2017 Brings First Competitive Races in Years for Mayors of Carrboro, Hillsborough

The filing period has closed for the municipal elections on the ballot this fall.

Several new faces are guaranteed to be on local governing boards after the election based off a few incumbents choosing not to file.

Five candidates filed for three open seats on the Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, including incumbents James Barrett and Joal Hall Broun. Three newcomers – Calvin Deutschbein, Mary Ann Wolf and Amy Fowler – also filed for the open seats. Incumbent Andrew Davidson did not file for re-election.

There will be competitive races for Mayor in Carrboro and Hillsborough for the first time in recent election cycles. Lydia Lavelle is running for a third term as mayor of Carrboro, but after running unopposed in 2013 and 2015 Lavelle will be challenged by Mike Benson this fall. This will be the first competitive mayoral race in Carrboro since 2009.

Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens, who is running for his seventh term, is being challenged by Cindy Talisman. Stevens has ran unopposed each election since knocking off incumbent Mayor Joe Phelps in 2005. Talisman ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners in 2015.

While Stevens is being challenged in Hillsborough, the two incumbent town commissioners in the county seat, Kathleen Ferguson and Jenn Weaver, were the only candidates to file for the two seats on the board up for election this fall.

There will be four seats up for election in November on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. Three seats will be full terms and the candidate who receives the fourth most votes will fill out the two remaining years of the unexpired term of Michelle Johnson, who resigned earlier this year when relocating.

The incumbents running for the board are Jacquelyn Gist, Randee Haven-O’Donnell and Sammy Slade. Newcomers Barbara Foushee and Paul Clark also filed for a seat on the board.

Pam Hemminger is running unopposed for her second term as Chapel Hill mayor.

There will be a competitive race and at least two new faces guaranteed for the four seats open on the Chapel Hill Town Council after George Cianciolo and Sally Greene chose to not to file for re-election. Two incumbents – Ed Harrison and Maria Palmer – did file to run for their current seats on the council. The challengers who filed are Allen Buansi, Rachel Schaevitz, Karen Stegman, Carl Schuler and Hongbin Gu.

Early voting for the 2017 election is set to run from October 19 – November 4. Election Day is Tuesday, November 7.

‹

Local Government Meetings: February 9-13, 2025

This week in local government: residents in Chatham County push back against Flock license-plate cameras and AI data centers.

Local Government Meeting Schedule: January 2022

This series of posts will be made monthly on Chapelboro to help inform our community when local government meetings will be. All meeting days, locations and times may be subject to change. Check respective town websites for additional information. Our community has entered another new year, with many new policy decisions, projects and events ahead. […]

Chapel Hill Peoples Academy To Be Held Virtually in March

Despite pandemic restrictions, the Town of Chapel Hill will be continuing this year with efforts to help connect members of the community with local government. Since 2018, the Chapel Hill Peoples Academy has provided residents and visitors an opportunity to learn about town services and operations, connect with town leadership and staff, discuss issues in […]

Local Government Meeting Schedule: May 2020

This series of posts will be made monthly on Chapelboro to help inform our community when local government meetings will be. All meeting days, locations and times may be subject to change. Check respective town websites for additional information. As North Carolina begins a move into Phase 1 of reopening, many local governments are continuing […]

Maurice Jones Named Chapel Hill Town Manager

The Chapel Hill Town Council voted Tuesday night to name Maurice Jones the new town manager, replacing the retiring Roger Stancil. Jones has served as the city manager in Charlottesville, Virginia, since December 2010, according to the town’s website. He served as Charlottesville’s assistant manager prior to that. Jones served as the communications director for […]

Chapel Hill Seeking Public Input on New Town Manager Hire

The Chapel Hill Town Council is beginning the public process in its search for a new town manager. Roger Stancil has served in that role for 12 years but announced last November that he is retiring. Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said the council is hoping to appoint a new manager in June who would […]

Mix of Newcomers and Incumbents Take CHCCS Seats

Two newcomers and two incumbents were elected to the Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Board of Education Tuesday night. Newcomers Amy Fowler and Mary Ann Wolf led the results with 9,486 and 8,719 votes respectively. Incumbent Joal Hall Broun will join Fowler and Wolf in filling out four-year terms on the board. Incumbent and […]

Record Set for Early Voting in Orange County Municipal Elections

Orange County residents turned out in record number to early vote in the municipal election ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. The county Board of Elections reports that 4,428 votes were cast during the early voting period from October 19 through November 4. It took a strong finish to break the previous odd-year early voting […]

Get to Know Candidates for Chapel Hill Town Council

At WCHL, we are working to introduce you to candidates for the upcoming local elections. Four seats are up for election to the Chapel Hill Town Council. Two new faces are guaranteed to be elected with incumbents George Cianciolo and Sally Greene choosing not to run for re-election. The town council candidate introductions are listed […]

2017 Brings First Competitive Races in Years for Mayors of Carrboro, Hillsborough

The filing period has closed for the municipal elections on the ballot this fall. Several new faces are guaranteed to be on local governing boards after the election based off a few incumbents choosing not to file. Five candidates filed for three open seats on the Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, […]

›