The Town of Chapel Hill has announced its choice of a new town attorney.

In a special meeting on Wednesday night, the town council announced their selection of Ann M. Anderson to replace long-time attorney Ralph Karpinos. Anderson will assume the role on September 1.

Ann Anderson, who has worked in the UNC School of Government since 2007, will become the Town of Chapel Hill’s new attorney. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)

“We are delighted to welcome Ann to the Chapel Hill leadership team as our new Town Attorney,” said Mayor Pam Hemminger in a release. “In making our decision, we had a strong pool of applicants from across the nation from which to choose. Ms. Anderson stood out because of her depth and breadth of knowledge, her familiarity with local government issues, and her understanding of the community values we wish to uphold.”

Anderson, who lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and three children, has served on the UNC School of Government faculty since 2007. She is an associate professor and recently served as the Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor of Public Law and Government. Prior to teaching at the university, Anderson was an attorney at Kennedy Covington in Raleigh and Durham for six years.

“After a wonderful experience at the School of Government, I am so pleased to return to practice to serve my own community of Chapel Hill,” said Anderson. “Many thanks to the Council for this opportunity.”

Anderson was selected following Karpinos’ decision earlier this year to retire from serving the town. He is currently the longest serving full-time in house municipal attorney in North Carolina, having assumed the role for Chapel Hill in 1985.

“The Town Council went into this process knowing that it would be difficult to replace Ralph,” said Hemminger. “In his 35 years with Chapel Hill, he has built an amazing body of legal knowledge and institutional memory that has benefited Chapel Hill and the state of North Carolina.”

Anderson earned her bachelor’s degree in history from UNC and her law degree with honors from UNC School of Law.

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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