Hillsborough became the latest Orange County municipality to swear in a new mayor on Monday night, as its board of commissioners held its official organizational meeting following the local election cycle in November.
The event served as a farewell to Mayor Jenn Weaver, who served two terms and was the first woman in Hillsborough’s history to hold the position. But it also saw the welcoming of a new commissioner and celebration of a new mayor.
Meaghun Darab is the lone newcomer to the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners, earning election to a seat left open once Mark Bell ran for mayor. She chose to be sworn in by the outgoing mayor and thanked her – as well as her new colleagues – for their examples of service to the community.
“[To] the supporters and residents of Hillsborough,” said Darab, “thank you so much for your votes and your confidence and your trust that you’ve given to me. I really hope to make you all proud.”
Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd represented the other extreme of service to Hillsborough, as she was sworn in for her ninth term. On Monday, Lloyd shared some of the projects she’s most proud of in the town where she’s lived her whole life and said she hopes her experience can continue to help her colleagues.
“I can’t say enough about Hillsborough,” Lloyd added during her remarks period after taking the oath of office. “I have enjoyed being on the board and I hope that I have given some service to the board. I have tried.”
Hillsborough Commissioner Meaghun Darab is sworn into her first term on Monday, December 11, 2023. (Photo via the Town of Hillsborough.)
Evelyn Lloyd (right) takes the oath of office for her ninth term on the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners. (Photo via the Town of Hillsborough.)
Bell will move up into the mayor’s chair after first joining the board of commissioners in 2015. Despite his race ultimately being unopposed, he thanked the Hillsborough community for their support and engagement during the elections this fall, saying it will push him during his two-year term.
“The questions that people ask us during the election cycle,” Bell said, “that’s what informs us about what is really important to you and how we should prioritize those things. Thank you for being involved and engaged in that process.”
Bell also was complimentary of Weaver, who he chose to swear him in as mayor. Weaver chose not to run for a third term after serving since 2019. Bell pointed out that on top of typical town decisions Weaver had to consider, she was thrust into the public health realm and had to coordinate with the other mayors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – which began just weeks after she assumed the position.
“There were so many meetings and decisions of extreme consequence for you to consider,” Bell said to Weaver during Monday’s meeting. “And all these things were about keeping us safe and recovering from the pandemic as quickly as possible. I can’t imagine a bigger responsibility for a mayor than navigating pandemic.”
Commissioner Matt Hughes, who was re-elected to the town board for his second full term, also thanked Weaver for her grace in the mayoral seat. He recalled her voting him onto the board in 2018, but also pointed to her “fearless dedication to serving all the people” as being a shining example to others.
Outgoing mayor Jenn Weaver swears in new Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell on Monday, December 11, 2023. (Photo via the Town of Hillsborough.)
Hillsborough Commissioner Matt Hughes is sworn in by Judge Hathaway Pendergrass for a second term. (Photo via the Town of Hillsborough.)
“You don’t care where someone’s from, or who they are, or who they love, or any of those things,” said Hughes. “But instead [you] have really been committed to representing all the people of our town in an authentic and real way and always, at the end of the day, standing true to who you are. And there’s not a lot of folks who do that in elected office.”
To honor the outgoing mayor, Bell and Town Manager Eric Peterson presented Weaver with a framed key to the town. It came after she opened the meeting by thanking those in attendance, the broader Hillsborough community, and her colleagues.
Weaver said she believes she’s accomplished her initial goals when running to become a commissioner ten years ago, with Hillsborough now operating as a more equitable and environmentally conscious place. She listed actions like building Riverwalk, passing a non-discrimination ordinance, removing Confederate memorial signage from a building downtown, and – most recently – adopting the town’s Comprehensive Sustainability Plan as some examples. Weaver also cited that plan as a framework to guide Hillsborough’s leaders toward achieving both climate-conscious and equitable outcomes.
“And that is why I feel so at peace with my decision to step away from elected office,” she said. “I have full confidence that I’m leaving Hillsborough in the hands of a new iteration of the town board, with a new mayor in Mark Bell who will carry our community forward with competence, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to the vision and path of the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan.”
To watch the livestreamed video of Monday’s Hillsborough Board of Commissioners meeting and the swearing-in ceremonies, visit the town government’s YouTube channel.
Featured photo via the Town of Hillsborough.
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