Mayor, Council Races in Chapel Hill Have Competitors; Incumbents Announce Re-Election Bids

GOVERNMENT

By Adam Powell
Correspondent

While Chapel Hill Mayor Jessica Anderson recently announced that she’ll be running for re-election in this fall’s municipal election cycle, she will be facing a challenger. In early spring, Chris Suttle, a resident and cannabis lobbyist, has declared his challenge for the top job in Chapel Hill’s municipal government.

“Chris Suttle is no stranger to Chapel Hill, or North Carolina for that matter,” the candidate announced on his campaign website. “No matter where or who you know him by, if it’s as Blackbeard the pirate, NC’s most successful political lobbyist in NC for cannabis legalization or as the fire-breathing Capt Scurvy, we can all agree Mr. Suttle tackles everything he does with a fiery passion and precision.”

Suttle, according to his campaign website, has held various roles over the years. Along with his work as a cannabis lobbyist, he has also played Blackbeard the Pirate and Capt. Scurvy at various events and festivals over the years.

“As Blackbeard the pirate, he (Suttle) has entertained generations of fans, portraying North Carolina’s most beloved buccaneer at festivals and state functions,” his website states. “He appeared as Blackbeard in Season 2 episode 3 of Expedition Unknown in 2015 and was Blackbeard for the Beaufort Pirate Invasion from 2012-2016. As Capt Scurvy, Mr Suttle has kept alive the dying art of fire-breathing.  He created Capt Scurvy’s Carnival in 2000, a sideshow-based traveling entertainment troupe.”

On his campaign website, Suttle indicates that he has successfully lobbied four different bills before the North Carolina General Assembly.

This past December, Suttle said he was the victim of a bus accident in Chapel Hill, which caused, in his words, ‘devastating injuries.’

“He decided to turn tragedy into triumph and make sure that no one else in Chapel Hill would suffer the way he has and decided to run for Mayor to bring much needed change to the town he loves,” his website states.  

For more information on Chris Suttle’s campaign, visit https://www.suttle2025.com/.

While current Chapel Hill Town Council member Karen Stegman recently announced she won’t run for a third term this fall, two individuals – one incumbent and one challenger – have announced they will be battling for seats come November.

Paris Miller-Foushee, a first-term council member who was first elected in the fall of 2021, recently announced on her Instagram page that she will be hosting an event on Saturday, June 14 to kick off her re-election campaign.

“Join me to kickoff my Re-Election Campaign at 1pm Saturday, June 14th at Hargraves Community Center!!! #WeStillHaveWorkToDo #FousheeForTownCouncil,” Miller stated on the afternoon of June 4.

Miller-Foushee, who currently serves at the Inner-Faith Council for Social Service at 110 West Main Street in Carrboro, has been heavily active within the council during her first three and a half years. She has served as the Vice-Chair of the Town’s Community Police Advisory Committee as well as on the Steering Committee of the Re-Imagining Community Safety Task Force. Miller-Foushee also serves on the workgroup of the Campus & Community Coalition.

Along with Stegman, who is not running, and Miller-Foushee, who is running for re-election, there are two other council members—Camille Berry and Adam Searing—who will have their seats up for grabs in November. Neither Berry nor Searing has made formal announcements online or elsewhere regarding their plans for the 2025 election cycle. Searing challenged Anderson for the mayor’s seat back in 2023, falling short in that particular bid.

Although the filing period remains approximately a month away, there will be at least one new challenger for a seat on the Chapel Hill Council, as Wes McMahon has declared his candidacy.

McMahon, an Adjunct English-Second-Language (ESL) Instructor at Durham Technical Community College, currently serves as a member of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission, where he helps assist in municipal planning and residential development. He also spent six years serving on the Chapel Hill Parks, Greenways, and Recreation Commission.

McMahon has started an online fundraising campaign, but has indicated that he will not accept donations from developers who have, or plan to have, business before the council.

Along with the municipal officeholders, at least two local school board candidate – George W. Griffin, Ph.D. and Riza Jenkins – have declared their plans to run for re-election this fall. Dr. Griffin currently serves as the Board Chair for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. Vice-Chair Jenkins announced her re-election bid in a Facebook post on June 4. 

“I am honored to announce my candidacy for re-election to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education. I remain committed to advancing our shared mission of providing an equitable, inclusive, and high-quality education for every student in our district,” Jenkins stated.

Along with Griffin and Jenkins, another current CHCCS board member whose seat comes open this fall – Michael Sharp – has a decision to make in the coming weeks in regards to their respective incumbencies.

According to the Orange County Board of Elections, offices up for election this fall include mayor of Carrboro – current mayor Barbara Foushee has announced her intentions to run for re-election – and three seats on the Carrboro Town Council. Chapel Hill’s Council has four open seats – the seats currently held by Stegman, Miller-Foushee, Berry, and Searing, as well as the mayor’s seat currently held by Anderson.

Orange County will hold elections this fall for municipal seats in Durham, Hillsborough, and Mebane, as well as the seats on the Chapel Hill and Carrboro Town Councils. Candidate filing for local and municipal elections begins in Orange County at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 7, and runs through Friday, July 18, at 12:00 p.m. noon. Absentee voting by mail begins on Friday, October 3, and the voter registration deadline for the November elections is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10.

One-stop early voting will take place locally from Thursday, October 16, through Saturday, November 1, while the absentee by mail request deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21. The November municipal election cycle commences on Election Day – Tuesday November 4. Voting will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at various local precincts. The county will hold a canvassing meeting for the November election at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 14. Candidate filing for the 2026 spring primary begins at noon on Monday, December 1.

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