: robertbeasley-nc.com
Quote: “I will provide and press for leadership that will align Town Policies, Ordinances, and Plans with our residents’ principles, values, and goals as we address our challenges of affordable living, land use and conservation, and health and safety. I will work to ensure we invest in Chapel Hill’s neglected infrastructure … I will seek answers from the developers and planners to adequately address the questions our citizens are raising. … I will encourage productive public discussion so that every voice is heard and given proper respect and thoughtful consideration.”
▪ Name: Camille Berry
Age: 52
Address: Erwin Road
Political experience: member and former president, Chapel Hill Sunrise Rotary Club; Leadership Fellow, The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro; former membership chair and Diversity and Inclusion chair, N.C. Triangle chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals; board member, Piedmont Health; mentor, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate Program; board member, Hope Renovations; founding board member, Transplanting Traditions Community Farm; former co-chair and current social chair, Cedar Falls precinct
Website: camille4chapelhill.com
Career: Principal, Camille Berry Consulting; former development and communications manager, Community Home Trust
Quote: “I stand with our community in my desire to increase the number of affordable housing options for lower income families and individuals in Chapel Hill. I support the investment of resources to bolster economic development in our town. I want Chapel Hill to be a place where our small, local businesses can thrive alongside larger ones. I believe we can advance the development of Chapel Hill utilizing a mindful, purposeful approach that honors our green space. We can achieve all of this as a community working together.”
▪ Name: Andrew Creech
Update: Creech, told The Daily Tar Heel in October that he’s dropping out of the race to focus on his business interests. He will still appear on the ballot. The News & Observer’s efforts to reach Creech were unsuccessful.
Age: 30
Address: Carr Street
Political experience: No prior experience
Career: managing partner, BlueHorn Lounge
Quote: “After more than a year of shutdowns and uncertainty, we’re finally seeing a new normal emerge. For many, however, that new normal is plagued by constant financial, housing and safety concerns. I spend every day and night on Franklin Street and have seen these concerns on a daily basis. It’s time for change. We need more people on Town Council who work in small businesses and walk the streets daily. As a member of the Town Council, my top concerns will be safety, affordable housing, living wages, transit and parking.”
▪ Name: Jeffrey C. Hoagland
Age: 35
Address: Elizabeth Street
Political experience: None
Website: tinyurl.com/wpbv28pa
Career: Manufacturing, Kymera International
Quote: I want to try to help local Chapel Hill businesses and help to keep the downtown area townie friendly
▪ Name: Paris Miller-Foushee
Age: 46
Address: North Roberson Street
Political experience: member, Empowerment Inc. board of directors; member, Marian Cheek Jackson Center board of directors; vice chair, Chapel Hill Community Policing Advisory Committee; steering committee member, Re-Imagining Community Safety Task Force; secretary, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP; Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition
Website: paris-millerfoushee.com
Career: Inter-Faith Council for Social Service ACTIVATE! IFC advocacy team leader; former adjunct professor, St. Augustine’s University
Quote: “I will advocate for intentional planning that includes affordable housing and living for our essential employees (and) purpose-built, transit-oriented land-use that encourages small businesses to thrive and employ members of our community. Chapel Hill has diverse natural habitats, features, and land that can hold economic sustainability in our town. I will call for deeper engagement with residents in the LUMO rewrite so that our Town can plan land-use to protect our community’s environmental safety. Environmental justice is about planning with an intentional approach to equity and development steeped in history and inclusive culture.”
▪ Name: Vimala Rajendran
Age: 62
Address: Indian Trail Road, Chapel Hill
Political experience: No elected positions; studied political science and active in the community for 36 years, helping with other campaigns, and lobbying for living wages and pressing the U.S. Department of Agriculture for changes in food regulations.
Website: facebook.com/vimalaforchapelhill
Career: Executive chef and owner, Vimala’s Curryblossom Cafe
Quote: “Because of what I believe about the impact of small business and the local economy and how I bring the perspective of ... what local governments can do to encourage small, family businesses. ... I bring the perspective of a successful small business owner from the west end of Franklin Street (while advocating for) a better town-gown relationship with the university and also affordable housing and sustainable development.”
