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Pam Hemminger

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Pam Hemminger
Mayor of Chapel Hill
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 2, 2015
Preceded byMark Kleinschmidt
Orange County Commissioner
In office
2008–2012
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools
Board of Education
In office
2004–2008
Personal details
Born (1960-03-20) March 20, 1960 (age 64)
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBrad Hemminger
Children4
Alma materVanderbilt University (BA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Business owner
Websitewww.pamhemminger.com

Pamela S Hemminger (born March 20, 1960)[1] is an American Democratic politician serving as mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, since December 2, 2015. In that year's town election, she unseated Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt (also a Democrat).[2]

Hemminger, who owns a real-estate company, previously served on the Orange County board of commissioners and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board.

Education, personal life, and early career

Hemminger received a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University in economics and German.[3] At Vanderbilt, she met her future husband, Brad Hemminger, who is now an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Information and Library Science.[4][1] They have four children, who all attended Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and three of whom graduated from UNC. According to her online town biography, Hemminger regularly hikes and plays tennis.[3]

From 2004 to 2008, Hemminger was a member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education,[5] for which she served as both vice-chair and chair.[6] She served as an Orange County Commissioner from 2008 to 2012,[5] having been elected to the four-year term along with Valerie Foushee.[7] She served in the town of Chapel Hill's Parks and Recreation Commission, its Greenways Commission, and (as chair) the Upper Neuse River Basin Authority.[3] At the time of her first election as mayor, Hemminger had lived in Chapel Hill for 29 years and was owner of Windaco Properties LLC, a real-estate management company.[6][8]

Mayoral tenure (2015–present)

Elections

With 54% of the votes, Hemminger won the 2015 mayoral election in Chapel Hill against incumbent Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt (45%) and Southern Village resident Gary Kahn (0.9%).[9] This was the first election in five decades in which an incumbent mayor in Chapel Hill was defeated;[10] also that year, only one town councilor (of the four up for reelection) was reelected.[5] Hemminger had raised $24,974 before the early voting period, while Kleinschmidt had raised $30,480.[11] Hemminger was backed by the Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town (CHALT) political action committee, which advocated for a "more deliberate pace of growth" along with affordable housing, environmental protection, and energy efficiency; CHALT also supported the new three candidates who won election to the town council.[9]

Hemminger confirmed her reelection bid during her weekly appearance on WCHL's The Aaron Keck Show in May 2017, and then she made a formal announcement in June.[12] She was reelected to a second term on November 7, 2017, with 92.51% of the vote; she was challenged by a write-in campaign by former Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP leader Eugene Farrar.[13] Hemminger's campaign focused on diversifying the tax base to fund affordable housing, community space for teenagers, parks and recreation, and additional cultural activities.[14] She was endorsed by Indy Week,[15] CHALT, Equality North Carolina, and the Sierra Club.[16]

On July 8, 2019, Hemminger filed for reelection, seeking a third term as mayor.[17] Facing a single challenger, Joshua Levenson, she was again endorsed by CHALT, the Sierra Club,[18] and Indy Week,[19] as well as the local advocacy group NEXT.[20]

Tenure

Hemminger was sworn in as mayor of Chapel Hill on December 2, 2015;[21] her second term began on December 6, 2017.[22]

Hemminger and the town council passed a resolution in March 2016 condemning the statewide Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (known as House Bill 2; HB2).[23] She released a statement after its partial repeal stating that the new bill "does not go far enough to address discrimination."[24]

She developed the Food for the Summer program, based on an election promise; it began in 2016 and through 2019 has served meals to food-insecure children five days a week.[25][26][27][28] Because "she helped create" Food for the Summer, Mayor Hemminger was once recognized by WCHL as its weekly Hometown Hero.[29]

In April 2017, the town council rezoned parts of Chapel Hill to attract business development because, Hemminger said, "we're not able to react fast enough for some of these projects that we would most likely like to have."[30] In December of that year, the town council voted to allow "conditional zoning" so that it could, as Hemminger said, "have more latitude for turning [development projects] down just because [town councilors] don't like it, or for asking for more conditions."[31] Hemminger worked to bring new retailers to Chapel Hill, hoping to make the town a "regional foodie destination," such as by approving construction of a Wegmans supermarket with $4 million in tax incentives.[32][33][34] The town council also gave $2 million in tax incentives to a Charlotte development company to make new office buildings; Hemminger said the incentives were unfortunate, adding, "We haven't had any office buildings; nothing else we tried has worked. In order to move forward, this is what the developer said it would take to be able to get them out of the ground, because it is very risky and speculative when you're building office in our community."[35] On clearcutting in Chapel Hill, Hemminger has called one instance "heartbreaking" and said that she preferred selection cutting.[36][37]

