Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle announced Wednesday she plans to leave office at the end of her current term.

Lavelle, who has served as mayor since 2013, said in a statement to Chapelboro she is ready for new opportunities after working in the town’s local government for 14 years.

“It has been a great honor to serve Carrboro, the town I consider the most progressive in North Carolina,” Lavelle said. “Carrboro’s core values have been my lodestar as mayor. With the support of this small-but-mighty community and the hard work of my colleagues on the Town Council, we have translated Carrboro’s progressive reputation into leadership and action on important statewide issues.”

Under Lavelle’s leadership, the Town of Carrboro took steps to push back against the controversial House Bill 2 until its repeal and continued to lead the state by passing non-discrimination ordinances to protect LGBTQ community members. During her tenure, she has promoted racial equity and progressive environmental policies to address climate change.

Lavelle also presided over several economic development projects over her eight years as mayor. Some are complete, like the construction of the South Green complex and the IFC Commons building, while others like the 203 Project, the Shoppes at Lloyd Farm and the new ArtsCenter have been approved.

“Mayor Lavelle’s capacity for work is matched by her appreciation for history, culture, music, and fun,” said Cathy Dorando, who has served as Town Clerk during Lavelle’s tenure. “She organized many creative projects out of the Mayor’s Office. One that stands out is Carrboro’s annual community reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech, ‘What the 4th of July means to the Negro,’ which she started during her first year as mayor.”

Lavelle’s announcement means she will not run for re-election during the local government elections this November. She said, however, she remains committed to helping Carrboro continue its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as continuing the search for a new town manager.

“Between now and December,” said the mayor, “I plan to focus on supporting our community, especially our local businesses and non-profits, as we climb out of the pandemic.”

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