Aja Kelleher, candidate for Carrboro, NC, Town Council

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

Aja Kelleher, an information technology professional and the former owner of Firefly Carrboro, is one of two challengers running against incumbents Randee Haven O’Donnell, Barbara Foushee and Jacquelyn Gist. The other challenger is 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: Aja Kelleher

Age: 55

Residence: 303 Rainbow Drive, Carrboro

Occupation: Sr. network engineer

Education: Bachelor of Science, Information Decision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

Political or civic experience: Currently serve on Town of Carrboro Stormwater Advisory Commission; Founded Barred Owl Neighborhood Coalition in Carrboro

Campaign website: ajaforcarrboro.us

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

Those of us running for Town Council have pretty similar ideas about WHAT the priority issues for Carrboro should be and WHY they matter — from affordable housing to climate change, expanded public transit and more. I believe we need to change the conversation to focus on HOW we can get timely results.

▪ Get better at getting results through alignment and accountability

▪ Commit to Sustainable Development

▪ Build a more vibrant downtown

ALIGNMENT: I will bring a business mindset as to how we can draw the straightest line possible from our priorities to actually getting RESULTS across all policy and operational areas. The current alignment between priorities, strategies, funding, and results looks more like spaghetti thrown against the wall. A few pieces stick, while others slide down into a tangled mess. Dollars ought to deliver. If we say we want to expand public transit, then a 1.3% increase in the 2021 budget for bus service does not get us there. I support a participatory budgeting process that ensures funding is aligned to priorities, not staff-generated and rubber-stamped year after year. We have a critical opportunity to work with our new town manager to do things differently and better.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Carrboro heavily front-loads on planning, while skimping on implementation and ignoring the critical backend of accountability for results. We need to develop priority dashboards that regularly indicate progress and outcomes. If something isn’t done or done on time, we find out why and make changes.

Example: The new 196-page Comprehensive Plan, with its vision for at least 20 years, includes only a single page on the thorny topic of managing parking downtown. It suggests reaching out to businesses and residents. We’ve been here before with no results. The July 2017 Downtown Parking Plan called for starting with development of a couple of case study examples of challenges faced by local business owners. Four YEARS later not a single case study example has been completed. There are numerous stillborn strategies and programs that have been imported into the Comprehensive Plan, as if their inclusion in a new document makes them suddenly achievable. Planning is only credible when at least as much time and resources are spent on actually getting things done.

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

The town has a good focus on racial equity, diversity, and inclusion across many aspects of its growth. I believe the town needs to focus on fixing important issues and really follow through on its vision for growth, development and maintenance of the infrastructure.

In just reviewing the large residential and commercial projects approved over the past 10 years speaks to the lack of planning and just how closely it fits in with the Carrboro 2020 vision. Should the Town approve special-use permits just because they comply with an outdated LUO? I often wonder what the real costs for development are in terms of infrastructure and the expected investment returns to the Town and community as a whole.

For example, the Shops at Lloyd Farm is a new development about to be constructed on the last large tract of land available in Carrboro. It was approved by the Town of Carrboro after five years of contention as it did not fit with Carrboro’s 20/20 vision. In the end it was unanimously approved by the town council and mayor. The development plan calls for 220 rental units for ages 55 and over in the $2,000 - $3,000 per month range. The anchor tenant for retail space is a Harris Teeter, a secnd one for our town - that will be within sight of a Food Lion in a strip mall right across the street. This location would have been better zoned for middle housing with some commercial spaces. It is creating suburban sprawl and housing for only those that can afford the high rent. It draws more people away from downtown local businesses and pushes more retail to the edge of town. This development is a missed opportunity that could have been a model of how to create housing for essential workers, teachers, and people who work in Carrboro but cannot currently afford to live here. Mixed income middle housing makes for a truly diverse, stronger community.

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?

There are many ways we can work on combating climate change — using clean energy, composting food waste, rethinking transportation. We can encourage homeowners and businesses to use solar energy with private financing from nonprofits like C-PACE or provide special government incentives where available. For example, a local downtown business could install roof and solar panels to save on energy and reduce (GHG) greenhouse emissions.

The Town of Carrboro should change from the current 100-year flood standard to a 200-year flood standard for its stormwater systems. This level of protection would provide a reasonable balance between flooding protection and cost. It also develops a realistic expectation that flooding will be happening more frequently and encourages action to prevent future damage. The Town should accelerate the still-pending rollout of its Rain Ready program, including the financial assistance program that would help residents install green solutions to mitigate flooding, which would be paid for by the current Stormwater Utility tax.

We should work at minimizing impervious surfaces wherever possible. Given the town’s reticence to improve drainage because of fears of negatively impacting anyone downstream, all new development that is upstream should be planned with more than adequate retention in mind.

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

I grew up in Chicago living in the same neighborhood for over 40 years. Even though Chicago is a large city, it’s a similar experience to living in Carrboro, but on a different scale. Our neighborhood, Uptown, was once the place to be in the roaring ‘20s, but 50 years later, some areas fell into disrepair from a lack of investment, maintenance, suburban flight and socioeconomic issues.

I have experienced gentrification firsthand in a very diverse community that once landed us in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most nationalities in one neighborhood. I have seen what works and what does not —from low-income housing to a mix of housing developments in a historical neighborhood. Old buildings would be renovated or replaced to put up low-income high-rise rentals, resulting in housing with high concentrations of low-income families and the problems that came with it. Years later, the City of Chicago achieved more success in affordable housing by providing single-story homes that resulted in less density and crime as well as pride in ownership.

Having a Mother from the South, a Father from Korea and a husband from Ireland has been important in shaping my life and worldview. I believe it will also help contribute to a more diverse representation and perspective on the Carrboro Town Council.

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Aja Kelleher, candidate for Carrboro, NC, Town Council."