Jeffrey Hoagland, candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council

Seven people are competing in the November election for four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Kymera International manufacturing employee Jeffrey Hoagland is running against incumbent Council member Karen Stegman and fellow newcomers Robert Beasley, Camille Berry, Paris Miller-Foushee, Vimala Rajendran and Adam Searing.

An eighth candidate, Andrew Creech, told The Daily Tar Heel last week that he’s dropping out of the race to focus on his business interests. He will still appear on the ballot. The News & Observer’s efforts to reach Creech were unsuccessful.

The council is guaranteed to get at least three new council members, since incumbent member Hongbin Gu passed on a second run to join this year’s Chapel Hill mayor’s race, and former Council member Rachel Schaevitz resigned last year, leaving her seat vacant.

Council member Allen Buansi announced this summer he would not seek a second term, freeing up a third seat. Buansi recently announced plans to run for N.C. House District 56 when state Rep. Verla Insko retires next year.

Early voting in the nonpartisan 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: Jeffrey Hoagland

Age: 35

Residence: Chapel Hill

Occupation: Operator

Education: Bachelor of Science in physics

Political or civic experience: none

Campaign website: tinyurl.com/yr8dzmvr

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

▪ Downtown parking

▪ Use less spending

▪ A rail system that connects Chapel Hill to the zoo. The rail system has already been part of the last few years’ tax increases for the town, and with Durham not wanting a rail system, instead of giving up on it and living with our higher taxes, we should ask counties south of us if they would be interested, plus with the current grant and doing a cost check on similar projects, we could build a light rail from Chapel Hill to the North Carolina Zoo for about the same cost as it would have to build a rail from Chapel Hill to Duke University.

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

The town is trying to build up, which is wrong. The plan should be to grow out and set up infrastructure, like a rail system, that will allow for outward expansion.

What is special about Chapel Hill now that people don’t know or what you would like the town to be known for in the future?

I would like for the town to be known as a center for a modern rail system in North Carolina and to set an example for future rail systems in the United States

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

I worked for Los Alamos National Lab right out of college. The exposure from such high-level thinkers left a mark on me that I try to apply to my everyday life.

This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Jeffrey Hoagland, candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council."