Barbara Foushee, candidate for Carrboro, NC, Town Council

Five candidates are competing for three seats on the Carrboro Town Council in the Nov. 2 nonpartisan election.

Incumbent Barbara Foushee is seeking her second term in office. She is competing against two fellow incumbent council members Jacqueline Gist and Randee Haven O’Donnell, and two challengers, Aja Kelleher and Danny Nowell.

Early voting in the nonpartisan Nov. 2 election begins Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 30.

To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit co.orange.nc.us/1720/Elections or contact the Board of Elections at 919-245-2350 or vote@orangecountync.gov.

Name: Barbara Foushee

Age: 57

Residence: 100 Williams St., Carrboro

Occupation: Senior technologist

Education: Bachelor of Science, Medical Technology

Political or civic experience: Currently mayor pro tem, OWASA Board of Directors, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Carrboro Human Services Advisory Board, My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper of Orange County Advisory Board, Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate

Campaign website: reelectbarbarafoushee.com

Endorsements: Sierra Club, Equality NC, NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro

What do you think the town’s top three priorities should be? Choose one and describe how you will work to address it.

▪ Affordable housing

▪ Climate change mitigation

▪ Environmental justice and working through a racial equity lens

All three are closely linked together and support each other. Smart and thoughtful development along with transit planning help to make housing affordable and reduce climate impact at the same time. Affordable housing and environmental justice are critical pieces of our racial equity strategies. To reach sustainable outcomes together, we must pay attention to both race and ethnicity as we continue to tackle community issues. I will work to address these issues by continuing to advocate and educate on the importance of expanding housing opportunities and how climate change/environmental justice impacts all of us, especially our black and brown communities. Our town’s budget should mirror our priorities, so I will also push for the allocation of more funding.

What is the town doing right, and wrong, about development and growth?

I believe that the town is working to get it right when it comes to thoughtful development and smart growth. In my mind this continues to be a work in progress and it will take all of us to achieve success as a community and as a town.

The goal is to protect our community’s health and environment while also achieving a community that is economically strong and socially diverse. To get there we need to 1)create a range of housing opportunities and choices across socioeconomic statuses, 2)increase community and stakeholder collaborations, and 3)make fair and cost-effective development decisions. Our comprehensive plan process seeks to gather a community vision and provide guidance for growth and development over the next few decades. The plan’s policies will address land use rules and define key projects under themes like racial equity, climate action, fiscal sustainability and affordability.

Climate change and flooding are growing issues and a regular part of the town’s development discussion. What do you think the town should do about it, and how would you pay for it?

Stormwater management and flooding are a challenge to the community, especially as storms are producing more precipitation at once. The Stormwater Utility was established to address drainage, flooding and infrastructure concerns and to promote resilience in the face of climate change. The Utility is funded by property owner fees based on the amount of impervious surface. Although this tool is already in place we know that this is not enough and we are working on expanding the Utility’s services, including planning, infrastructure and community outreach as the utility fund grows. Our comprehensive plan will also establish stormwater management as a priority reflected across our town operations and land use rules. We should also increase collaboration with other communities to work on underlying climate change mitigation issues.

What skill or life experience do you have that would bring diversity to local government?

My life experience as an African American woman brings a unique lived experience and voice to the local government table. I have had a long-term commitment to serving the Carrboro community and my work continues to revolve around community building and bringing voices and faces to the table that aren’t already there. Historically, these community members have been underserved and pushed to the margins.

In 2017, I was recognized by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service award which is given to an individual whose work has promoted diversity and champions social justice, two pieces of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. In local government, we need to hear from all of the community about issues that matter to all of us. As the only African American council member, I am running to keep a seat at the table because representation matters as we want our local governing and appointed boards to be reflective of the communities that they serve. Together we can achieve more as we work toward more sustainable and equitable outcomes.

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Barbara Foushee, candidate for Carrboro, NC, Town Council."