Rich, Pease will join Easthom and Harrison on council

Despite a particularly divisive race for Chapel Hill Town Council, familiar faces won the day.

Incumbents Laurin Easthom and Ed Harrison will return. And the newcomers, Penny Rich and Gene Pease, are no strangers to local politics. They proved they could reach a broad base in a year where candidates were pigeonholed as “pro-environment” or “pro-business.”

Neither of the incumbents took first place. That honor went to Rich, with 4,102 votes — 15.57 percent. This is a marked improvement from her 2007 run, in which she came in sixth with 11.44 percent.

This time, Rich earned support from both camps: progressive voters and those who voted with an eye for business, observers said. Her vision for the town incorporates both.

“This doesn’t mean we won’t grow and develop,” Rich said. “It just means we’ll be affected in a positive way by that development.”

She was one of only two candidates in the Chapel Hill races to use a public financing program.

Easthom and Harrison were separated by only eight votes. Easthom had 3,866 votes — 14.67 percent —and Harrison had 3,874 votes — 14.7 percent.

During his eight years on the council, Harrison promoted environmental and transportation issues. His connections with officials in surrounding cities also set him apart.

“There’s nobody else who has anything like the strong regional background that he has,” said former mayor Jonathan Howes.

Easthom was an advocate for neighborhoods during her four years on the council. Her experience earned her the endorsement of Mayor Kevin Foy.

“She’s learned the ropes, and she knows what’s going on,” said former council member Cam Hill.

Pease finished fourth with 3,553 votes — 13.48 percent. His experience on the citizens budget and finance committee and several other town boards earned him broad support, and his victory proved he could transcend the labels observers placed on the campaign.

“I was labeled pro-business,” Pease said. “The labels were stupid and shallow and didn’t have a lot of context.”

Jon DeHart and Matt Pohlman didn’t garner the same support, finishing seventh and fifth respectively. But though they did not win, their showings proved the growing influence of business interests on town government.

“This election showed that this town is definitely moving in a pro-business direction,” DeHart said.

Incumbent Jim Merritt, who ran his first full campaign after his 2008 appointment, finished sixth.

Since he was the only black council member, his loss raises the issue of representation, especially since a seat is up for appointment.

“There really is a strong tradition of Chapel Hill keeping one, and unfortunately only one, black person on the council,” said Ruby Sinreich, the founder of local political blog OrangePolitics.

Will Raymond finished last with only 1,462 votes, or 5.55 percent. Despite his loss — his third — he will likely continue his participation in town politics.

Staff writers Ben Allison, Chelsey Bentley, Matt Bewley, Julie Crimmins and Caitlin McGinnis contributed reporting.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.