Chapel Hill leader Chris Blue set to retire

ORANGE SLICES

By Laurie Paolicelli

Chris Blue has been committed to Chapel Hill and its safety since he arrived at a young age.

In 2022, when former Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue announced his plans to retire, it didn’t come as a total surprise. Blue had worked the job for 25 years, after all, spending the last 12 as chief. He had already given much of his life to protecting this community he grew-up in and it was time for some well-earned R&R. The UNC graduate and Chapel Hill father of two and his wife loved to spend time in their West Jefferson county mountain home, enjoying the big sky and being nearer to their daughters, both of whom attended App State and stayed.

So when shortly after his retirement announcement, he accepted the job as Interim Chapel Hill Town Manager, the community he served did a double-take. After all, followers on his social media could see he’d traded the uniform in to become that bearded guy playing the trippy, nylon-stringed guitar, walking through the mountains wearing Croc’s with his five rescue dogs, goats, and chickens.

Chris Blue lighting up the NC mountains.

But timing is everything. After losing former Town Manager Maurice Jones to Durham, Chapel Hill was left with an opening and critical projects on the table requiring an institutional memory. At the urging of his colleagues, he threw his hat in the ring and was hired, first as interim, and then as permanent, town manager. 

It was the right choice. Blue was able to complete the Rosemary Street parking deck, finalize a new home for the Chapel Hill police department, hire key department leaders, all while overseeing priority projects in downtown Chapel Hill, and managing growth in the periphery.

Photo of Chapel Hill resident Nova at Town Council meeting with Manager Blue.

Fast forward to today, and Blue has formally announced that he really is retiring come 2025. “Although the Town Manager job has been rewarding and I continue to love Chapel Hill and its people, I’ve realized its unfair to my family, two-legged and four-legged, who never see me anymore, and that doesn’t feel good,” said Blue. “The town deserves a permanent manager who can shepherd these amazing projects we have on the table and help our community residents feel heard on a daily basis.”

A new chapter for Chris Blue and his family.

Blue, a native of Moore County said his appreciation for Chapel Hill has never faltered, and he continues to feel grateful for the university vibe, live music scene, greenways that he’s run on for years, and the community he says hello to in the grocery stores, in area restaurants, and at local events.

Chris Blue will be missed.

There’s a whole new world out there.

Says former Chapel Hill Town Manager Roger Stancil: “Public Trust is the most critical, yet most fragile, aspect of effective government. Maintaining and building that trust is likely the most important priority for those of us whose life service is government. Since meeting Chris Blue when he was a young officer in the Chapel Hill Police Department through his service as Chief to his tenure as Town Manager, he has embodied the commitment to public trust that sets a model for many others. It was borne in his love for his hometown and tempered in his experiences. The result is a community well served.”

“Chris Blue is a public servant I deeply respect. Over the past decade, he’s shown a unique understanding that public safety is about more than just policing. His willingness to embrace change, particularly in efforts for fairer policing, stands out. In 2017, I chaired the Orange Bias Free Policing Coalition, and Chief Blue supported nearly all our recommendations for more equitable policies. His openness to learning and evolving are key leadership qualities I highly value.” — James E. Williams Jr., Racial Equity Coordinator, The Center for Death Penalty Litigation

North Carolinians agree. Blue is considered a progressive, innovative leader and has received statewide accolades for efforts to advance broadminded law enforcement. He has long served with the North Carolina Police Executives Committee to develop improved administrative and technical practices and promote their use in police work. He is also the long-standing chair of the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission . Locally, he is known for having built a diverse and strong network, close collaboration with the university and other community partners, and collaborating with community members to identify additional approaches to public safety. 

Chapel Hill is lucky to attract leaders like Chris Blue who stay in Orange County after graduation from UNC and try to figure out how they can make a community that they consider perfect, even better. 

Chris Blue has excelled at this. As a Chapel Hill Tar Heel, father to two girls, husband to Natasha, and friend to many, Chris Blue has left Orange County a better place. No matter where he goes, he will continue to light a path for those around him, four-legged and two-legged both.

Chris Blue and his besties exploring the mountains.

Laurie Paolicelli is executive director for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, a position she has held since 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Communications from the University Wisconsin-Superior and graduate certification in Technology In Marketing from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

These Orange Slices stories have been published by the Chapel Hill/ Orange County’s Tourism Department through its Communications Division and includes interviews with the subjects and repurposed material from website content and press releases provided by local partners. For more information, visit www.visitchapelhill.org or contact Laurie Paolicelli.lpaolicelli@visitchapelhill.org