Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver announced her plans to run for re-election on Wednesday, marking the latest elected official to confirm their plans ahead of the filing period for local election.

Weaver shared her decision in an interview with the News of Orange, saying she aims to run for her second term as mayor. In the article, she said she hopes a new phase of her leadership will help the Hillsborough community into a new normal beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Part of the desire to run again certainly has to do with we’re getting to the other side of this really traumatic global event,” Weaver told the newspaper. “We have the opportunity to focus more on some of the quote unquote ‘regular Mayor stuff,’ as a town and as a community.”

Hillsborough voters elected Weaver in 2019 after she ran unopposed to replace Mayor Tom Stevens, who chose to step down after 14 years in office. At the time, Weaver served as mayor pro tem and sat on the town’s Board of Commissioners for six years.

In her comments to the News of Orange, Weaver said responding to the coronavirus pandemic did lead to stresses and challenges for her during this first term. But the mayor said she does not feel like COVID-19 hampered her ability to represent Hillsborough and serve its residents, nor did it affect her visions for the town.

“It’s been an intense first time, in ways I never predicted,” Weaver said on Twitter Wednesday. “I am seeking a second term and the opportunity to help lead [Hillsborough] into the next great phase in our community’s long history.”

Two other members of the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners will have seats up for election this fall. Commissioner Kathleen Ferguson’s seat will be up for re-election following the end to her second term, while Commissioner Robb English’s seat will be up for re-election for the first time since he was appointed to replace Weaver in 2019.

The first day Orange County residents can file in local elections is Friday, July 2.


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