For the second time in two weeks, a mayor in Orange County announced they will not seek re-election this fall — with Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver announcing her plans Thursday morning to step away from the elected role.
Weaver shared a release to local outlets, saying she will not be running for a third term, setting the town up for an open mayor race and a new leader in December.
“While this decision wasn’t the easiest one, I know for certain it is the right one for me and my family,” she wrote. “Serving the community in this capacity is a tremendous honor and responsibility. In the time remaining in my term I will be continuing the work already in motion and making every effort to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next phase of town leadership.”
Weaver was first elected mayor in 2019, replacing longtime mayor Tom Stevens. Prior to her election as mayor, Weaver served six years on the Hillsborough town board. She was mayor for just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in the spring of 2020; her tenure has been largely dominated by the town’s response to that emergency ever since.
The outgoing mayor listed keeping town staff and residents safe during COVID as one of the things she’s most proud of during her decade as an elected official. Under her leadership, Hillsborough also became the first North Carolina town government to pass a non-discrimination ordinance in 2021 following the end of a state law that forbid legislation to prevent discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. The town also has drafted a Comprehensive Sustainability Plan and outlined plans for a train station in town in part to Weaver’s guidance.
“There remains ample work to be done,” she said in her statement Thursday, “which is the part that makes this decision difficult. But strong communities are never dependent on any one person to thrive, and I am at peace knowing Hillsborough has so many smart, caring, dedicated people in our government and in our town to carry us forward well into the future.”
Weaver’s announcement comes just days after Carrboro Mayor Damon Seils announced he too would step down after his term, also after ten total years in elected office.
Here’s the full statement from Mayor Jenn Weaver:
After much consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election in the fall. After six years as a town commissioner and four as mayor, my time serving in elected office for the town of Hillsborough will come to a close in December. While this decision wasn’t the easiest one, I know for certain it is the right one for me and my family. Serving the community in this capacity is a tremendous honor and responsibility. In the time remaining in my term I will be continuing the work already in motion and making every effort to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition to the next phase of town leadership.
I have had the privilege of working in concert with so many dedicated public servants over the last decade – all the town commissioners and former Mayor Stevens, and of course, our highly skilled and professional town manager and town of Hillsborough employees. Together, along with a supportive community, we have accomplished so much over this decade: opened our town’s crown jewel, Riverwalk; made improvements to downtown and Nash Street that incorporated pedestrian safety and sidewalk dining; persevered through a global pandemic in a way that kept our staff and community safe; partnered with Habitat for Humanity and other organizations to increase the number of affordable housing units in Hillsborough, and with a grant administered through the county, provided direct assistance to people in danger of losing their housing; passed a robust nondiscrimination ordinance; secured a design firm for the new train station, moving ever closer to construction; and most recently, drafted a Comprehensive Sustainability Plan designed to foster a more equitable, environmentally sustainable Hillsborough.
There is so much more I could name, much of it the unseen work that doesn’t produce headlines, but is part of the oft-cited “taking care of what we’ve got” ethos that is at the root of what makes Hillsborough a wonderful place to live, work, and play.
There remains ample work to be done, which is the part that makes this decision difficult. But strong communities are never dependent on any one person to thrive, and I am at peace knowing Hillsborough has so many smart, caring, dedicated people in our government and in our town to carry us forward well into the future.
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