As the filing period for the 2023 municipal elections began to wind down last week, Jon Mitchell entered the race for Chapel Hill Town Council.

One of the final candidates to file, Mitchell launched his campaign on Thursday with the goal of moving from the chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission to becoming an elected official.

“The central issue in this election is the future shape of Chapel Hill’s growth and development,” Mitchell said in a statement on his website. “Most people don’t realize that Chapel Hill has a new development framework. I’m running for Town Council to implement it swiftly, thoughtfully, and collaboratively.”

Many of the issues that Mitchell listed as policy priorities — improving affordability, sustainability, and livability in town — are encompassed in the town’s recently adopted Complete Communities Framework. Developed in 2022 through a partnership with a renowned urban planner, the planning guidelines outline how to cohesively plan for growth while improving housing inventory, housing diversity, and connectivity.

Mitchell said his goal, if elected, is to implement those strategies while protecting the qualities that make Chapel Hill special to its residents and visitors.

“Here’s the catch,” he wrote. “It doesn’t magically happen. It requires a sustained effort with a lot of attention to detail, a lot of planning and coordination. Nobody is better positioned than I am to put the Complete Community vision into practice.

“Once we show how better development works,” Mitchell added, “people are going to wonder why we weren’t doing this before. But first we need to elect candidates with the skills and experience to know where to start.”

Beyond his current service to the local government, Mitchell lists his primary profession as a bank regulatory lawyer and stay-at-home dad.

The race for Chapel Hill Town Council will see ten candidates running for four available seats this fall. Incumbent Amy Ryan — who also once served as the chair of the town’s planning commission — and challengers David Adams, Breckany Eckhardt, Jeffrey Hoagland, Melissa McCullough, Theodore Nollert, Elizabeth Sharp, Renuka Soll and Erik Valera join Mitchell on the ballot.

Early voting for the fall local government elections begins on Thursday, October 19, while Election Day is Tuesday, November 7.

For a full list of races Chapelboro is covering this 2023 local election cycle, click here. Additional coverage on candidates can be found on the Local Elections page, as well as other updates in the races as the election cycle continues this fall.

 

Photo via Jon for Chapel Hill.

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