The job: County commissioners serve four-year terms and can have a major impact on residents’ daily lives. The board sets policies and guides the county by, among other duties, approving budgets, land-use changes and developments; setting property tax rates; assisting and speaking with residents; and attending regular board meetings and other local, state and national meetings.
District 1 (one seat)
Jamezetta Bedford
Age: 59
Address: Knob Court, Chapel Hill
Contact: jamezettab@gmail.com
Website: jamezettaforcommissioner.org
Party: Democrat
Political experience: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board member, chair and vice chair, 2003-2015; former co-chair, former member, school governance committees at Ephesus Elementary School, Phillips Middle School and East Chapel Hill High School
Relevant experience: Democratic Women of Orange County, president, 2016-present; Orange County ABC Board, 2016-present; Orange County Communities in Schools board; Certified Public Accountant with Coleman Huntoon & Brown, PLLC
District 2 (one seat)
Earl McKee (incumbent)
Age: 65
Address: Kiger Road, Rougemont
Contact: mckeeagri@yahoo.com
Website: http://earlmckee.com
Party: Democrat
Political experience: Orange County commissioner since 2010; elected deacon and elder at Little River Presbyterian Church
Relevant experience: Orange County Planning Board, Social Services Board, Triangle J Council of Governments, Fire Chief’s Association of Orange County; founding member of the Caldwell Fire Department; Jaycees; Orange County Farm Bureau; Career: Farmer; Summit Engineering inspector
Tommy T. McNeill
Age: 55
Address: Laurel Creek Way, Durham
Contact: ttmcneill@icloud.com
Website: bit.ly/2HU58AL
Twitter: @McNeilltt
Party: Democrat
Political experience: Ran in 2008 for the Orange County Board of Commissioners and in 2012 for the Orange County Board of Education; sought appointment in 2013 to the House District 50 seat
Relevant experience: Born into a third-generation farming family in Raeford, N.C.; Air Force Reserves, 1985-2005; Friends of Orange Public Library; alumni member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; former vice president of the Tuskegee Airmen, Heart of Carolina Chapter; former executive director for Boy Scouts Troop and Pack 144; former member of Toastmasters International; Triangle Healthcare Executives’ Forum of NC, board member and communications chair; former Orange County Planning Board member; active member, Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Bahama
Career: Business development manager
Why are you seeking election? “It is my strong desire to be elected so that I may serve others and contribute to our county as we strive to achieve the highest possible quality of life for our citizens. I am proud to be a resident of Orange County and confident that I could be of the greatest value in such a position by: Increasing funding for Economic Development Commission, maintaining farmland preservation, increasing funding to our school systems, and exploring affordable housing. It is for these reasons that I am running for elected office.”
At-large district (one seat)
Brian Crawford
Age: 54
Address: Grand Oak Drive, Hillsborough
Contact: info@crawfordfororangecounty.com
Website: crawfordfororangecounty.nationbuilder.com
Facebook: facebook.com/crawfordfororangecounty
Party: Democrat
Political experience: None
Relevant experience: Orange County Planning Board, including chair and vice chair, Election Board, Orange Democratic Party; founding chair of the Affordable Housing Advisory Board; managing director, Carter Community Charter School in Durham; former senior vice president and general counsel, N.C. Community Development Initiative
Career: Attorney/partner at Sanford Holshouser LLP; 12 years in private practice focused on commercial real estate and community development
Why are you seeking election? “Politics are local and in Orange County the schools, affordable housing for all and transportation is lacking. I do not think our current leaders are listening to the constituents to find solutions that work for all. I have a daughter in the school system and she and her peers deserve better. I want to be a voice for all of the county; not red or blue but Orange! I am proud of this County and I want to help it better serve the future.”
Sally Greene
Age: 62
Address: Morgan Creek Road, Chapel Hill
Contact: sally@ibiblio.org
Website: sallygreene.org
Facebook: facebook.com/sally.greene
Party: Democrat
Political experience: Chapel Hill Town Council, 2003-11, 2013-17
Relevant experience: Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness; leadership positions on Town Council in affordable housing, including inclusionary zoning ordinance, affordable rental housing strategy, Community Home Trust (board member); Orange County Food Council; chair, Town Council committee to explore use of former Town Hall as community museum; Council public lands committee, resulting in permanent preservation of Merritt’s Pasture and Morgan Creek Trail; liaison to Cultural Arts Commission, Community Design Commission, Historic District Commission, Planning Board (former Planning Board member). Former board member, Orange County Literacy Council
Career: Research and appellate attorney affiliated with BalBrenner, Carrboro
Why are you seeking election? “I believe that I can effectively translate my experience from three terms on the Chapel Hill Town Council to the county level. My focus on the council was on human services issues, including homelessness, access to housing, the rights of the formerly incarcerated, the need for effective mental health interventions, and food access and security. My work supporting the arts community has involved engaging with the county to support the hundreds of artists whose work contributes to the vibrancy of Orange County. I am eager to take this experience and apply it collaboratively to the benefit of all county residents.”
Noah Oswald
Age: 33
Address: Collington Drive, Mebane
Contact: noah.oswald@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OswaldForOrange/
Party: Democrat
Political experience: None
Relevant experience: Past experience working in the state legislature and Congress; Orange County native; former president of the Orange County Bar Association; honorary member of the OCBA board; member of the Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board
Career: Partner and trial attorney at Leigh Peek Law in Hillsborough, practicing domestic and civil litigation, and representing parents against the Department of Social Services and the local Child Support Enforcement Agency; auxiliary court programs, including Guardian ad Litem work, mediation and negotiation
Why are you seeking election? “I have a long-held admiration for our public officials at all levels, and have looked forward to an opportunity to serve my home community through elected office. Local governments, at both the county and municipal levels, have the most direct impact on our homes and families. I believe that my experience and perspective will provide Orange County with positive leadership that enhances our community.”