Town Council candidates unanimously approved

UNC student Bjorn Pedersen may soon have more to worry about than the high price of textbooks.
Pedersen, a physics major, is one of 11 candidates vying for a seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council.

The diverse group of candidates presented their platforms to members of the council and public at a special meeting Monday night.

The council, with the exception of Councilman Gene Pease, who was absent, unanimously approved all candidates as nominees for the vacancy.

The selected nominee will fill former Town Councilwoman Penny Rich’s spot for the remainder of the year. Rich left the council in December for a seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

In four-minute speeches, the nominees discussed a multitude of issues, ranging from civil rights to sustainable economic growth.

Maria Teresa Unger Palmer, a Chapel Hill resident of 17 years who grew up in Peru, said one of her objectives would be to help the local Latino community.

“I will help bring us together. I will bring a stronger voice to the conversation,” she said.

Palmer was appointed to the State Board of Education in 1999 by former Gov. Jim Hunt.

Jennifer Marsh, director of research, community services, and student programs at the UNC School of Law, said she wants to focus on civil rights issues in the town, including affordable housing.

“I have firsthand knowledge with the difficulties of housing for families of modest means,” she said.
Pedersen suggested relaxing zoning ordinances to improve affordable housing.

He said evidence shows zoning ordinances often increase housing costs and urban sprawl and decrease socioeconomic diversity — problems the town council has tried to address.

“I think that relaxing and removing those restrictions would help solve problems we have correctly identified within our community,” he said.

Many candidates also discussed the importance of sustainable economic growth, especially within the context of the Chapel Hill 2020 comprehensive plan.

Amy Ryan, a member of the town’s planning board, said the town must look beyond the old model for economic development.

“I want to focus on innovation and homegrown business,” she said, citing LAUNCH Chapel Hill as a step forward in local economic growth.

The town council will select the new member at their meeting on Jan. 23.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.