Anna Richards, candidate for Orange County Board of Commissioners, District 1
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Orange County Board of Commissioners candidates
Who are the candidates running for the Orange County Board of Commissioner? Get to know your candidates with our Voter Guide.
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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 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 Anna Richards was appointed to the board last summer to represent District 1, which covers Chapel Hill and Carrboro. The seat was left vacant when Commissioner Mark Dorosin left for a job in Florida. Richards is running to fill the remaining two years of Dorosin’s term, which expires in 2024.
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 Jamezetta Bedford also is running to keep her District 1 seat.
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: Anna Richards
Age: 71
Occupation: Retired finance executive, community volunteer, county commissioner
Education: Bachelor’s degree in English literature, Westminster College; Master’s of Business Administration, Washington University
Political or civic experience: Appointed county commissioner in 2021; organized and chartered Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Youth Council (co-adviser); Steering Committee, Campaign For Racial Equity in CHCCS; president, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP (2017-20); Carrboro High School PTA; Big Bold Ideas Steering Committee, Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro; Jack & Jill of America, Durham chapter; Chapel Hill Justice In Action Committee; Local Re-Entry Council; Citizen of the Year 2020, Black Business Alliance Steering Committee
Party affiliation: Democrat
Campaign website: annafororange.com
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Keith Wilson (family friend), Kimberley Richards (sister), myself
What would be your three top priorities if elected? Choose one, and explain how you would address it.
▪ Adopt and fund implementation of first County Climate Action Plan
▪ Update outdated county (Unified Development Ordinance) and Comprehensive Plan
▪ Promote balanced economic development to enable strong safety net
I believe that nothing is accomplished without clear objectives and a plan. Orange County’s comprehensive plan dates to 2008, and the UDO is a collection of updates to a plan that is decades old. I strongly believe that it is time to do a full assessment of Orange County’s comprehensive plan and the policies in place to align with the future and not the past. To accomplish this, I will invite input from the community, as well as work to understand the data available to chart a future that is sustainable economically, environmentally and culturally. Not that this is an easy task, but it is one that needs to be tackled. I will continue my county deep dive to gain understanding of the priorities, engage community and staff to ensure alignment of our strategy to today’s goals.
What will you do as commissioner to address countywide affordability and cost of living?
Economic viability is key to affordability. I am a strong proponent of small businesses, as they are essential to adding more jobs to our economy. Some of the ways I will support small business growth is to make certain small and minority business procurement objectives are embedded in county plans and in the larger community.
Secondly, I encourage businesses to pay a living wage.
Along with jobs and wages, we will encourage maximum utilization of opportunities for responsible business development to help diversify the tax base, support funding for broadband and encourage housing development on county-owned land.
What will you do as commissioner to address a backlog of school repair and renovation needs?
The BOCC is currently working with the districts to develop a plan to fund the short- and long-term school capital needs. As a commissioner, I support the work they are doing, the short-term capital allocations and the future bond. Making certain the buildings we use for our children’s education are safe, engaging learning spaces is our responsibility. The schools are already half of the county’s budget, so balancing those needs and everything else is the challenge. Even though the county funds the schools, the decisions are up to school district administration and (the Board of Education). I am hopeful the capital working group and staff will develop a plan to meet the needs.
What suggestions do you have for better transportation options in Orange County?
Geographically, Orange County is large and diverse. We need transportation solutions that meet the needs of the whole county, so there is no one size fits all. Vans, point to point and rail options could serve us inside the county, as well as connecting us to nearby communities.
Understanding the who of Orange County by listening to folks in urban population centers, major employers, students and residents in the more rural areas, we can paint a picture of who public transit could support, not necessarily who public transit supports today.
The transportation plan should also support goals to lower emissions by providing alternatives to single-passenger vehicles. In addition, transitioning the county fleet to hybrid/electric vehicles and encouraging the school districts to transition to electric vehicles as well.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 12:00 PM.