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Jessica Anderson (mayor)

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Jess Anderson
Anderson in 2023
Mayor of Chapel Hill
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 18, 2023
Preceded byPam Hemminger
Member of the Chapel Hill Town Council
In office
December 2, 2015 – December 18, 2023
Personal details
Born
Jessica Cooper Anderson

1978 (age 45–46)
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKarthik Shyam
Children2
Education
Occupation
  • Policy analyst
  • politician
Websitejessformayor.org

Jessica Cooper Anderson (born 1978) is an American public policy analyst serving as the mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, since December 18, 2023. She previously served on the Chapel Hill Town Council for eight years and has worked in the public policy department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since 2022. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Education and professional career

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Anderson received her bachelor's degree in journalism at Northeastern University and earned her Master of Public Policy in social policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.[1][2] She moved to Chapel Hill around 2010.[3] She used to be a senior policy analyst at the SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, assessing school districts in North Carolina and advising communities nationally on efforts to combat youth homelessness.[1][3] She became a professor of the practice in the public policy department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022.[4]

Political career

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Anderson served two four-year terms on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 2015 to 2023. In her first election in 2015, she was endorsed by the new political action committee Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town (CHALT) and received the most votes of any council candidate.[5][6] She served as mayor pro tempore from 2017 to 2019 and was reelected to the council in 2019, again as the top vote getter.[1][7] She led the town to hire its first urban designer and adopt a "Complete Community" framework, proposed by urban planner Jennifer Keesmaat, meant to promote sustainable development and affordable housing.[8][9]

Anderson announced her mayoral candidacy in July 2023.[4] She was endorsed by outgoing mayor Pam Hemminger, most of the incumbent town council, the Sierra Club, Indy Week, and the local advocacy group NEXT.[10][11] As in past years, this election cycle—the most expensive in town history—was marked by disagreement over the direction of development.[12][13] Opponent Adam Searing, a fellow council member, ran alongside a slate of council candidates opposed to the Complete Community strategy.[10][12] Anderson won the November election with 7,092 votes (59%) to 4,943 (41%), and candidates aligned with her won three of the four open council seats.[10][11]

Anderson was sworn in as mayor on December 18, 2023.[14]

Personal life

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Anderson is married to Karthik Shyam, a communications strategist, and has two children.[3]

Electoral history

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2015 Chapel Hill town council election results[6]
Candidate Votes %
Jessica Anderson 5,318 16.98
Donna Bell (incumbent) 4,485 14.32
Nancy Oates 4,449 14.20
Michael Parker 4,186 13.37
Jim Ward (incumbent) 4,063 12.97
David Schwartz 3,890 12.42
Lee Storrow (incumbent) 3,147 10.04
Adam W. Jones 906 2.89
Paul Neebe 771 2.46
Total votes — 100
2019 Chapel Hill town council election results[7]
Candidate Votes %
Jessica Anderson (incumbent) 5,434 18.22
Amy Ryan 4,407 14.77
Michael Parker (incumbent) 4,259 14.28
Tai Huynh 3,946 13.23
Nancy Oates (incumbent) 3,922 13.15
Sue Hunter 3,909 13.10
Renuka Soll 3,861 12.94
Total votes — 100
2023 Chapel Hill mayoral election results[15]
Candidate Votes %
Jessica Anderson 7,092 58.79
Adam Searing 4,943 40.97
Write-in 29 0.24
Total votes 12,064 100

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Council Member Jessica Anderson". Town of Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on September 13, 2023.
  2. ^ "Jessica Anderson". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Cartier Weston, Morgan (May–June 2019). "Jess Anderson". Chapel Hill Magazine. p. 62. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b McConnell, Brighton (July 19, 2023). "Council Member Jess Anderson Files to Run for Chapel Hill Mayor". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. ^ Grubb, Tammy (November 4, 2015). "Chapel Hill: Challengers sweep mayor, 2 councilmen from office". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "2015 Election Results". Chapelboro.com. November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Moyer, Dakota (November 5, 2019). "2019 Orange County Election Results". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Grubb, Tammy (July 19, 2023). "2nd Chapel Hill council member joins race for mayor, guaranteeing election contest". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  9. ^ McConnell, Brighton (September 22, 2022). "Chapel Hill's 'Complete Community' Open Houses Provide Look at Development Goals". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c Lewis, Victor (November 7, 2023). "Jess Anderson Wins Chapel Hill Mayoral Election". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Pellegrini de Paur, Chase (November 8, 2023). "Chapel Hill's 'Moving Forward' Slate Wins Mayor and Town Council Races". Indy Week. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Pellegrini de Paur, Chase (October 17, 2023). "Chapel Hill Toggles Between Growth and Change and Staying the Same for Yet Another Election Cycle". Indy Week. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  13. ^ Grubb, Tammy (October 6, 2023). "Chapel Hill mayor's race sets a fundraising record. Here's how much, and who donated". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  14. ^ McConnell, Brighton (December 21, 2023). "Anderson Sworn In as Chapel Hill's Latest Mayor; 3 New Members Join Town Council". Chapelboro.com. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "2023 Municipal Election Results for Local Races". Chapelboro.com. November 7, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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