Who is Running for Local Office?

This year’s election will be held November 7, 2017. Early voting begins October 19th.

Chapel Hill Mayoral Candidates (1 seat, 1 candidates, 1 write-in candidate)

Pam Hemminger, 57, current Mayor of Chapel Hill, elected for a two year term in 2015; running for a second two-year term

Experience: Chapel Hill mayor, 2015-present; Orange County commissioner, 2008-12; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, 2004-08; chair, Upper Neuse River Basin Authority

Eugene Farrar, 74  Write-in Candidate, Retired

Experience: Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, Personnel Appeals Board,   president local chapter of NAACP

Chapel Hill Town Council Candidates (4 seats, 7 candidates)

Allen Buansi, 30, Civil Rights Attorney

Experience: Legal Redress chair, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, Policy and field director, Josh Stein Campaign for Attorney General

Hongbin Gu, 49, Faculty, Quantitative Researcher at UNC School of Medicine

Experience: Chapel Hill Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board; organized Chapel Hill LIGHTUP 2017; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District Asian American Parents Advisory Board

Ed Harrison, 66, Town Council 2001-present

Experience: Durham Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, 1990-2001, Metropolitan Planning Organization board member, advocate for environmental protection and highway alternatives

Maria Palmer, 56, Town Council 2013-present

Experience: State Board of Education 1999-2005, Chapel Hill 2020 Task Force

Rachel Schaevitz, 37, Postdoctoral Fellow at Carolina Public Humanities UNC

Experience: Chair, American Legion Task Force; Cultural Arts Commission

Karen Stegman, 48, Director of business development, IntraHealth International

Experience: Chapel Hill Housing Advisory Board, PORCH neighborhood coordinator

Carl Schuler, 49, Clinical Research Associate, Duke University School of Medicine, Duke Clinical Research Institute

Experience: Council candidate in 2011 and 2013; Board of Adjustment; IFC Community House Advisory Committee; IFC Good Neighbor Plan Advisory Committee

Carrboro Mayoral Candidates (1 seat, 2 candidates)

Lydia Lavelle, 56, current Mayor of Carrboro, Associate Law Professor, N.C. Central University

Experience: Mayor of Carrboro, 2013-present; Board of Aldermen, 2007-2013; Various town and regional boards, including Orange County Visitors Bureau Board of Directors

Michael (Mike) Benson, 50, Small Business Owner

Experience: 23-year small business owner, negotiating local licenses, building and operating permits

Carrboro Board of Aldermen (4 seats, 5 candidates)

Paul Clark, 34, Durham Police corporal, Community Resource Unit

Experience: Small business owner, property manager and HOA board

Barbara Foushee, 52, OWASA Board of Directors since 2015; Human Services Advisory Board

Experience: Advocacy and service work with several organizations – Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Community Awareness and Political Action Ministry at First Baptist Church – keeps me grounded and connected with community members on the issues

Jacquelyn Gist, 62, Board of Aldermen, 1989-present, Career Counselor at UNC

Experience: Founding Board of Orange Community Housing Corp. (now Community Home Trust)

Randee Haven O’Donnell, 66, Board of Aldermen, 2005-present

Experience: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and county boards, Leadership Triangle alumna

Sammy Slade, 42, Board of Aldermen, 2009-present, Carpenter

Experience: Orange Food Council; Orange County Democratic Party; NC WARN, Community organizer and activist with Carrboro Greenspace

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education (4 seats, 7 candidates)

Joal Hall Broun, 46,Lobbyist Compliance director, N.C. Department of the Secretary of State

Experience: Elected to school board in March 2016, Chapel Hill High School School Improvement Team

James Barrett, 47, School Board 2011-present, current chairman

Experience: Justice United strategy team founding member

  Ryan Brummond, 36, UNC-CH Medical Student,

Experience: CHCCS parent, former Army officer and marine

Calvin Deutschbein, 24, UNC Doctoral student in computer science

Experience: Westwood precinct secretary, Orange County Democratic Party

Amy Fowler, 48, Pediatrician, Chapel Hill Children’s Clinic

Experience: Chair, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Special Needs Advisory Council

Kim Talikoff, 49

Experience: CHCCS 4th grade teacher, 2013 – 2017, Equity Committee, 2013 – 2017, Read2Me Volunteer, 2012 – 2017, CHCCS Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, 2015 – 2017, CHCCS Wellness Committee , 2011 – 2012, Former pediatrician, Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT), NC State University, 2011 – 2013

Mary Ann Wolf, 46, Director of Professional Learning and Leading Collaborative, N.C. State University Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Experience: Educator, CHCCS parent, Summit leader for districts across the country through the Future Ready initiative, Leadership team for the NC Digital Learning Initiative, previous Executive Director of the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), PhD Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, former CPA.