Lydia Lavelle (left) shares a laugh with her partner, Alicia Stemper. Lavelle was elected to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen, receiving the most votes of any candidate
By Kirk Ross
Staff Writer
Lydia Lavelle, a first-time officeholder and resident of the newly annexed northern portion of Carrboro, gathered the most votes in the election for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.
Lavelle took 1,656 votes, or roughly 25 percent of the vote, to top the list of alderman candidates. She was followed by two-term incumbent Joal Hall Broun and Alderman Dan Coleman, who was appointed to the board in 2006 and was running for election for the first time. Broun received 1,457 votes, or 22 percent, and Coleman won 1,305 votes — 20 percent.
The winners were followed by Katrina Ryan, running for the second time, with 927 votes, for 14 percent of the vote, and planning board member Sharon Cook, who received 861 votes, or 13 percent.
Frank Abernethy received 256 votes, or 4 percent.
In the mayor’s race, 74 percent opted to return incumbent Mark Chilton, who won a total of 1,709 votes. Challenger Brian Voyce received 426 votes, or 18 percent, and Chuck Morton received 158 votes, for 7 percent.
Turnout was slightly lower than two years ago when Chilton and Alex Zaffron, both members of the board of aldermen, battled for the mayor’s post.
Chilton said he was surprised to have won by such a wide margin.
“I expected the alderman race to be closer and my own race to be closer,†he said in an interview Wednesday. The results, particularly Lavelle’s election, he said, made it clear that while there are residents still upset about it the annexation of northern neighborhoods, the issue didn’t drive the election.
“The voters are speaking loud and clear,†he said, “and I think they are saying two things. The first is that most are ready to move past annexation. Lydia coming in first place really says that to me.â€
The second point, the mayor said, was that attempts to capitalize on a “north-south split†didn’t resonate with voters. “The reality is that the north-south split is perceived and not real.â€
Morton said he “felt like I got my butt kicked by the voters Tuesday night,†but added that he enjoyed the race and was happy that Chilton was re-elected.
In an email to The Citizen, Voyce, who had been critical of Coleman throughout the election, wrote that “No greater comment can be made about Carrboro than the majority of voters have elected a man who has committed violence against a woman . . .” and alledged that Coleman had lied to police about the incident.
He added: “I ‘ve done my duty. I’ve laid out the ingrained misconduct of Carrboro government in perpetrating injustices large and small among those not the pals of politicians, misconduct that I expect to continue. I’ve foretold in straight terms the coming degradation in the quality of life for the average Carrburban.â€
Lavelle said she understands that as a representative from the annexed areas she’ll bring a different perspective to the board, but that it will be a duty among a host of others.
“I certainly will represent all of Carrboro, but you know I wake up every day out here in the annexed area. I drive to town through streets that the other aldermen don’t drive through every single day — so I bring that perspective just as well as I bring other perspectives of my life to the board.â€
While for some the anger over annexation is bound to linger, the election, she said, is an indication that it is not a majority view. “I held my own up here in our own precinct,†she said.
Lavelle said that, like her neighbors, she and her partner “weren’t crazy about being annexed.â€
“No one wants to pay more taxes. But a lot of us recognize that it’s a done deal. We are a part of Carrboro. We want to work with Carrboro now. We want to move forward.â€
At their core, the issues faced by residents inside and outside of downtown are very similar, she said.
“When I campaigned, I walked through all of the precincts — not just out here, which is important, but all of downtown Carrboro. Obviously everyone is concerned about their immediate neighborhood and what’s going to affect them personally. I saw that time and time again.
Rising taxes, easing the tax burden, getting commercial development and still preserving the character of the town were on the minds of voters throughout the town, she said. “It was a common theme and it’s going to be a challenge our board is facing over the next couple of years.â€
After the totals came in, Coleman, who faced unrelenting criticism — including sharp and sometimes vulgar personal attacks — over a road-rage incident early in the campaign, said he was glad it was over and was ready to get back to work.
“I’m excited,†Coleman told supporters at a victory celebration at Milltown Tuesday night. “I love working with this board of aldermen. We’re going to have a great board the next few years and we’re going to accomplish a lot.â€
Broun said Wednesday she was “honored that the voters have confidence in me†and was also looking forward to getting back to work. She said she wants to continue pushing for a more comprehensive countywide economic development plan — an important element in keeping rising property taxes in check. Carrboro, she said, has an enormous challenge ahead.
“It’s critical for us to fashion some sort of overall policy that makes Carrboro accessible to all income levels, and that means retirees, young families, single people and more-seasoned families,†Broun said.
Cook, who campaigned for a board seat in tandem with Ryan, said she was disappointed in the low voter turnout and with the amount of influence in the campaign that came from outside of town, including endorsements from Chapel Hill politicians: “I was disappointed with the amount of outside influence. Carrboro is a town that prides itself on being special and unique.â€
She said it also was a shame to see the issues in the race eclipsed by personal attacks. Cook said she’d like to see people get more involved in understanding the positions of candidates rather than relying on endorsement “cheat sheets†from publications like the Independent Weekly.
“This is a university town,†she said. “We need to do our homework.â€
Cook said she did not agree that furor over annexation has subsided and said she’s worried that the town has not taken adequate steps to get its finances in order.
Ryan said she was surprised that she won more votes than her neighbor and friend Cook. “I ran because I thought Sharon Cook would be a great addition to the board of aldermen and Sharon wanted a running mate,†Ryan said Wednesday.
As for her, Ryan said she has enjoyed her two runs at the board because of the people she’s met and friends made during the race.
“My life is richer for having run and no less richer for having lost,†she said.
Photo by Sam Griffin