The town council passed a resolution in June 2017 recommitting Chapel Hill to its goals for climate change mitigation as part of the Paris Agreement.[38] In January 2018, Hemminger signed a petition against repealing the Clean Power Plan: "To ignore climate change is ridiculous," Hemminger wrote at the time. "To repeal things or go backwards makes no sense."[39]

She supports a cap on campaign donations; in her first mayoral election in Chapel Hill, the cap was $353 for individuals.[40]

Hemminger wrote to UNC chancellor Carol Folt to ask for the Silent Sam statue on campus to be put into storage in August 2017 because it presented a "clear and present danger" to students should it be felled.[41][42]

She endorsed Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, in the 2016 presidential election.[43] Chapel Hill is not a sanctuary city, so it would not be affected by Executive Order 13768, which cut federal grants to such cities; Hemminger said that "we just have a community value that says, 'Yes, we're open for everyone'."[44] Hemminger spoke in defense of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in September 2017.[45]

In April 2016, Chapel Hill hosted a delegation from the Israeli Knesset. Community members criticized the delegation visit, and a town councilor walked out of a meeting with the Israelis. Hemminger defended the choice to host the group, saying, "While you may not agree with everything – or any or part – it's always a good learning experience, and it's also a better opportunity to have change come when you bring people to the table and have the discussion rather than shutting them out."[46][47] In June 2018, the town hosted officials of the Dutch embassy, who were visiting every "Orange County" in the United States; Hemminger said that in a meeting she discussed "being a 'blue bubble in a red sea'" and repeated her opposition to HB2.[48]

Electoral history

2008 Orange County Commissioner election, District 1[7]
Candidate Votes %
Valerie Foushee 50,556 53.38
Pam Hemminger 44,155 46.62
Total votes 94,711 100
2015 Chapel Hill mayoral election results[49]
Candidate Votes %
Pam Hemminger 4,878 54.01
Mark Kleinschmidt 4,053 44.88
Gary Kahn 84 0.93
Write-in 16 0.17
Total votes 9,031 100
2017 Chapel Hill mayoral election results[13]
Candidate Votes %
Pam Hemminger 7,426 92.51
Write-in 601 7.49
Total votes 8,027 100

