The field for the 2019 municipal elections in Orange County is set as filing closed Friday with a flurry of new candidates and the conclusion of some races.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Jenn Weaver will be Hillsborough’s mayor following this fall’s election and Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle will continue serving in that role. Weaver and Lavelle were the only candidates to file for those positions. Weaver has been serving as mayor pro tem and will be replacing Tom Stevens, who announced earlier this year he would not seek an eighth term as mayor.

There will be a contested mayoral race in Chapel Hill as Joshua James Levenson will be challenging incumbent Pam Hemminger. Levenson initially filed to run for Chapel Hill Town Council but switched to the mayor’s race during the final week of filing.

Races for town boards in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and the Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Board of Education will all be contested races.

The CHCCS race appeared to be lacking candidates late into the filing period. Only two candidates had filed for the four seats open on the board as of Tuesday, but five additional candidates filing means there will now be a crowded field.

Incumbent school board member Rani Dasi was the only current board member to file for re-election. Former board member Andrew Davidson is also seeking a return to the board. Carmen Hureta-Bapat, Jillian La Serna, Ashton Powell, Deon Temne and Louis Tortora round out the field seeking election to the school board.

Two incumbents are hoping to win back their seats in Carrboro of the three up for election this season. Damon Seils and Sammy Slade both filed to run for another term on the Board of Aldermen. Joining the incumbents will be Matthew Clements, Steve Friedman, Matt Neal and Susan Romaine.

Donna Bell was the only current member of the Chapel Hill Town Council who is not seeking re-election. Jess Anderson, Nancy Oates and Michael Parker all filed to run for another term among a crowded field of candidates. Sue Hunter, Tai Huynh, Amy Ryan and Renuka Soll are all challenging for one of the four seats up for election on the Town Council.

A filing late in the period also brings about more candidates than open seats in Hillsborough. Mark Bell, Matt Hughes and Evelyn Lloyd all filed for re-election and were joined by Kevin Mason, who filed to run on Thursday. There will be an additional seat opening on the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners when Weaver presumably moves from the board to mayor, but the town has not discussed how that seat will be filled.

Early voting is set to begin on October 16 with Election Day on November 5.

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