The Orange County Board of County Commissioners swore in two new members on Monday after the midterm elections in November.
Sally Greene, a former Chapel Hill Town Council member, and Jamezetta Bedford, previously on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education, replaced Commissioners Barry Jacobs and Mia Burroughs in uncontested races.
Bedford returned after an unsuccessful run in 2016, losing to incumbents Penny Rich and Mark Dorosin. With campaign experience under her belt, Bedford said she was ready in November to win the election and join the board.
“To lose by 1.1 percent can cause a lot of ‘what ifs’ and ‘shoulda dones,’ so this time I prepared to spend hours and hours canvassing, only to run unopposed,” Bedford said. “I learned that it is critical to cover early voting sites.”
Both Democrats, the new commissioners ranked school funding and social services for the homeless as their top priorities. Greene pointed to economic development as another focus area, especially through arts programs. Bedford noted environmental health as a chief area of concern for her tenure.
Greene traces her political roots to her parents, both journalists. She watched her parents cover community issues while she grew up in rural Eastern Texas, which fueled her desire to make change in her own community.
Growing up as a self-described “army brat,” Bedford said exposure to many types of people shaped her perspectives. While she said her original motivation for political involvement was her 31-year-old daughter with autism, Bedford, now a grandmother, said her grandchildren inspire her to make the world a better place.
Bedford and Greene both said they think current commissioners will be receptive to their priorities because many of them share progressive political views.
During her time on the Town Council, Greene said she became familiar with homelessness support, affordable housing, criminal justice reform and mental health issues in Chapel Hill. Having tackled these issues on a smaller scale, Greene said she can apply her Town Council work to the county level.