Hongbin Gu. CHALT supported Hongbin when she ran for Town council in 2017. She ran a successful campaign and became the first Asian American to serve on Chapel Hill Town Council. In the process, Hongbin helped integrate Chapel Hill’s large and rapidly growing Asian community into the mainstream political process. If Hongbin is successful in her run for mayor, she will continue to help foster inclusivity and Chapel Hill will record another historic first.
As a Town Council member, Hongbin has been a pleasant surprise. We knew that she was analytical and would be data-driven, but we had no idea how motivated and tenacious she would become. In most of the tough cases that have come before Council, she has been the most prepared member on the dais. For almost every proposed development project—and not just the high-profile ones—she has walked the site, driven the streets, spoken with the neighbors, and solicited advice from a diverse group of experts.
Mayor Hemminger and Dr. Gu approach problems from different directions. Whereas Pam seems to prefer playing it safe in order to avoid a bad outcome, Hongbin is willing to take calculated risks to achieve a good outcome. Hongbin is driven to make things happen, and over the last two years, both Hongbin and CHALT have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Pam’s leadership and her inability to make progress on many of the problems Chapel Hill’s residents identify as most important.
Making the transition from Council member to mayor requires employing a different set of leadership skills. The organizational breadth and strengths of Hongbin’s campaign demonstrates that she possesses those skills. In 2017, she energized communities not previously engaged in American politics, especially at the local level. In her 2021 run, she has brought new and marginalized groups together with residents who have long been active members of our community. This shows unique leadership. We find Hongbin’s community-focused vision for building Chapel Hill’s future compelling and inspirational. Of all of the candidates we have supported since 2015, we believe Hongbin aligns most with our core priorities.
Pam Hemminger. Mayor Hemminger is running for her fourth term as Mayor of Chapel Hill. Pam has not shown the bold leadership we had hoped to see in addressing some of the most fundamental challenges facing the town. For example, she has done little as mayor to substantially revise the Blue Hill district form-based code that regulates new development, such that we continue to see a proliferation of unsightly apartment projects that don’t fulfill our housing needs or bring community amenities – this finding is acknowledged in the Rod Stevens housing report.
More recently, a new form of project review, conditional zoning, allows routine departures from our Land Use Ordinances (LUMO). This change to the review process requires the Mayor and Council to exercise even stronger leadership and negotiation skills. Because strict adherence to the LUMO is no longer required, many projects have been approved in recent years with insufficient attention to traffic congestion, flooding impacts, and tree canopy protection.
As mayor, she also oversaw significant cost overruns for the problematic Elliott Road Extension (from $2.5 million to $6 million) and for the Rosemary Parking Deck (from $20 to $40 million) while failing to secure—and communicate—accurate and complete information on the cost of government services these projects would incur. In addition, our repeated calls for more permanently affordable “for purchase” townhomes, and condos for essential workers, the missing middle and the poor were ignored — a conclusion also strongly reinforced by the recent Rod Stevens housing report.
In our view, Pam’s most noteworthy achievements came early in her first term where she rescued from development the land that we hope will become Legion Park and founded a program for feeding children during the summers. We also commend her for coordinating well with partners at UNC and the County to guide us through the pandemic.
Zachary Boyce. Zachary Boyce is a second-year law student at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in Information and Library Science. CHALT applauds his interest in public service, his energy, and his desire to “center the voices of those who have not been centered” in Town government. We also share his interest in using “evidence-based best practices” in Chapel Hill policy and governance, and his call for town leaders to make greater use of the expertise available right here at UNC is good advice. However, Mr. Boyce does not demonstrate knowledge of the specific public challenges Chapel Hill currently faces. We would have liked to see Mr. Boyce express policy positions on such key local issues as affordable housing, economic development, and environmental protection. We hope he will pursue his public service interest by volunteering to serve on Town boards or commissions or otherwise gain practical knowledge and experience in Town governance.
CHALT 2021 Review of Chapel Hill Town Council Candidates
Karen Stegman. Karen Stegman was endorsed by CHALT in 2017 as a Chapel Hill native whose platform included strongsupport for the environment. We had hoped that she would bring a unique appreciation for how permit conditions related to parking, traffic, tree canopy and stormwater can improve the Town’s environment and livability. In this new era of conditional zoning, council members are required to exercise tough negotiating skills to stand up to the intensive big-money development pressures all towns and cities are experiencing. However, because she prioritizes the imperative to produce housing over all other concerns, Karen has been the council member least likely to ask for meaningful concessions from developers.
