The latest advocacy group recently released its endorsements of candidates for local government elections in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough: the Sierra Club.

The Orange-Chatham Group, which is part of the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club, shared the candidates it is supporting on Thursday. An environment-focused organization, which has its own affiliated political action committee, the club aims to support candidates who promote environmental protection.

In the Chapel Hill mayoral race, the Sierra Club endorsed incumbent Pam Hemminger, citing her stances on land use, knowledge of transportation needs and reputation as a climate advocate. The club also endorsed candidates for all four open seats in the Chapel Hill Town Council race: incumbent Karen Stegman and challengers Paris Miller-Foushee, Vimala Rajendran and Adam Searing. All four candidates demonstrate knowledge on how improving transportation options would help the environment, according to the group’s release, while each bring different perspectives and strengths to the topic of environmentalism.

The Sierra Club said it is “enthusiastically” endorsing Damon Seils in the race for Carrboro mayor. Citing his years of experience on the town council and leadership in regional transportation planning, the advocacy group said it is supporting Seils again to further his work on climate action. Despite only three seats being available in the race for Carrboro Town Council, the club endorsed four candidates in the race: incumbents Barbara Foushee, Jacquelyn Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell plus challenger Danny Nowell. It said it finds “no fault with [the incumbents’] records or their platforms,” but is also adding Nowell to its endorsements because “it is beneficial to get a new and younger voice onto decision-making bodies.”

The race for mayor in Hillsborough is already decided, as mayor Jenn Weaver is running unopposed. Still, the Sierra Club shared an endorsement of her work, citing Weaver’s prioritization of climate when considering other aspects of the local government. In the race for Hillsborough’s Board of Commissioners, the club endorsed incumbent Kathleen Ferguson and appointed incumbent Robb English. The pair’s support of compact and transit-connected development and prior environmental work in the community led to the Sierra Club’s selection, according to its release.

The Orange-Chatham Group of the Sierra Club also released endorsements for the municipal races in Pittsboro. For the mayoral race, the club endorsed Cindy Perry, who is running again after stepping away from the position two years ago, and James Vose for Pittsboro’s Board of Commissioners. The group cited the two candidates’ “expertise and commitment to protecting the environment in a warming world” as how the pair earned their selections.

For more coverage of the 2021 town government elections, including endorsements from other groups, visit Chapelboro’s Local Election Coverage page.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An original version of this article did not include the Pittsboro endorsements of the Sierra Club.

 

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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