Jamezetta Bedford, candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 1
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Orange County Board of Commissioners candidates
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Jamezetta Bedford, candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 1
Sally Greene, at-large candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners
Earl McKee, candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 2
Anna Richards, candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 1
Three Orange County commissioners are headed to new four-year terms in this year’s local elections, while a fourth commissioner could be elected to finish serving a two-year term.
No Democratic challengers or Republican candidates have filed for the partisan commissioners race.
Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford will be seeking a second term representing District 1, which covers Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Incumbent Commissioner Sally Greene is seeking another term to the at-large district, which covers the entire county. Commissioner Earl McKee is running for the District 2 seat, which covers most of the county, except for Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
Commissioner Anna Richards was appointed to her District 1 seat last year when former Commissioner Mark Dorosin left for a job in Florida. She is running to fill the remainder of his term, which expires in 2024.
Early voting in races with primaries begins April 28 and runs through May 14. The general election, when the commissioner candidates will appear on the ballot, is Nov. 8.
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: Jamezetta Bedford
Age: 63
Occupation: Certified Public Accountant
Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Virginia; Master of Accounting, UNC-Chapel Hill
Political or civic experience: Elected county commissioner in 2018, current vice chair; Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education (chair and vice chair), 2003-15; past president, Democratic Women of Orange County; former president, local chapter Autism Society of North Carolina; many PTSA offices
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: www.jamezettaforcommissioner.org
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Myself. I didn’t solicit contributions since unopposed.
What would be your three top priorities if elected? Choose one, and explain how you would address it.
▪ Meeting the social safety net needs of county residents, which includes opening a behavioral health crisis diversion center and urgent care.
▪ Stronger schools.
▪ Climate policy/action.
I serve on the county’s Behavioral Health Task Force, working on the diversion center. Next steps include partnering with a provider and determining a site, along with including the community.
What will you do as commissioner to address countywide affordability and cost of living?
Separate needs from wants to limit tax increases; expand water and sewer in the economic development zones to draw sustainable commercial investment to increase and diversify revenues.
What will you do as commissioner to address a backlog of school repair and renovation needs?
Delay some county projects to focus on schools; prepare for 2027 (bond) debt issuance.
What suggestions do you have for better transportation options in Orange County?
We need the reverse circulator bus in Hillsborough and to keep working on the Chapel Hill BRT (bus-rapid transit), keep planning regionally for BRT connections, and to run a shuttle van directly between the Hillsborough Durham Tech campus and the college’s main campus in Durham. Expand the county ride on demand pilot in the rural part of the county. Add safe bike/pedestrian corridors and lanes.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 11:33 AM.