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Pam Hemminger – Candidate for Orange Board of County Commissioners". Indy Week. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Grubb, Tammy (November 3, 2015). "Chapel Hill's mayor elect: 'I'm not planning a U-turn'". The News & Observer. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Mayor Pam Hemminger". Town of Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  4. ^ Gramer, Montana (July 7, 2017). "Q&A with Chapel Hill mayor Pam Hemminger". The Daily Tar Heel. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c DeVito, Joey (November 3, 2015). "Pam Hemminger Elected New Mayor Of Chapel Hill". WCHL. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Grubb, Tammy (July 6, 2015). "Former Orange County Commissioner Hemminger launches bid to unseat Chapel Hill mayor". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "2008 General Election". Orange County Board of Election. November 25, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Benjamin, Reed (September 23, 2015). "Pam Hemminger – Chapel Hill Mayor". Indy Week. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Grubb, Tammy (November 2, 2017). "Chapel Hill: Challengers sweep mayor, 2 councilmen from office". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  10. ^ Foulkes, John (December 2, 2015). "Year in Review: Pam Hemminger narrowly wins mayorship, looks to change town's development strategy". The Daily Tar Heel. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Grubb, Tammy (March 21, 2016). "Late report shows developers backed Kleinschmidt in Chapel Hill mayor's race". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  12. ^ Hodge, Blake (May 26, 2017). "Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger Running for Re-Election". WCHL. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Grubb, Tammy (November 7, 2017). "Pam Hemminger outpaces write-in challenger Eugene Farrar in Chapel Hill mayor's race". The Herald-Sun. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  14. ^ Grubb, Tammy (October 19, 2017). "Mayoral candidates Hemminger, Farrar lay out competing visions for Chapel Hill future". The Herald-Sun. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  15. ^ "The INDY Endorses Pam Hemminger for Chapel Hill Mayor". Indy Week. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  16. ^ Talley, Lauren (October 12, 2017). "CHALT endorses Town Council candidates". The Daily Tar Heel. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  17. ^ Keck, Aaron (July 9, 2019). "Crowded 2019 Races Emerging For Chapel Hill, Carrboro". WCHL. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  18. ^ McConnell, Brighton (September 25, 2019). "Endorsements Coming in for Local Election Candidates". WCHL. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  19. ^ McConnell, Brighton (October 16, 2019). "INDY Week Releases Endorsements for Local Elections". WCHL. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  20. ^ McConnell, Brighton (October 8, 2019). "Endorsements Continue as Local Elections Approach in Chapel Hill, Carrboro". WCHL. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  21. ^ DeVito, Joey (December 2, 2015). "New Chapel Hill Mayor and Town Council Sworn In". WCHL. Archived from the original on December 13, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  22. ^ Ocampo, Daniela (December 11, 2017). "Local Governing Bodies Swear in and Welcome Elected Members". WCHL. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  23. ^ Blanford, Andrea. "Chapel Hill resolution urges repeal of House Bill 2". WTVD. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  24. ^ Grubb, Tammy (March 30, 2017). "Chapel Hill mayor responds to state compromise on HB2 repeal". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  25. ^ Grubb, Tammy (May 10, 2016). "Chapel Hill-Carrboro preparing summer lunches for students". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  26. ^ Rosenbloom, Bruce (June 6, 2017). "Summer Meal Program Feeds K-12 Students in Chapel Hill and Carrboro". WCHL. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  27. ^ Fahey, Kelly (October 2, 2018). "Food for the Summer Sees Growth in 2018". WCHL. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  28. ^ Fahey, Kelly (June 16, 2019). "Food for the Summer Bringing Food, Fun to Chapel Hill – Carrboro". WCHL. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  29. ^ "Hometown Hero: Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger". WCHL. June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  30. ^ Grubb, Tammy (April 6, 2017). "Chapel Hill creates new zoning district for industry, research". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  31. ^ Ocampo, Daniela (December 5, 2017). "Chapel Hill Expands Conditional Zoning, Working to Rewrite Land Use Policy". WCHL. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  32. ^ Hudnall, David (October 13, 2016). "Chapel Hill Is Probably Getting a Wegmans, Becoming a 'Foodie Place'". Indy Week. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  33. ^ "Chapel Hill approves location for Wegmans supermarket". October 26, 2017. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  34. ^ Keck, Aaron (October 17, 2016). "Chapel Hill Says Yes To Wegmans". WCHL. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  35. ^ Grubb, Tammy (June 13, 2019). "Chapel Hill backs $2.2M tax incentive to bring office buildings, jobs to Glen Lennox". The News & Observer. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  36. ^ Hodge, Blake (June 8, 2018). "15 Acres Set for Clear Cutting in Chapel Hill". WCHL. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  37. ^ Goad, Matt (June 22, 2018). "Mayors, neighbors gather to try to save Chapel Hill-Carrboro woods from clear-cutting". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  38. ^ Grubb, Tammy (June 7, 2017). "Orange Co. commissioners join local resistance to climate change". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  39. ^ McKinney, Rachel (January 24, 2018). "Mayor Hemminger signs petition to uphold Obama-era environmental policies". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  40. ^ Talley, Lauren (September 20, 2017). "Campaigning at a cost in Chapel Hill, Carrboro". The Daily Tar Heel. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  41. ^ Stancill, Jane (August 18, 2017). "Chapel Hill mayor wants Silent Sam removed from UNC campus". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  42. ^ Grubb, Tammy (February 8, 2018). "A safe place for Silent Sam? Orange County lawmakers hope the General Assembly agrees". The Herald-Sun. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  43. ^ "Group of NC mayors endorse Clinton for president". WLOS. July 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  44. ^ Beckett, Stephen (February 1, 2017). "Mayors: Chapel Hill, Carrboro Not Affected by Executive Order on Sanctuary Cities". WCHL. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  45. ^ Grubb, Tammy; Baumgartner Vaughan, Dawn (September 1, 2017). "Political Chatter: Mayors press to keep dream alive for young immigrants". The Herald-Sun. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  46. ^ Grubb, Tammy; Ritchie, Natalie (April 12, 2016). "Israeli delegates spark passionate response on visit to Chapel Hill". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  47. ^ "Chapel Hill Leadership Criticized for Hosting Israeli Delegation". WCHL. April 11, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  48. ^ Fahey, Kelly (June 22, 2018). "Chapel Hill Receives Visit from Netherlands Embassy". WCHL. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  49. ^ "2015 Election Results". WCHL. November 3, 2015. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
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