The filing period for local government elections in Orange County this fall closed on Friday at noon.
Several incumbent candidates and challengers joined races for roles in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough over the course of two weeks. Now, the candidates will work to share their platforms with voters until early voting begins in October.
The race with the most open seats in Orange County this year is the Chapel Hill Town Council. Not only are their four seats up for election, but three will be open entirely. Current council member Allen Buansi announced he will not run for re-election, while another seat has been left vacant after Rachel Schaevitz’s departure and council member Hongbin Gu filed to run for mayor instead of council.
Joining incumbent council member Karen Stegman in the council race this year are challengers Robert Beasley, Camille Berry, Andrew Creech, Jeffrey Hoagland, Paris Miller-Foushee, Vimala Rajendran and Adam Searing.
Gu’s filing for Chapel Hill mayor makes it a three-candidate race. Incumbent Pam Hemminger is running for her fourth term, while challenger Zachary Boyce also entered to run for election.
The Town of Carrboro will have a new mayor at the end of this fall, as Mayor Lydia Lavelle announced she would not run for a fifth term. Instead, it will be either Carrboro Town Council member Damon Seils or challenger Michael Benson.
All three incumbents of Carrboro’s Town Council are running again. Barbara Middleton-Foushee, Jacquelyn Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell will all look to keep their seats. The challengers in the race are Aja Kelleher and Danny Nowell.
Only one race in the Orange County community will be uncontested this year: the race for mayor in Hillsborough, as incumbent Jenn Weaver was the only person to file. Meanwhile, the two seats up for election on Hillsborough’s Board of Commissioners have three candidates: incumbents Kathleen Ferguson and Robb English, as well as challenger Anna Linvill.
Finally, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education will see some changes. Joal Broun was recently appointed to be Orange and Chatham County’s newest district court judge, while neither Mary Ann Wolf and Lisa Kaylie filed to run. Instead, three of George Griffin, Ryan Jackson, Riza Jenkins, Meredith Pruitt, Mike Sharp and Tim Sookram will serve on the school board.
Here is the complete list of candidates who filed to the North Carolina Board of Elections by Friday’s deadline:
Chapel Hill Mayor
- Zachary R. Boyce
- Hongbin Gu
- Pam Hemminger (Incumbent)
Chapel Hill Town Council (4 seats available)
- Robert Beasley
- Camille Berry
- Andrew Creech
- Jeffrey C. Hoagland
- Paris Miller-Foushee
- Vimala Rajendran
- Adam Searing
- Karen Stegman (Incumbent)
Carrboro Mayor
- Michael Benson
- Damon Seils
Carrboro Town Council (3 seats available)
- Jacquelyn Gist (Incumbent)
- Randee Haven-O’Donnell (Incumbent)
- Barbara Middleton-Foushee (Incumbent)
- Aja Kelleher
- Danny Nowell
Hillsborough Mayor
- Jenn Weaver (Incumbent)
Hillsborough Board of Commissioners (2 seats available)
- Robb English (Incumbent — appointed)
- Kathleen Ferguson (Incumbent)
- Anna Linvill
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education (3 seats available)
- George Griffin
- Ryan C. Jackson
- Riza Jenkins
- Meredith Pruitt
- Mike Sharp
- Tim Sookram
Early voting for the fall local government elections begins on Thursday, October 14, while Election Day is Tuesday, November 2.
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