▪ Name: Adam Searing
Age: 54
Address: Mill Run Drive
Political experience: Co-founder, Friends of the Greene Tract; contributor and advisory board volunteer, The Local Reporter; former member and chair, Covenant with North Carolina’s Children; former member and chair, Carrboro Planning Board; former board member, Piedmont Health Services; coach, Carolina Crushers and the Phillips Middle School Mountain Bike Team, the Falcons
Website: tinyurl.com/5eumeh2n
Career: Attorney; adjunct assistant professor, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; research professor, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy; former health director, N.C. Justice Center
Quote: “I grew up in Chapel Hill. I know our area well, but I also like travel. On a trip this summer with my teenager, we visited, rode bikes and hiked in towns around the United States. I was inspired by communities building extensive trail systems for bicyclists and hikers, preserving open space, and creating innovative parks. There, residents enjoyed better quality of life while also attracting visitors and economic development. We need a new comprehensive, coordinated park plan for our community that all enjoy while boosting businesses and the economy.”
▪ Name: Karen Stegman (incumbent)
Age: 52
Address: Buxton Court, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Elected to Town Council in 2017; chair, Chapel Hill Public Housing Advisory Board; chair, Ephesus Elementary School Improvement Team; PORCH neighborhood coordinator; Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate mentor
Website: stegman4chapelhill.com
Career: Director of business development, IntraHealth International
Quote: “During (the last four years), we faced one of the most difficult challenges in our history — COVID-19. I am so proud that our residents came together to respond effectively to COVID-19 ... Because of this response, we are now able to begin re-opening. We must continue this momentum to enable Chapel Hill to build back better than ever.”
Carrboro Mayor
▪ Name: Michael Benson
Age: 54
Address: Davie Road
Political experience: None
Website: facebook.com/ForMayorCarrboro
Career: 27-year small business owner, negotiating local licenses, building and operating permits
Quote: “You tend to look backwards and say what else can I do to move things forward, and living in Carrboro, I really believe that not enough is being done to help small businesses, from parking, grant systems, to the help for businesses in the winter and summer to help get through tough periods. All of those businesses, in return, pay it forward with taxes and being around and making the town what it is. I’m very big into arts, festivals, what we can do to promote Carrboro, get more parking in Carrboro.”
▪ Name: Damon Seils
Age: 48
Address: West Main Street, Carrboro
Political experience: Council member since March 2013; current term expires in December 2023. Member and former chair, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Board; Chapel Hill Transit Partners Committee; Chatham-Orange Workgroup; former chair, Planning Board; member, Greenways Commission; former chair, Orange County Human Relations Commission.
Website: damonseils.org
Career: Communications specialist, Duke University School of Medicine
Quote: “The community is now coming together to create Carrboro Connects, our community-driven comprehensive plan, which will guide decision making about our biggest challenges, from growth and development to affordable housing to climate change. We need sustained community engagement, experienced leadership, and vision to make this plan a reality — and I’m ready to lead those efforts as mayor.”
Carrboro Council
▪ Name: Barbara Foushee (incumbent)
Age: 56
Address: Williams Street
Political experience: Council member since 2017, mayor pro tem; member, OWASA Board of Directors; member, Human Services Advisory Board
Website: reelectbarbarafoushee.com
Career: Senior technologist, Laboratory Corp. of America
Quote: “A lot has been accomplished, but we can do more as I continue to hear from community members about ongoing concerns and ways that we can improve our community. Ranking high on the list are racial equity, a comprehensive plan, inclusive climate change mitigation and long- and short-term COVID-19 recovery efforts, just to name a few.”
▪ Name: Jacqueline Gist (incumbent)
Age: 66
Address: Sweet Bay Place
Political experience: Council member since 1989; Climate Reality Orange County Chapter; Carrboro Truth Plaque Commission
Website: facebook.com/jacquelyn.gist
Career: Assistant director and career counselor, University Career Services at UNC
Quote: “The coming four years will bring exciting changes along with challenges to Carrboro. ... I love Carrboro and am grateful to have been able to help shape and guide our town during my time as a Council Member and am proud of the community we have become since I first took office. I am excited about our future and want to continue to help our community truly become a place where all are welcome.”
