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Seven candidates in the running to serve out Thorpe’s term

Posted on November 6, 2008 by Staff

By Rich Fowler
Staff Writer

Seven candidates made their cases to the Chapel Hill Town Council on Monday night to fill the seat left vacant after Bill Thorpe died in September. The person picked to fill his seat will serve out the remainder of his term, which will end in 13 months. The new council member will be selected by the council at its meeting on Nov. 10 and will be sworn in on Nov. 17.

“A lot of people have asked me whether one of the criteria is that you have to be an African-American to fulfill Bill’s seat,” Mayor Kevin Foy said, “and I think the answer to that is no, you don’t, but you do have to somehow demonstrate, in my mind anyway, that you will be a strong advocate, because no one advocated more effectively for minority interests [than Bill].”

Of the seven candidates, two, J.M. Green and James Merritt, are black.

Amy Chute went over council meeting agendas with Bill Thorpe during the last three years and worked on his 2005 election campaign. She is also a member of the Northern Area Task Force. Chute said she applied because Bill Thorpe inspired her, but that because she is white she was reluctant to apply for his seat.

“I feel strongly that the African-American community deserves direct representation on this council,” Chute said. “What I can say is that I’m a white person and I can’t change that. What I can continue to do is to reach out to everybody in Chapel Hill.”

J.M. Green moved to Chapel Hill a little over two years ago and is the director of UNC’s Upward Bound program, which helps local high school students from first-generation, low-income or under-represented groups prepare for college.

“I’m already working with many in the African-American and minority community through the program I work with at the University,” Green said. “I think it takes an individual who’s willing to get out there and be with the folks who need this kind of support.”

Loren Hintz is a former member and chair of the town transportation board and is a teacher at Chapel Hill High School. He is co-chair of the Orange-Chatham Sierra Club Group and is a former Peace Corps volunteer.

“Shouldn’t our government be so that everyone should be comfortable to contact any council member?” Hintz asked. “Anyone should be comfortable to contact any staff member or board member. The bigger picture is what are we going to do to create that situation?”

James Merritt is a retired school counselor and administrator. He is a Chapel Hill native who grew up and went to school during segregation and is a Vietnam War veteran and a Purple Heart recipient.

“There are not too many families in Chapel Hill of African-American descent that I do not know,” Merritt said. “I don’t want to think that I would only be an advocate for African-Americans. I think I would be an advocate for all citizens of Chapel Hill.”

Gene Pease is the president and CEO of Capital Analytics, Inc. He is the president of the Chapel Hill Public Library Foundation, an OWASA board member and a member of the budget and finance committee.

“I’ve supported the affordable-housing initiatives, the free-fare bus, the renaming of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, some of the work Sally [Greene] is doing to end homelessness,” Pease said. “I think I’m aware of a lot of those issues and I support them and I try to treat every issue as fairly as I can, regardless of sex, race or age.”

Will Raymond is a software professional and a two-time candidate for town council who has served on a number of local boards, including the Downtown Parking Task Force and the Horace Williams Citizens Committee.

“I want to focus on what we have in common in this community, and the common concerns that we have in this community,” said Raymond. “I’m concerned that there are a lot of folks in this community that are getting short shrift and that the diversity we used to have in this community is rapidly disappearing.”

Donald Shaw is a professor of journalism at UNC, a current member of the Public Housing Advisory Board and is North Carolina director of Selective Service. He has served on a number of town boards since 1984.

“I knew Bill well enough to know that I couldn’t fill his shoes,” Shaw said. “I agree that the council should have African-American representation and … it’s very reasonable to me if the council decides to go that way.”

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