Chapel Hill and Carrboro will be holding municipal elections on Tuesday, November 2, and early voting has already begun. Both Chapel Hill and Carrboro are facing a growing housing crisis; residents are seeking leadership on transportation and sustainability; and many feel that the soul and spirit of their home is on the ballot as well.
Chapel Hill Mayoral Candidates:
Pam Hemminger: Pam Hemminger, the incumbent who has served as mayor for the past six years, has focused her campaign on continuing the projects that she has already begun and working with businesses and the community to help the town grow sustainably. She has been enthusiastically endorsed by INDY Week for her service during her three terms and her highly successful COVID 19 response. Hemminger has been endorsed more cautiously by NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro, which criticizes her for her resistance to the Aura project—a mixed-use development containing 361 apartments and 57 townhomes, in addition to office and retail spaces—and her support for the downtown parking deck, but ultimately supports her given the importance of the upcoming Land Use Management Ordinance rewrite.
Further information:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayorpamhemminger
Email: pamformayor2021@gmail.com
Zachary Boyce: Boyce is a law student at the University of North Carolina and feels that sustainability, green energy and transportation access are the most important issues facing the town. While he has not been endorsed by any local organizations, he has called for Hemminger to step down from the race “if [she] really wants to demonstrate a commitment to racial equity.” Boyce hopes to integrate graduate researchers into the town government, so that the administration can be better connected with the facts and science of the issues Chapel Hill currently faces.
Further information:
Email: campymayorunc@gmail.com
Hongbin Gu: Hongbin Gu, a medical researcher at UNC, has based her platform on gentle density and growth for the town, a policy that would slowly bring duplexes and triplexes to the town. She has been endorsed by Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town (CHALT), an organization that hopes to reduce any “urban sprawl” that could be coming to the town. While CHALT has endorsed Hemminger in previous races, the organization says that Gu offers more decisive leadership and aligns more closely with the organization’s values.
Further information:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hongbin4CHmayor
Email: hongbin4mayor@gmail.com
Carrboro Mayoral Candidates:
Damon Seils: Damon Seils has been a member of the Carrboro town council for eight years, during which time he has advocated for the town to adopt a comprehensive planning approach. Seils sees Carrboro Connects, the comprehensive plan he advocates for, as an essential way for Carborro to take its progressive vision and turn it into progressive action. Additionally, Seils has been a leader on community engagement and key progressive and LGBTQ issues. Seils had been endorsed strongly by both NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro and INDY Week for his comprehensive plan advocacy and his leadership on progressive issues.
Further information:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/damonseilscarrboro
Email: damon.seils@gmail.com
Michael Benson: Benson, a local business owner and bartender, has said that his candidacy is largely based on his feeling that Seils should not be running unopposed, but Benson has prioritized a number of issues he will prioritize. Benson advocates for greater direct community engagement with the town government and significant transportation reform. He has not been endorsed by any local advocacy groups.
Further information:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ForMayorCarrboro
Email: ozonestudio3@gmail.com