▪ Name: Randee Haven-O’Donnell (incumbent)
Age: 70
Address: Fairfield Court
Political experience: Carrboro Council member since 2005; co-founder, Environmental Educators of North Carolina; co-founder, Climate Reality Orange County Chapter; member, Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board, N.C. Department of Environmental Quality; delegate and liaison, Carrboro Race and Equity Commission; member, Triangle J Council of Governments; El Centro Hispano Casa for Employment and Leadership Advisory Board; member, Moms Demand Action Against Gun Violence; Carrboro Farmers Market Advisory Board
Website: randeehavenodonnell.org
Career: Science educator and curriculum writer; former academic director, Duke Action Science Camp for Young Women
Quote: “In my view, the goal of an elected representative is to improve the quality of living for the people. I vehemently stand for social equity, justice, inclusion in participatory governance, a strong local living economy that embraces the development of non-traditional entrepreneurial enterprise, climate and environmental crisis response and sound planetary stewardship.”
▪ Name: Aja Kelleher
Age: 55
Address: Rainbow Drive
Political experience: No elected offices; community manager, Barred Owl Creek Neighborhood Association
Website: facebook.com/ajaforcarrboro
Career: Information technology for 25 years; former owner, Firefly Carrboro
Quote: “I’m running for Town Council, because it’s one of the best ways I know to give back to my community. I’ve attended many neighborhood association and Town Council meetings where important unsolved issues were brought up. Like you, I want to see our Town continue to grow and prosper, but frankly, I’m frustrated with ‘the status quo.’ I want to make sure all residents have a greater voice in Town matters and that the Council is focused on their needs as well as our local businesses.”
▪ Name: Danny Nowell
Age: 32
Address: Stable Road
Political experience: fundraising chair, NC Triangle Democratic Socialists of America; electoral reading group co-chair, Chapelboro DSA chapter; NAACP fundraising and Freedom Fund Banquet; NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro
Website: dannynowell.com
Career: copywriter and digital strategist
Quote: “We’ve done a lot of really good, progressive things, but the status quo in our municipal politics has led to skyrocketing housing prices and really difficult access for working families to be in the school district and desirable neighborhoods. If Carrboro is going to be the Southern progressive leader that we think Carrboro is and that Carrboro wants to be, then we have to be really proactive about making sure that working class people are at the center of our plans and that we can help them build equity.”
Hillsborough Mayor
▪ Name: Jennifer “Jenn” Weaver (incumbent)
Age: 47
Address: West Queen Street
Political experience: Mayor since 2019; Town Commissioner, 2013-2019; Upper Neuse River Basin Association; Family Success Alliance board; Orange County Food Council; Orange County Climate Advisory Board; Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization
Website: facebook.com/hillsboroughncmayor
Career: Yoga instructor, parent, former public policy researcher
Quote: “Though these first two years have been marked by tremendous challenges — from COVID-19 to righteous demands for racial justice in the wake of the George Floyd murder to the enormous responsibilities of local government that rarely make headlines — it has been extremely gratifying. … We are not perfect and there is much work to do, but Hillsborough is full of big-hearted people eager to look out for their neighbors and work together to make our community even better, to be the thriving, sustainable, equitable Hillsborough that is possible.”
Hillsborough Board of Commissioners
▪ Name: Robb English (incumbent)
Address: Patriot Place
Political experience: Town Board member since 2019; former member, Hillsborough Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; Cornwallis Hills property owners association board
Career: Chapel Hill athletic supervisor
▪ Name: Kathleen Ferguson (incumbent)
Age: 58
Address: Central Avenue
Political experience: Town Commissioner, 2013-present; Orange County Economic Development Commission; chair, Triangle J Council of Governments; executive team and partnership chair, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness/Orange County Continuum of Care; Fairview Community Watch; former 1st vice chair, N.C. League of Municipalities Women in Municipal Government; co-founder and former president, Hillsborough Heights Community Watch
Website: facebook.com/kathleen.ferguson.town.board
Career: Senior director, strategic planning and biostatistical consulting services, Icon plc
Quote: “I am proud of the passion, effort, and time I have dedicated to the issues of permanent affordable housing, especially for those of no, low, and moderate incomes; regional collaboration for the many issues that exceed beyond town boundaries; and a vibrant business community that offers opportunity for those at all income levels. Looking forward, I am eager to implement participatory budgeting, to create a youth advisory council, and retain and attract more businesses that increase local employment and add commercial property to our tax rolls.”
