Chapel Hill voters to elect mayor, 4 council members. Read what the candidates say.
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Chapel Hill mayor and Town Council election
Two Town Council members are vying to succeed outgoing Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger. Ten candidates are running for four open council seats Early voting starts Thursday, Oct. 19, and runs through Saturday, Nov 4. Voters may cast ballots at any early voting location.
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Every Chapel Hill election in recent decades has been dominated by the debate over how fast and how dense the college town should grow.
This year is no different. Two Town Council members are vying to succeed outgoing Mayor Pam Hemminger and lead efforts to get more affordable and middle-income housing, commercial growth, and environmentally friendly spaces.
One mayoral candidate, Adam Searing, has served just two years of a four-year term and is running with a four-person council slate — David Adams, Breckany Eckhardt, Elizabeth Sharp and Renuka Soll — that aligns with his values, including support for small businesses, fewer large apartment projects, more money for parks, and rolling back zoning changes that allow duplexes in more neighborhoods.
The other mayoral candidate, Jessica Anderson, was elected in 2015 during a backlash election that unseated former Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and two council members. Anderson is not running with an identified slate, but two council candidates, Melissa McCullough and Jon Mitchell, donated to her campaign.
She has pledged, in part, to advance the town’s Complete Community framework, including its greenway network for commuting and recreation; add to the variety of housing types; and continue efforts to bring businesses and residents downtown year-round.
The other council candidates are: Jeffrey Hoagland, Theodore Nollert, Erik Valera and incumbent Amy Ryan, who is wrapping up her first term on the council. Voters will choose four council candidates to serve on the eight-member board.
Voting information
Chapel Hill voters can register during early voting. Voters casting a ballot on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 7 — will only be allowed to vote in the precinct in which they are registered. Voters can look up their polling location at tinyurl.com/4p3tvhhe.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 4, and ballots can be cast at any Early Voting site.
The deadline for most voters to request an absentee, or mail-in, ballot is 5 p.m. Oct. 31. However, active members of the military, their spouse and dependents, and U.S. citizens who are overseas have until 5 p.m. Nov. 6.
Request a ballot online or submit a request via mail at PO Box 220, Hillsborough, NC 27278, or in person at the Orange County Board of Elections office, 208 S. Cameron St. in Hillsborough.
More information about the 2023 election can be found online at newsobserver.com.
We asked the mayoral and council candidates five questions about the town’s priorities and their ideas. Follow the links below to see how each candidate responded.
Chapel Hill mayor
Chapel Hill Town Council
▪ Jeffrey Hoagland (no response)
▪ Amy Ryan
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Chapel Hill voters to elect mayor, 4 council members. Read what the candidates say.."
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