Mayor Posthumously Honors Jamezetta Bedford with Key to the Town

GOVERNMENT

Chapel Hill community,

This past Saturday, our community came together to celebrate the life of Jamezetta Bedford, who passed away suddenly this summer. As part of that celebration, I posthumously honored her with a Key to the Town, which her family accepted on her behalf. This honor recognizes a life defined by public service, advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to the people of Chapel Hill and Orange County. The Key to the Town is traditionally presented to someone who has earned the community’s trust and highest respect. For Jamezetta, it recognizes decades of leadership on behalf of children, families, people with disabilities, and the broader community.

Jamezetta and her husband, Ed, moved their family to Chapel Hill in 1992 because of the services available for their autistic daughter. Her own family’s experience became a catalyst for a lifetime of service. She began close to home, volunteering in the schools, working with PTAs and School Governance Councils, serving as a substitute teacher, and advocating for people with disabilities through the Autism Society of North Carolina and its local chapter. In 2003, she was elected to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, ultimately serving three terms as chair and three as vice chair. Her approach to public service was grounded in a simple but powerful idea: listen to families, understand what they need, and work to make the community better for everyone.

That commitment eventually took her to county government. Jamezetta was elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners in 2018 and served as chair from 2022 through 2024. Her leadership helped advance priorities including stronger schools, behavioral health services, affordable housing, and a more equitable and welcoming community. She brought both intellect and care to her work, drawing on her background in mathematics and accounting while never losing sight of the people behind the policies and decisions.

There’s one moment that captures Jamezetta’s devotion especially well. While Jamezetta was in the hospital, I reached out to her, unaware that she was there. Jamezetta promptly responded, sharing what she knew about the county budget and answering my questions. Only after doing that did she mention that she was in the hospital and in some pain. Even in that moment, her instinct was to focus first on the people and work she cared so deeply about. That wasn’t simply duty. That was devotion. Jamezetta understood public service as showing up, asking hard questions, doing the work, and keeping people at the center of every decision.  

She was also a role model for women leaders who followed her into public service, while remaining deeply devoted to her husband, children, and grandchildren.

Jamezetta did far more than earn a key to Chapel Hill. Through her years of service, she helped unlock opportunities for children, families, neighbors in need, and generations to come. I also want to acknowledge the love, sacrifice, and support of Jamezetta’s family; public service is shared by the families who support those who answer the call. Jamezetta came to Chapel Hill because her family needed what this community could offer; she spent the rest of her life helping make that community stronger for other families. My hope is that the key I presented her family will serve as a lasting reminder of the doors Jamezetta opened for others—and of the enduring place she holds in the heart of this town.

Warmly,
Mayor Jess