Adam Searing. Adam Searing is a Chapel Hill native who understands the town and has a stake in its future. In his career as a public-interest attorney he has been a leading voice on healthcare reform and has advocated for the uninsured and the underserved before the General Assembly — legislative experience that will prove valuable for service on the Town Council. He has also been active in local issues as the chair of the Carrboro Planning Board. He is articulate, thoughtful, and optimistic and has the skills to advocate for development the Town needs, to champion our local businesses, to push for much-needed affordable housing, and to insist on the right mix of commercial businesses. Adam will advocate for our parks, green space, and connectivity, which we found to be so important during the pandemic. He will bring to Council the perspective of a true environmentalist and provide leadership.
Additionally, Adam is approachable, likeable, and has shown that he will listen to community members and can engage amicably with those who may not see eye-to-eye with him on a given topic. Throughout the campaign, he has thoroughly researched issues, and we are confident that he will be an asset to Chapel Hill’s Town Council. His priorities for the town align with CHALT’s priorities.
Vimala Rajendran. Vimala Rajendran could have won her way into our hearts with her award-winning cooking, but it is her long record of support for, and work with, a wide range of good causes and groups that caught CHALT’s attention. As a local business owner, she is especially aware of how town development policies can work to the detriment of established local enterprises. As an immigrant herself, she understands the needs of new residents. Now she proposes to use her skills and energy to help nurture Chapel Hill’s special character, and expand political participation, while addressing our very real housing and environmental challenges. She has no illusions about the difficulty of the work ahead, but given the breadth of her support, she may provide a much-needed unifying influence to a largely divided Council. She is aligned with CHALT priorities.
Paris Miller-Foushee. Paris Miller-Foushee is sensitive to challenges facing traditionally underserved people in the area and is an experienced advocate for affordable housing. Paris is vice-chair of the Policing Advisory Committee, a critical Chapel Hill body for the promotion of equity and social justice. While we were able to meet with other candidates multiple times, and gain a much broader picture of who they are and where they stand on important issues, the only time Paris made herself available was the official 45-minute Zoom interview held with CHALT. A key part of a Town Council member’s duties isbuilding bridges between communities and to fulfill that role one needs to be accessible to all.
Camille Berry. Camille Berry‘s lived experience with working-class issues, commendable history of public service, and sensitivity to the need for affordable housing would make her a voice for underserved members of our community. CHALT members have found her very thoughtful, she connects well with a wide group of people and we believe she has the potential to build bridges among a variety of communities. Berry seems to be unaware of the complexities involved in translating her desired goals into finished products and policies. She is unfamiliar, as yet, with the multi-faceted issues surrounding land-use planning and has limited knowledge of the growth trends and economic challenges facing Chapel Hill.
The experience of serving on a Town advisory board would give Camille practical experience with some of these issues while providing the town with input from often marginalized voices. In addition, many of our members were unwilling to endorse Berry because she was the only candidate willing to accept campaign donations from developers.
Robert Beasley. Robert has learned quickly about town governance and understands complex local zoning and development issues. His willingness to analyze the data, documents, and other materials (such as the Stevens report on housing needs) demonstrates his ability to develop well-thought-out positions on the Town’s challenges. He is a creative thinker who brings a unique perspective to problem- solving. Having worked for a large bureaucratic IT company, his understanding of process methodology, focused on defining requirements and goals, could reduce council delays, increase productivity, and result in better outcomes. An advocate for the environment, Beasley advocates for the protection of town lands designated for preservation and he supports a balanced use of town assets that includes a mix of permanently affordable housing for rent and sale.
Beasley has called for the council to communicate with residents in a more open and timely manner, and to respect the input of residents in the decision-making process. Although he has much to recommend him as a future council member, we are concerned by his lack of experience given that he is new to town politics and the mechanics of government. He is aligned with CHALT priorities.
Jeffery Hoagland. Jeffery Hoagland focuses his campaign on strengthening local businesses in downtown Chapel Hill. CHALT agrees that local business strength and growth is important. However, Mr. Hoagland’s concerns appear to focus on lowering the cost of parking downtown. We see economic development as a much more complicated issue. We were also disappointed that Mr. Hoagland, when invited to do so, did not express views on housing or environmental policy which CHALT sees as vital public issues in Chapel Hill. We also note that he apparently has no experience in government,community or civic organizations.