
Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell speaks with 97.9 The Hill News Director Brighton McConnell on Tuesday, July 7. Coming off a holiday weekend with a big town-organized festival, Bell shares his impressions and takeaways from the event held on the Fourth of July. With Monday also marking one year since Tropical Storm Chantal’s floods damaged parts of the region, including Hillsborough, the mayor also shares how the town is still feeling the storm’s impact and what it has learned from the extreme weather experience. Finally, Bell details a newer resource for residents to use to tell the North Carolina Department of Transportation which local projects they want to see taken on.

Mayor Mark Bell of Hillsborough
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 Jean Hamilton; 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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