▪ Name: Anna Linvill
Age: 42
Address: North Wake Street
Political experience: Board secretary and interim program coordinator, Hillsborough Arts Council; applied for Hillsborough Town Board vacancy in 2018
Career: U.S. Air Force veteran; self-employed author; co-founder of Composer’s Studio podcast
Quote: “Change is inevitable, and some of the forces affecting us are beyond our control, but we do have some say in how we develop. We do not have to be victims of our own success and popularity. With housing at a premium and a rising cost of living, I think we have to create fair and well-considered development and tax policies. There is a way to ensure availability of housing for all socioeconomic strata while fostering and maintaining our quaint artistic, rural and historical character.”
Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board
▪ Name: George Griffin
Age: 71
Address: Billabong Lane
Political experience: None
Website: griffinforschools.com
Career: Education consultant, former special education teacher
Quote: “I have just in the last six months retired from a 46-year career as an educator, teacher, school administrator, and I see this as an opportunity for me to give back in some service to the community that I’ve lived in for 40-plus years in the Chapel Hill area. My motivation is to provide some strong leadership, some experience and to keep the school system as high quality as possible.”
▪ Name: Ryan Jackson
Age: 54
Address: Cobble Ridge Drive
Political experience: None
Career: Senior application analyst, UNC Health Care; former college instructor and assistant professor
Quote: “My experience is drawn from years of teaching at community colleges and universities, where I applied both in-person and online instructional methodologies. I have been professionally involved in the expansion of student learning opportunities through the development of new curricular initiatives and the modernization of existing offerings. I will use my experience in curriculum development and teaching practices to expand and enhance the educational offerings for our daughters, sons, students.”
▪ Name: Riza Jenkins
Age: 42
Address: Cambridge Court
Political experience: Board member, N.C. Sustainable Energy Association; former president, CHCCS PTA Council; former member, Seawell Elementary School Improvement Team
Career: Vice president of asset management, Summit Ridge Energy; principal, The Azir Group LLC
Quote: “I am running to be a change agent with a proven track record in strategic decision making in order to provide the best educational outcomes for all students. I will work with community members and the CHCCS staff in order to achieve this goal by focusing on diversity and equity; transparency and accountability; and fiscal responsibility. Many of the challenges that we experience in these areas of focus are really the byproduct of the challenges with decision making, implementation, and evaluation metrics for those decisions.”
▪ Name: Meredith Pruitt
Age: 44
Address: Faison Road
Political experience: Served as senior official at the U.S. Department of Education and the UNC System
Website: meredithpruitt.com
Career: Vice president for strategic initiatives and academic business development, UNC Health; former chief of staff and senior vice president, UNC System
Quote: “I am honored to run for school board and lend my passion for public service and over 20 years of public policy experience to better our great community. Our students need data-driven decisions and consensus-based solutions to succeed, and by focusing on the fundamentals — reading, math and science — we can empower and enable all of our students to be lifelong learners and (leaders). As the product of a public school education and the first in my family to graduate from college, I embody Horace Mann’s statement: ‘Education … is the great equalizer’.”
▪ Name: Mike Sharp
Age: 53
Address: Mt. Carmel Church Road
Political experience: None
Website: www.sharpforschoolboard.site
Career: McDougle Elementary and Culbreth Middle school teacher
Quote: “I am most interested in speaking out for our kids who are typically under-represented: Our EC and EL populations … the kids who end up on the wrong side of the ‘achievement gap’ ... even the lack of diversity in some groups, clubs or sports. If we talk about STEM, then I’m going to look at including more girls and students of color. If we’re talking athletics, then I’m looking out for trans kids.”
▪ Name: Tim Sookram
Age: 36
Address: Churchill Drive
Political experience: 2011 Chapel Hill mayoral candidate; Ephesus Elementary School Improvement Team
Career: Attorney, Legal Aid of North Carolina
Quote:“I want to bring common sense and foresight to the board. I feel like we have a lot of duct tape, a lot of improvised positions that don’t take into account long-term consequences … and I want to have a real conversation with folks about what makes our community such a draw (and) how to maximize the resources we have, draw on the knowledge and expertise that we have in our community to benefit the children (and) to make holistic changes that are good for everybody in the school district.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "It’s a 3-way race for Chapel Hill mayor. Others on Orange County town, school ballots.."
