Jessica Anderson to run for re-election in Chapel Hill this fall

GOVERNMENT

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

Chapel Hill mayor Jessica Anderson announced this past week that she will be running for a second term as Chapel Hill’s elected leader.

The first-term mayor announced on Thursday, May 8 that she will be seeking another two-year term as the head of Chapel Hill’s local government.

“It’s been an honor to serve as Chapel Hill’s mayor these past two years,” Anderson said in her press release announcing her run for a second term. “I’m proud of the work that we have accomplished so far, and I look forward on building on that progress, together.”

Anderson was first elected to a four-year term on the Chapel Hill Town Council back in 2015. She served as the town’s Mayor Pro Tem from 2017 to 2019 before getting re-elected to the council in 2019 and serving another four years until the fall of 2023, when she was elected mayor. In both of her council campaigns of 2015 and 2019, Anderson was the top vote getter in the local balloting.

She received 59% of the vote in her mayor race in the fall of 2023, beating out current Chapel Hill Town Council member Adam Searing. Anderson successfully ran on a framework called Complete Community, which in her press release, she calls a “forward-looking framework guiding Chapel Hill’s development.”

Anderson claims that Complete Community aims to increase and diversify housing throughout Chapel Hill, while also improving connectivity to jobs, schools, parks, and shopping, while also proposing to add up to 25 miles of new greenway spaces throughout town.

“Ensuring that we implement Complete Community well is essential in achieving our climate action, economic sustainability, and affordability goals,” she says. “In these challenging times, it’s critical that we continue to make forward progress.”

Professionally, Anderson works as a Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Public Policy Department. She also previously worked as a senior public policy analyst at UNC-Greensboro’s SERVE Center. She is a graduate of Northeastern University and the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

“During her second term, Anderson will remain focused on several key initiatives,” her press release states. “These include realizing the Complete Community vision, continuing the strong progress toward sustainability and quality of life goals, and addressing the ongoing challenge of affordability.”

“In today’s national climate, people are rightfully asking whether decisions are being made in their interest. Transparent processes, clear goals, and a commitment to public trust must be front and center,” Anderson added.

According to the Orange County Board of Elections, this fall, the candidate filing period for local municipal elections runs from July 7 through July 18. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.

Adam Powell has been a correspondent for The Local Reporter since 2023. A 2001 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Powell has served as managing editor of multiple local publications, including the News of Orange County, the Mebane Enterprise, the Caswell Messenger, and the ACC Sports Journal. Powell has won more than 20 North Carolina Press Association Awards throughout his journalism career for Excellence in Education Reporting, Excellence in Sports Columns and Features, and Excellence in Video Production. He has also been recognized by the North Carolina School Public Relations Association (NCSPRA) for Excellence in Education Writing and for his newsletters representing Rockingham County Schools and the North Carolina Cyber Academy. The author of four books. Adam currently resides in Mebane with his wife Julie and children Colt and Jenna. This reporter can be reached at:Information@TheLocal Reporter.press