Lydia Lavelle, a law professor at N.C. Central, is seeking her third term as mayor, having served in that capacity since 2014 and on the Board of Aldermen for six years before that. Under her leadership, the board has pushed back against regressive state policies to show support for immigrants and the LGBTQ community and […]
The INDY Editorial Board
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Pam Hemminger for Chapel Hill Mayor
Pam Hemminger, who defeated incumbent Mark Kleinschmidt two years ago, is going to be reelected. After all, her only competition is a write-in candidate. Hemminger, the former chairwoman of the Carrboro-Chapel Hill City Schools Board of Education and vice chairwoman of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, is running unopposed for a good reason: her […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Nancy McFarlane for Raleigh Mayor
For three consecutive elections, Nancy McFarlane has cruised to easy wins. Two years ago, the unaffiliated McFarlane defeated Republican Robert Weltzin by a fifty-point spread. Two years before that, she beat Weltzin by fifty-one points. Two years before that, she claimed the mayor’s seat in a three-way race by thirty-one points. She’s never faced a […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses David Cox for Raleigh City Council District B
Veteran politician John Odom has often seemed like the quintessential city councilman. A friendly backslapper, he knows everybodyexcept, perhaps, for the often-touted sixty-plus people who move to Raleigh every day. Incumbent David Cox comes across differently. He’s soft-spoken yet intense about his desire to constrain development in his sprawling north Raleigh district. Two years ago, […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Mark-Anthony Middleton for Durham City Council Ward 2
The People’s Alliance’s interview committee recommended that the PAC endorse pastor and longtime activist Mark-Anthony Middleton for the Ward 2 seat. But then, at the group’s endorsement meeting, some McDougald Terrace residents made a persuasive case to PA members for John Rooks Jr. With much respect for their enthusiasm, we think the PA’s interview committee […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Steve Schewel for Durham Mayor
Of course the INDY is endorsing Steve Schewel, right? After all, he founded the paper in 1983. His values are our values, embedded in our DNA. So this should hardly be a surprise; indeed, we debated whether to endorse in this race at all. But we decided to anywaynot because we’re obligated, but because Schewel […]
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The INDY Endorses Jennifer Robinson for Cary Town Council District A
The District A race pits incumbent Jennifer Robinson against Majid Mohadjer and Radha Ravi Varma. Mohadjer hasn’t raised any money and doesn’t appear to have a significant campaign presence. Varma, a software developer and self-described conservative who has lived in Cary for four years, wants to end “aggressive overdevelopment” in west Cary and ban new […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses DeDreana Freeman for Durham City Council Ward 1
Earlier this year, Cora Cole-McFadden, the longest-serving city council member, passed up an expected mayoral bid to seek reelection. She deserves credit for being a voice for equity, both on the council and in her previous job as the director of the city’s Equal Opportunity/Equity Assurance Department. She was a trailblazer, the first African-American woman […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Corey Branch for Raleigh City Council District C
In 2015, Corey Branch scored the biggest upset of the Raleigh municipal election, defeating incumbent Eugene Weeks by fewer than three hundred votes. This year, he’s up against two main challengers: Libertarian Olen Watson, a construction company owner who is flush with unconventional but intriguing ideas, including increasing density zonings throughout the city and implementing […]
Posted inElections
The INDY Endorses Edward Yerha for Cary Town Council At-Large
Edward Yerha has ably served on the Cary Town Council since 2012 and was a proud proponent of the Cary Community Plan the town council passed earlier this year. He argues that Cary is headed in the right direction. But in the years to come, he says, town officials must “make effective use of Cary’s […]
