The first candidate for this fall’s Chapel Hill mayoral election threw their hat into the ring this week.

Chris Suttle, a cannabis lobbyist and consultant, announced his intentions to run at Zog’s in Chapel Hill during an open mic event Tuesday night. This is the first run at public office for Suttle, who also once worked as a circus actor and fire breather.

Photo via Chris Suttle.

A central part of Suttle’s campaign announcement is his experience as a passenger in the crash of a Chapel Hill Transit bus in December. During his speech at Zog’s, which he has since posted on YouTube, Suttle described jumping off the bus as it was rolling down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — after its driver exited the vehicle. Suttle alleges the bus operator failed to apply the brakes, and he jumped off himself once the bus began approaching the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Umstead Drive. During the open mic night, he claimed to have suffered a broken arm and injured leg from the fall. A GoFundMe to aid with Suttle’s bills and living costs as he continues to recover was launched in January, which has raised more than $4,700 as of Thursday afternoon.

According to posts on his LinkedIn page, Suttle’s injuries and recovery from the incident are leading him to retire from his acting career — and inspired him to run in this fall’s election to advocate for change within the local government. He cited in the announcement to local media that he aims to “make sure no one else ever has to suffer the pain and turmoil [I have] been through due to the negligence of Chapel Hill Public Transit.”

Suttle told Chapelboro he also decided to run for mayor because he believes the town relies on people who work in the gig economy and minorities while not prioritizing what’s best for them. He lists overhauling the public transportation department, providing more resources to the area’s unhoused population, improving relationships between police and the community, and offering incentives to support small business owners operating in historic town buildings as other policy goals.

“We’re all Tar Heels [in this community], whether you’re a sports fan or not… When you think about it that way, you can’t expect the game to change if you keep using the same players, and right now the game isn’t working for us,” said Suttle. “When they’re injured or when something bad happens to them, the town isn’t there for them — and that needs to change.”

Suttle is holding an initial campaign fundraiser on Thursday, April 3 at the Speakeasy in Carrboro.

The filing period for the 2025 municipal election cycle in North Carolina begins the morning of Monday, July 7 and will run through 12 p.m. of Friday, July 18. Current Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson, who was first elected to the role in 2023, has not yet announced whether she will run again for the position.

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