2nd Chapel Hill council member joins race for mayor, guaranteeing election contest
Two outspoken Chapel Hill Town Council members will square off in November over the future direction of housing, development and growth in the town of just over 60,000 people.
Jessica Anderson, a two-term council member, announced Wednesday she will take on fellow Town Council member Adam Searing, with whom she has sparred over the last two years on several council decisions and planning initiatives.
The winner of November’s election will replace retiring Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger, who announced earlier Wednesday that she would not seek a fifth term. The candidate filing period for the 2023 municipal and school board races ends at noon July 21.
“Chapel Hill is an amazing place. To keep it that way, we need to address the realities of 2023 and beyond,” Anderson said in a news release. “As mayor, I’ll work hard at shaping our policy agenda so we prioritize meaningful solutions that last. My record as a council member reflects this commitment to moving us forward.”
Anderson’s seat is one of three open on the council, since Council member Amy Ryan is the only member seeking re-election when her term expires this year. Searing’s term ends in December 2025, and if he is elected mayor, a new member will fill his seat next year.
Some of the differences with Searing were among the successes that Anderson cited in her news release Wednesday. They include the expansion of the town’s commercial tax base, millions invested in affordable housing, the creation of the town’s first climate action plan, the Legion Road land acquired for a future park and affordable housing, and continuing work on the North-South bus-rapid transit plan.
Anderson also was instrumental in hiring the town’s first urban designer, who works with developers to create better places, and the recently adopted Complete Community framework The latter is aimed at sustainable growth, less reliance on cars, and allowing people and families from a variety of socioeconomic levels to live and work in Chapel Hill.
The town received a $1 million federal grant this spring to plan for an “everywhere to everywhere” greenway network — a key goal of the Complete Community strategy.
“Our vision is that everyone in Chapel Hill — through a network of greenways — will be able to walk, bike or access transit to reach parks, schools, jobs, and shopping,” Anderson said. “As mayor, I’ll make sure this vision for an inclusive, sustainable and economically-vibrant future becomes reality. I’m excited to embrace this opportunity to move forward together.”
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Searing has also advocated for more greenways, along with parks and recreational opportunities, such as a new skate park. However, he has differed from fellow council members on how the town should meet other goals, supporting small, local businesses instead of multistory downtown wet labs, more single-family homes instead of apartment buildings, and using the Legion Road land only to expand Ephesus Park, which backs up to the site.
He also has accused council members of breaking the town’s promises, ignoring residents and their concerns, and working to the benefit of developers instead of the community. Anderson has regularly challenged Searing at council meetings, accusing him of being divisive and spreading misinformation.
Anderson has the support of Hemminger, who was elected in 2015 and is one of the town’s longest-serving mayors. Hemminger told The News & Observer on Wednesday that she waited to share her plans, because she wanted to give Anderson time to make her decision.
In Anderson’s news release, Hemminger is quoted as saying, “Jess possesses a unique combination of personal passion, professional skills, and past experience that makes her the best choice for Chapel Hill’s mayor.”
“In our work together, I’ve found Jess to be a fierce advocate, practical problem solver, and effective policymaker who consistently acts with integrity,” she said. “Even when we didn’t agree, she worked collaboratively with me and others to get the best outcomes for our entire community, which is why she has my full support.”
Anderson spoke briefly with The N&O on Wednesday about her campaign and her opponent.
She is interested in running a positive campaign, focused on the future and open to everyone’s ideas, Anderson told The N&O, but she will fight to defend the work that the council has done and to accomplish the next steps in meeting the current vision.
Most voters “really want energy and enthusiasm and positivity and competence and hard work” from their candidates, Anderson said.
“I think that’s really important … to be able to work with others and try to get things done, to be able to have a forward vision and to really be for something,” she said. “I think … it’s easy to get people angry and upset about the things that they don’t feel like are working or things they want, but that can only go so far, and I think people in Chapel Hill really want more than that.”
This story was originally published July 19, 2023 at 3:26 PM.
