Board of Orange County Commissioners candidates gear up for primary

The filing period has ended for open seats on the Board of Orange County Commissioners and the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. The primary election for these seats will be held in May. Daily Tar Heel staff writer Claire Nielsen sat down with candidates for these seats to get a sense of what they’re running for.

Mark Marcoplos

Mark Marcoplos has made the environment a focus of his campaign and lifestyle — he lives in a home that uses solar power and incorporates recycled and reused materials. He also owns a green building company, Marcoplos Construction.

Marcoplos is running to represent District 2 on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. If elected, he plans to lead the creation of a comprehensive solid waste program.

Earl McKee

Commissioner Earl McKee has managed a farm for 42 years and said the challenging job has prepared him well for a position in local government.

Throughout his time representing District 2, McKee said his biggest priorities have been public safety and public education. He said he will continue focusing on these issues.

Mia Burroughs

Mia Burroughs has served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education for seven years, after being elected in 2007 and again in 2011.

As a commissioner, Burroughs said she would focus on public education. Burroughs said she would also want to expand and diversify the county’s tax base.

Gary Kahn

As a Republican candidate for District 1 of the county Board of Commissioners, Gary Kahn represents a minority among the largely Democratic Orange County candidates over the years. But Kahn said he does not think his political affiliation will significantly affect his chances.

Kahn said he has three overall goals to pursue if he wins the seat: economic development, responsible spending and public education.

Barry Jacobs

Commissioner Barry Jacobs said he hopes to continue to fund environmental protection and public education if he is re-elected to the Board of County Commissioners. He has been serving on the board since 1998 and also serves as the board’s current chairman.

Jacobs said he would support multiple bonds providing money for education, environmental and affordable housing issues.

Bonnie Hauser

Bonnie Hauser said she intends to put some of her business experience in cost restructuring to work if she is elected to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. In particular, Hauser said she wants to change the way the board funds Orange County’s two school districts to make schools more of a priority.

Hauser said another of her main goals as commissioner would be to increase transparency in the county government. She said it should be easier for residents to participate in government processes.

Bethany Chaney

Bethany Chaney said she hopes to bring a familiarity with housing affordability to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen if she is elected to fill the seat recently vacated by Lydia Lavelle.

Chaney is a Chapel Hill native and is chairwoman of Carrboro’s Planning Board, to which she was elected in 2011. Although she hasn’t always been interested in public office, the opportunity to implement new affordable housing policies motivated Chaney to run.

Theresa Watson

Theresa Watson said a lifetime of living in Chapel Hill and seeing the rapid growth of Carrboro has made her interested in lowering the costs of living and housing in the area.

Watson said she would like to see the board move forward with more concrete plans concerning affordable housing. She hopes to help do this if elected.

Talal Asad

If elected to the Board of Aldermen, Talal Asad said he would like to make revitalizing local businesses a priority.

At 27, Asad also hopes to bring a youthful perspective to the historically older board.

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