Following a decade of service as Chatham County Sheriff, Mike Roberson will join the Chatham County Board of Commissioners to represent District 3 later this year.Â
With all of the district’s precincts reported, Roberson held 52.2% of the vote — roughly a 570-vote margin — over Kate O’Brien (47.7%). The win in Tuesday’s Democratic primary means Roberson’s bid will be uncontested in November’s general election, with no Republican candidate on the ballot. He will replace current commissioner David Delaney to represent District 3, which covers West Pittsboro and the northernmost area of Chatham County.Â
A lifelong Chatham resident, Roberson has held several positions within the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in addition to sheriff, including detention administrator, school resource supervisor, and chief deputy. When filing for the commissioner seat in December, Roberson shared how the role would allow him to continue serving Chatham County and guide the future of the community, while also spending more time with family. After Tuesday’s win, he said he looks forward to having a learning curve in a new position after 10 years of leading as a county employee.
“I’ve been serving people, but I’ve got a lot to learn on the planning side and learning from the other commissioners,” Roberson told 97.9 The Hill. “And I want to listen to the people. There’s a lot of diversity in what people want in our county, and I want to hear them and make the best choices for them. The learning part I really mean: I’m not coming into this with all the answers, I want to help get to the best answers.”
The outgoing sheriff’s campaign priorities included smart growth, protecting Chatham’s natural spaces and resources, and investing in the community’s youth. Roberson said he also wants to help ensure the county is affordable for working families and seniors, making decisions that help lay the table for long-term community vitality — but “not at the cost of what makes Chatham special.”
“Chatham’s at a turning point,” Roberson told 97.9 The Hill during the primary cycle. “The decisions we make now on growth are going to affect us for decades. I spent my career listening to people and serving the community, and what I hear most out of people is they want progress, but not at the cost at what makes Chatham special.”
O’Brien is a longtime Creeks Edge resident who lives near Briar Chapel. A mental health and juvenile court counselor, her campaign centered on conserving the county’s natural health and beauty, particularly focusing on sustainability, as well as affordable housing, racial justice and equity, food security, and access to health care. Roberson congratulated and thanked O’Brien for the positive nature of their primary and credited her for running to help the democratic process.
Roberson will still serve as Chatham County Sheriff through the end of the year, as he will be sworn into the District 3 commissioner seat in December. His predecessor will be decided in November — as Democrat and current Chief Deputy Steve Maynor will face off against Republican Marcus Globuschultz, who ran against Roberson in 2022. Siler City Police Department employee Bruce Coble was also mounting a campaign as an independent candidate in February, which will require gathering enough signatures to reach a threshold of 4% of all registered voters within the county.
Meanwhile, in the District 5 Democratic primary — which covers southwest Chatham County and part of Siler City — incumbent Commissioner Franklin Gomez Flores earned the unofficial win over former Goldston elected official Lynn Gaines. Gomez Flores held steady with a strong early voting lead and finished with nearly 60% of the vote. He will face Republican Steve Ganley in the November general election to try and earn a second four-year term on the county board.
Similar to Roberson, Gomez Flores said he got the sense from voters during this primary cycle that they want Chatham County’s elected officials to be more visible and present. He said he believes doing so will help continue to build trust between the two groups, and he thanked all the residents who took time to come out to vote.
“I think there’s a growing demand to see us being more visible and vocal on the issues that they see as important to them and critical to our life in Chatham County,” Gomez Flores told 97.9 The Hill Tuesday night.
Featured image via Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.
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