Carrboro mayor Lydia Lavelle publicly endorsed presidential candidate and mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday. The announcement coincided with the publishing of an op-ed column in USA Today where 57 other current and former mayors shared their support of the 37 year-old Democrat.

“I support Mayor Pete for president because he is smart and serious, honest and humble,” Lavelle said in a statement. “He understands the honor and responsibility of serving as an elected executive. I trust him to look out for all generations, particularly with regard to our challenges around climate change, health care, racial equity, and equality.”

In the column, the mayors write Buttigieg’s track record as mayor of South Bend makes him a role model for all Americans. They focus on his proposed healthcare revisions, plan to combat climate change and moral leadership as reasons they support him.

We’re proud to stand together as ‘Mayors for Pete,’ and hope you’ll join us in supporting this bold and unifying leader who will help us write a better future,” reads the column.

Buttigieg has served as South Bend’s mayor since 2011, winning re-election in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote. He’s one of 10 Democratic candidates who qualified for the third presidential primary debate held on September 12, attempting to separate himself from a crowded field.

Former Chapel Hill mayor Mark Kleinschmidt also signed off on the endorsement in the op-ed column. Kleinschmidt served as the town’s mayor from 2009 to 2015 and was the town’s first openly gay mayor.