I am running for Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Board of Education because I have been a longtime advocate both for quality education, and for children and families.  As a parent, and as a professional who deals with educational issues on a day to day basis, I believe that I can bring the necessary perspective to work on the Board of Education and partner with students, families, teachers, administration and the community. 

We face serious financial challenges, but we cannot let this undermine the quality of the schooling we offer.  We must continue to support and grow an excellent education system with the highest expectations for all students in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools.  We are a diverse community and I will be a champion for a school system that reflects that diversity and provides an education that allows all our children to realize their full potential. The three Rs I am most interested in are respect, resources and results.

Chapel Hill is a very special place and my wife and I consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to be living here.  And while there are many things that I hope to accomplish if I am fortunate enough to be elected, there is one overarching reason why I have chosen to run: I want our Town to be as special for the next generation of Chapel Hillians – folks like my daughter Stephanie and her husband Samuel – as it is for those of us who live here today.

Chapel Hill should be a vibrant, diverse and affordable town. In order to make sure that this is our present and our future, if elected I intend to devote my energies to:

• Creating more and better jobs, especially for our younger residents
• Growing and diversifying our supply of housing so that it is affordable to a broad range of income groups
• Strengthening Chapel Hill Transit and creating new and expanding existing connections with Durham, RDU, RTP, and Raleigh

I am convinced that working with the residents of our Town, the other members of the Council, and our Mayor we can accomplish great things so that the Chapel Hill of tomorrow is even better than it is today.

This commentary, written by me and fellow OP editor Molly De Marco, originally appeared in the Chapel Hill News on July 26, 2015.

Chapel Hill has a branding problem. There, we said it – and we said it because it’s time for us to have a frank and honest discussion about just exactly what Chapel Hill is and who we are as Chapel Hillians.

Far too often these days, it’s common for people to compare Chapel Hill to Durham or even Raleigh. But the fact is that we’re not Durham and we’re not Raleigh – and more importantly, we’re not competing with Durham or Raleigh.

Rather, as one of the nation’s leading and most desirable college towns, we’re competing with towns and cities across the country with major research universities, like Ann Arbor, Bloomington, Athens, and Austin.

Acknowledging this is the first step toward developing a Chapel Hill brand and using it to attract the individuals, businesses, and opportunities that will make Chapel Hill a unique regional and national leader.