OP Editors's blog

The OrangePolitics online candidate forum for Orange County Commissioners will take place on Sunday April 8th at 7 pm. The candidate forum for Orange County School Board will be held online on Sunday, April 15th at 7:00 pm. Links will be posted here when they become available.

Both forums will consist of real-time communication between moderators and candidates. Visitors are encouraged to watch, but cannot participate in the forum itself, although comments will be welcomed in an open thread.

Our moderator for the school board forum will be Latarndra Strong with the Hate Free Schools Coalition. Kirk Ross will moderate the commissioners' forum.

Suggestions for questions to ask the candidates are welcome and encouraged!

We're collecting a list of all 2018 primary forums for local offices. If you see one not on our list, let us know.

OrangePolitics will hold our semi-annual Candidate Coming Out Party & Happy Hour on Wednesday, February 28th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Mystery Brewing in their brewery location (437 Dimmock's Mill Road in Hillsborough).

*Note: We will be at the brewery, not the pub.

Election Information

Three of our county commissioners are up for re-election – one each in District 1, District 2 and At-Large.

Commissioner Mia Burroughs announced that she will not seek reelection next year. Burroughs was elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2014 after serving on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board. She replaced longtime board member Alice Gordon. Former Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board member Jamezetta Bedford has announced that she will file to run for this seat. Bedford also ran for a District 1 seat in 2016.

Commissioner Barry Jacobs (At-Large) and Commissioner Earl McKee (District 2) have said that they will seek re-election.