CHAPEL HILL – Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member Mia Burroughs will seek the Orange County Commissioner seat being vacated by long-time Commissioner Alice Gordon.

Burroughs offered praise for Gordon, and said she will leave a lasting legacy in Orange County. She commended Gordon’s efforts to get the Culbreth Middle School science wing addition approved and funded.

During her six years on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, Burroughs served as Chair and Vice-Chair.

“I just thought this was a great opportunity to run for County Commissioner and bring particularly the point of view of a school board member to the conversations they have at commissions level,” she said.

Borroughs said she counts the decision to hire Dr. Tom Forcella as Superintendent and the decision to make Frank Porter Graham Elementary a dual language school as two of her greatest accomplishments during her time on the school board.

“We need to continue the strong support for the institutions that serve our people, the schools in particular. We need to continue to diversify the ways we can pay for those services.”

Burroughs added that she champions a sound economic development plan while keeping the County’s financial status balanced.

If elected, she said she will advocate for human services including emergency services, and “the rights of those who have typically been overlooked.”

Burroughs works as a Development Advisor at Ipas, a nonprofit organization in Chapel Hill that works to increase women’s ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. She also has experience with organizations that serve youth in the area.

Though there are many obstacles that stand in the way, the three municipalities in Orange County are working to provide sewer services to the Rogers Road neighborhood, a community that lived with the landfill for forty years. Burroughs said she hopes to be a part of “the final resolution of the challenges” faced in the neighborhood.