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Chilton to run again

Posted on July 5, 2007July 5, 2007 by Staff

All three Orange Co. mayors say they’ll seek re-election 

By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said he intends to seek another term, joining Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy and Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens in bids for re-election.

In an interview Tuesday, Chilton said he will likely file around noon on Friday, the opening of this year’s shorter-than-usual filing period.

Anyone interested in running in this year’s municipal and school board races has from noon on Friday, July 6 till noon on Friday, July 20.

Chilton, who defeated Alderman Alex Zaffron in 2005 with almost 63 percent of the vote, said the main reason he’s running again is to follow through on bike and pedestrian projects throughout town.

“I think the town’s got some really good work started on improving bike and pedestrian facilities,” he said. The next few years are critical for creating a network throughout town, he said. “We want to extend alternative means of transportation to all neighborhoods.”

In his campaign for alderman and his subsequent campaign for mayor, Chilton covered most of the town door to door. He plans to hit the streets again this time.

“It’s really important to knock on doors,” he said. “It’s how the candidate can learn about the voters and the voters can learn about the candidate.”

One of the reasons he is focusing on safety for bikers and walkers, he said, is that he heard so many concerns about it. The town, he said, will need to make improvements in traffic calming to reduce speeding on residential streets and will have to continue to improve its sidewalk network.

Chilton also said that continuing efforts to grow commercial space downtown and providing for commercial growth in the rapidly developing areas around Homestead Road and Twin Creeks Park are also a priority.

Chilton said he believes the key to keeping taxes from rising will be growing the commercial tax base. The town is running a tight budget, he said, and there are not significant savings to be found in operational or staff cuts.

Carrboro will also need to keep a close eye on the university’s Carolina North project, with an emphasis on including employee housing, he said.

In Carrboro, Chilton joins alderman Dan Coleman who announced he is seeking election to the seat he was appointed to in 2006 after Chilton’s victory left an open seat on the Board of Aldermen.

Other Carrboro incumbents whose terms expire this year are aldermen Joal Hall Broun, who has not announced her intentions, and Zaffron, who has said he is not likely to run again.

In Chapel Hill races, Foy confirmed by email that he is planning to seek a fourth term. He won in 2005 with nearly 78 percent of the vote.

Town Council member Cam Hill also said he’s planning on another run. Other incumbents whose terms expire this year are council members Bill Strom, Jim Ward and Sally Greene, who are all expected to run again but have not made official announcements.

Four terms on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education expire this year.

Board chair Jamezetta Bedford indicated by email that she will seek re-election. Incumbent Liz Carter has said publicly that she won’t run again. In an email to The Citizen, first-term school board member Mike Kelley said he is working on a statement about the race, but did not say whether he would run again. Board member Annetta Streaker hasn’t indicated whether she would run again either.

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