One of clearest trends from the candidates who filed for the local elections in Orange County this fall is a wave of newcomers seeking elected office. It’s especially notable in Chapel Hill’s races, as several first-time candidates filed to run for the town council.

Jeffrey Hoagland is an exception. Having run in 2021 and earned the seventh most votes, the research and development technician filed to run again for the role of town council member and said his goal is to advocate for the downtown Chapel Hill community.

“I am running to help give a voice to my friends who work in downtown Franklin Street so as to help their business thrive and to keep them safe,” Hoagland said in a statement to Chapelboro. “My main concern is on logistics infrastructure to help more people get to the downtown (and town in general) to drum up more revenue for local business.”

Among his main concerns, Hoagland said he wants to improve safety downtown and address the decrease in police force. He said he supports more funding for the department to prevent officers from being overworked and to better address shootings, vehicle break-ins, and maintaining a safe community overnight.

Hoagland also listed the expansion of walking trails and improving connectivity as policy goals.

“I oppose rezoning that leads to redevelopment of established neighborhoods and complexes,” he added, “and would work with adjacent towns and cities to set up better networks of transit that will help lower cost by improving commute times.”

Similarly to the field in 2021, Hoagland is joined by several other candidates vying for the four available seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council. Incumbent Amy Ryan is seeking re-election, while David Adams, Breckany Eckhardt, Melissa McCullough, Jon Mitchell, Theodore Nollert, Elizabeth Sharp, Renuka Soll and Erik Valera are all seeking their first elected positions.

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 Jeffrey Hoagland.

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