Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell joins 97.9 The Hill’s Aaron Keck on Tuesday, December 2. The town board doesn’t meet this week, but they do have an organizational meeting next week to dole out committee assignments for the upcoming year. Town officials are also still contending with the ongoing recovery from Tropical Depression Chantal, and Mayor Bell provides good news and bad news on that front: lots of progress is being made, but crews are still uncovering damage from the storm, and he says it’ll probably be another year and a half before the town achieves full recovery. Another ongoing concern is the (rumored) presence of immigration enforcers in the Triangle: no reports have been confirmed this week despite early worries, but the issue is continuing to spark discussion. Finally, Bell looks ahead to a busy month of holiday activities – including this weekend’s Holiday Parade and the upcoming Solstice Lantern Walk on December 20.

Conversations With the Mayors is an ongoing series on “News on the Hill” where host Andrew Stuckey visits with the local government leaders who help shape our communities in Chapel Hill and the surrounding area. Each Tuesday he visits with Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell; Wednesdays feature a conversation with Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jamezetta Bedford; Thursdays feature Chapel Hill Mayor Jess Anderson, and Fridays include a conversation with Carrboro Mayor Barbara Foushee. You can listen to previous “Conversations With the Mayors” here.

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