Author Archives: Damon

Office Hours 2020

Monthly office hours for the first half of 2020 are here! Join me (and sometimes a special guest) to chat about local issues, ongoing projects, and important new initiatives coming to Carrboro this year. We can also talk politics as we face down this important election year for the region, the state, and the country.

  • Sunday, January 12, 2:00-4:00 pm – Gray Squirrel Coffee Company
  • Sunday, February 9, 12:00-3:00 pm – Craftboro Brewing Depot – Special guest: Orange County Commissioner Mark Dorosin
  • Sunday, March 22, 3:00-4:00 pm – Online Office Hours (Zoom)
  • Sunday, March 29, 2:30-4:00 pm – Online Office Hours (Zoom)
  • Sunday, April 5, 2:00-3:30 pm – Online Office Hours (Zoom)

These dates and times may change. Check this page for updates, or follow along on Twitter or Facebook. And feel free to contact me anytime. Happy new year!

Updated May 6, 2020.

Thank You, and a Look Ahead

On November 5, Carrboro voters offered me the privilege of serving a second term on the Board of Aldermen. I am beyond grateful. Thank you.

There is important work ahead for Carrboro in the next few years. I’m looking forward to engaging in this work with all of you and with my colleagues, including Alderperson-elect Susan Romaine, who will join the board on December 3.

Meanwhile, Tuesday’s election didn’t slow things down. Just this week, Mayor Lavelle and I attended a meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners to discuss Carrboro’s perspective on the proposed widening of NC 54 west of town. I also gave a presentation to the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee on upcoming transportation projects in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Today, I attended the Orange County Democratic Party’s annual legislative lunch to rally around a push for statewide change in the critical 2020 election.

There is no shortage of ways to get involved in the issues you care about, both here in Carrboro and around the state. Let’s talk. I continue to hold monthly community office hours to discuss your thoughts about local issues. Drop by my next office hours on Sunday, November 17, between 2:00 and 4:00 pm 12:30 and 2:30 pm at Johnny’s on West Main Street.

For occasional updates (no more than monthly) about Carrboro issues, subscribe to my email list. You can also find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The Most Important Endorsement

I’m grateful that my re-election campaign has earned the endorsements of so many organizations and community leaders representing a diversity of experiences, interests, and expertise in Carrboro. The most important endorsement is yours. In asking for your vote, I remain committed to engaging the entire community in our important work to meet today’s needs and to plan for our future.

Many thanks to:

Three Days to Go

Two highlights from the campaign trail today:

• A young Irish setter–golden retriever mix kissed me on the mouth in the Highlands.

• I reintroduced myself to someone whose door I first knocked in 2013. Back then, impressed I was knocking on doors when I was the only candidate on the ballot, he promised me his vote. He remembered me today, too. I think about him a lot.

My team of friends and volunteers reached peak campaign today. We knocked on another 450 doors all over Carrboro. In the past several weeks, we knocked on 2500 doors and mailed more than 9000 postcards. I participated in 17 candidate forums, interviews, and campaign meet and greets, completed 11 candidate questionnaires, and received every available organizational endorsement and the support of a dozen former Carrboro mayors and alderpersons. I love my team, and I love this town!

Election Day is Tuesday. Please vote! And please stop by Steel String after the polls close to mark the end of the local election season and to get ready for county, state, and federal elections in 2020.

Endorsement From the Battle-Anderson-Thorpe-Chapman Breakfast Club

Many thanks to the Battle-Anderson-Thorpe-Chapman Breakfast Club for their endorsement of my re-election campaign. The Breakfast Club offers endorsements in local elections to support candidates who will consistently advocate for social justice.

Hank Anderson, who served as a Carrboro alderman from 1993 to 1998, founded the Breakfast Club in 1976 as a regular breakfast meeting at Mama Dip’s Kitchen for local African American and social justice community leaders. Anderson was the first African American department head for the Town of Chapel Hill, leading the town’s parks and recreation department for nearly 30 years.

I am honored to have the endorsement of this group of community leaders who work to carry on the legacy of local icons Fred Battle, Hank Anderson, Bill Thorpe, and Yonni Chapman.

Endorsements From Carrboro Leaders

Early voting: October 16-November 1
Election Day: November 5

I am honored to have the endorsements of so many of my predecessors on the Board of Aldermen. They include both mayors and alderpersons, several of whom have gone on to serve at the school district, county, and state levels, totaling more than 130 years of public service to the people of Carrboro.

Ellie Kinnaird
Mayor, 1987-1995
North Carolina state senator, 1997-2013

Mike Nelson
Mayor, 1995-2005; alderman, 1993-1995
Orange County commissioner, 2006-2010

Mark Chilton
Mayor, 2005-2013; alderman, 2003-2005
Orange County register of deeds, 2014-present

Mark Dorosin
Alderman, 1999-2003
Orange County commissioner, 2012-present

Joal Hall Broun
Alderwoman, 1999-2011
Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member, 2015-present

Jim Porto
Mayor, 1983-1987

Braxton Foushee
Alderman, 1969-1981

Diana McDuffee
Alderwoman, 1995-2005

Frances Shetley
Alderwoman, 1987-1995, 1997

Michelle Johnson
Alderwoman, 2011-2017

Dan Coleman
Alderman, 2006-2013

Allen Spalt
Alderman, 1997-2001

Early Voting in Carrboro

Early voting in Carrboro and Chapel Hill begins on Saturday, October 19, and continues for 2 weeks. Cast your vote early at Carrboro Town Hall, the Seymour Center, or Chapel of the Cross.

  • Saturday, Oct. 19: 9:00 am-1:00 pm
  • Monday, Oct. 21: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Tuesday, Oct. 22: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Wednesday, Oct. 23: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Thursday, Oct. 24: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Friday, Oct. 25: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Sunday, Oct. 27: 12:00-4:00 pm
  • Monday, Oct. 28: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Tuesday, Oct. 29: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Wednesday, Oct. 30: 9:00 am-6:00 pm
  • Thursday, Oct. 31: 9:00 am-5:00 pm
  • Friday, Nov. 1: 9:00 am-6:00 pm

thank u, NEXT

Thanks to the NEXT Chapel Hill-Carrboro Action Fund for endorsing my re-election campaign! I’m grateful to NEXT for their recognition of my leadership in pedestrian, bicycle, and transit planning; my work with the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness; and my efforts to move Carrboro into more formal engagement with racial equity work. Read the complete endorsements for both Carrboro and Chapel Hill.

Please consider joining my re-election campaign by volunteering or by making a financial contribution.