With the 2025 municipal election cycle now officially in the rearview mirror, attention is shifting to the 2026 cycle — with one local elected official already sharing she will not seek another term.
Sally Greene posted on her Facebook page Monday afternoon she plans to depart the Board of Orange County Commissioners next winter, opening up an at-large seat in the cycle. Greene, who is a Chapel Hill resident and registered Democrat, is finishing her second two-year term for the county government after previously serving on the Chapel Hill Town Council for three consecutive terms.
“When I step down a little over a year from now, I will have been in local office almost continuously since 2003,” Greene wrote to her Facebook followers. “I’m grateful for having had the chance to work with so many talented and committed colleagues at the county level and on the Chapel Hill Town Council.”
Greene earned a major accolade during her first term — an Outstanding Commissioner designation by the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners — for being among the county commissioners in North Carolina who helped developed a plan to distribute money earned in lawsuit settlements regarding the opioid epidemic. Of the $750 million awarded to the state, Orange County received $18 million. Greene also helped lead as the county navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures through the virus’ initial spread. During her second term, she served several years a vice chair of the board and helped progress significant projects like the passage of Orange County’s Crisis Diversion Facility, funding efforts for the two local school districts and economic development zones that have attracted major employers, like the Buckhorn Economic Development District.
In the message about her decision, Greene said she looks forward to “serving my local community and the state in new ways.” But she also pledged to be “fully engaged” in the work the county board faces over the next year, citing several ongoing and looming items the commissioners will aim to address.
“The challenges include continuing to support the critical needs of our residents with constrained federal and state dollars, while working to create a more equitable tax structure especially for our low-wealth neighbors. The opportunities include building a behavioral health center, setting our land use plan policies for the next 25 years, working with new leadership at GoTriangle to strengthen regional transportation and collaborating with the school districts on plans to invest $300 million in bond money on capital improvements.”
In this cycle, two other Orange County commissioner seats are set to be on the ballot. District 1 Commissioner and current board chair Jamezetta Bedford will see her term expire, while District 2 Commissioner Earl McKee is also up for re-election. As of Monday, neither elected official — who are both registered Democrats — have publicly confirmed to Chapelboro their plans to run for new terms.
With it being a county, statewide and federal election cycle, North Carolina will have primary and general elections in 2026. The filing period for the primaries begins on Monday, Dec. 1 at 12 p.m. and runs through Friday, Dec. 19 at 12 p.m.
Featured image via Go Sally Greene.
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