CHAPEL HILL – Orange County resident Mark Marcoplos says he will not seek to represent you in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 50 seat despite a campaign by locals to get him to seek the post.
*We previously reported that Marcoplos was a Chapel Hill resident, but he is actually a resident of Bingham Township west of Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
“I thought about it and realized that really my heart was with the local community in Orange County and the issues that we face here,” Marcoplos says.
Marcoplos says he will run for the next open seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners. He made that announcement official on Facebook just before speaking with Ron Stutts on the WCHL Morning News Thursday.
***Listen to the Interview***
***Marcoplos’ Comment on Facebook- Click to Enlarge***
He says the thought of working in Raleigh wasn’t always out of the question.
“I started to get intrigued with the idea of serving in Raleigh and sort of doing battle over there, because that place over there is just not like they told us in civics class,” Marcoplos says.
He says he wants so see someone go to Raleigh and work as a true activist for the people of Orange and Durham counties.
Marcoplos says the push to get him in the House—affectionately known as the ‘Draft Marcoplos’ campaign—was started by a few local officials, including Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton and Orange County Commissioner Mark Dorosin, among others.
He says he is the right fit for Board of Commissioners for his time as a community activist.
“…defending my community against landfill (sites), airport (sites),” Marcoplos says.
He says his time serving on municipal board makes him a strong candidate as well.
“…the economic development commission, the Orange County Planning Board, and I’ve spent over eight years on the OWASA board and two years as the chair, so I know what it’s like to craft policy with colleagues,” Marcoplos says. “I know what it’s like to actively lobby for other government bodies to consider.”
An opening on the Board is a possibility before its regular elections in 2014. Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier announced she is seeking the House 50 seat.
However, four other Orange County residents have announced they have applied for the seat: Laurin Easthom, Tommy McNeill, Graig Meyer, and Drew Nelson. A four-member committee will nominate the person to fill the House 50 seat on October 24.
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