Carrboro race gets crowded

The contest to fill an open seat on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen has heated up, with more candidates applying for the lone seat than ran for the three seats disputed in November's election.

Five candidates in total had submitted applications as of late Tuesday afternoon, and three other individuals confirmed their intentions to submit applications before today's 5 p.m. deadline.

The seat became available when former alderman Mark Chilton defeated alderman Alex Zaffron to become mayor.

Three from the pool of eight - Katrina Ryan, Catherine DeVine and David Marshall - campaigned unsuccessfully in the fall. Marshall and Ryan had not yet turned in applications Tuesday.

Marshall, a Panamanian-born military veteran, said he sees his application as a natural extension of his campaign, in which he emphasized the analytical approach his background allows him to offer - he's working on a master's degree in public policy at Duke and a law degree at UNC.

He's also pushed for community preservation through issues such as affordable housing safeguards.

DeVine, a writer and activist in Carrboro, has long said that she would apply for the seat. "I have no particular beef; I want to tweak Carrboro, not change it."

As the fourth-place finisher, Ryan tried to be appointed automatically in December.

A prominent Democratic Party activist, Ryan said she decided to apply for the seat to ensure that her supporters have someone who represents their views.

Ryan lives in the area north of Carrboro that will be annexed into town Jan. 31 but established an address currently within Carrboro's corporate limits for the purposes of the fall's election.

Two other applicants, Alena Callimanis and Lydia Lavelle, reside in the annexation area.

Callimanis, who works in sales at IBM, said she hopes to be appointed to ensure a voice for all. "My motivation was to make sure that the constituents in this area get a representative on the board, but I also feel that I would be able to represent not just this area, but all the people in Carrboro fairly."

Lavelle, assistant dean of student services at the N.C. Central University School of Law, hopes to draw on experience as a municipal employee in Durham. If selected, she would be the only openly gay official in a Carrboro elected office.

Two of the other candidates, James Carnahan and Dan Coleman, are well-known local activists.

Carnahan, who has not yet turned in an application, is chairman of the Village Project and the town's planning board.

He said he hopes to be able to approach local decisions from both a global and local perspective.

Coleman, a software developer and columnist for the Chapel Hill-Herald who has been involved in many advocacy groups during the last 25 years, moved to Carrboro eight months ago.

Coleman, like DeVine, said he doesn't want to change the vision of Carrboro's current leadership.

"My vision for the town is fairly in line with the vision that's in place, but I would hope that - I could bring - a new perspective and a level of skepticism and also an orientation towards inclusion," he said.

John Marold, a local lawyer, rounds out the eight.

Marold, who turned in his application earlier this week, has served on the Carrboro human services committee advisory board, and said he applied to be an aldermen because he sees critical decisions before the town and wants them to be approached carefully.

All candidates will be interviewed by the board Jan. 19 at a public hearing.

 

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.