Council members, if you will take your seats.

Good evening, everyone.

Welcome to the December third organizational meeting for the Chapel Hill Town Council.

It's wonderful to welcome so many friends and family to the council chamber tonight, and we are all very pleased to have you here for this momentous occasion.

Up first, we'll be honoring Councilmember Adam Searing.

Um, then I'll be sworn in as mayor so that I can officiate the second half of the meeting.

Um we will then have a very, very, very short break, um, with just enough time for staff to switch the nameplates.

Um following the oaths of office, the new council has two quick new business items to attend to um immediately after the meeting, we'll host a small reception across the hall, and there will be cake, fruit, and beverages in the first floor conference room.

Um so first up.

Um all the twenty twenty-three, twenty twenty-five council members for their hard work.

Um and of course, in particular, I want to give a special thank you to outgoing member Councilmember Adam Searing for his service.

Um before we move on to a resolution to honor him and his contributions, um, I want to offer Adam a chance to make some comments.

And also I wanted to personally thank you for your kind words and your newsletter and elsewhere this week.

I very much appreciate that.

So thank you very much.

Um as anyone uh who has ever been to a council meeting knows I'm not never at a loss for words.

Um so and then thinking about uh what I would say tonight, uh I um was thinking about many different things.

And I thought about some topics, uh some which were perhaps more appropriate than others, but I thought about that my advocacy for downtown parking garages.

I thought, nah.

And then I thought about my deference and uh very easy questions for the members of our development community who come before us.

And I thought, nah.

And then I thought about my ability to never ever get worked up about any town issue.

And I was remaining perfectly calm.

And then I thought.

But while those are all really interesting topics, I do want to focus on a few of the best parts of the last four years.

So the first one really is the heart of what all of us I think here who are elected officials do, and that's serving our constituents.

And that has really been the uh best part for me of uh being uh an elected official here in Chapel Hill.

Um when our constituents contact us and try and get more from their government and their community.

Um I think of some of the examples over the last four years.

Uh, near the start of my term, there was a neighborhood that whose power was going out all the time, almost every uh big storm.

They uh had tried to contact various officials, uh folks from Duke Power, nothing could happen.

Um they called me, I said, Well, maybe I can help.

Uh I was able to assemble a meeting with officials from Duke Power and the town and the neighborhood, and we all sat down and and chatted and worked work things through.

And the company installed a bunch of new equipment, cut out a bunch of the trees, and solved the problem.

And I thought, you know, that was pretty neat.

That's what I signed up for.

Um talking to kids and families uh is another example who were worried about our skate park.

It was falling apart.

Um they wanted to fix it.

It took a while, but I kept showing pictures, as everybody up here knows of every skate park in every other community, and now uh the repairs are almost done, and and we're adding to it even as well.

So what a what a great thing to do as a as a council member.

Um and then finally, I this is such a small thing, but there was an older resident who contacted me and the sidewalk in front of her house.

She she it kept falling apart, kept getting washed out, and she had never been able to get it repaired.

And um I said, Well, why don't we get some of your neighbors and and you and the town staff together and we met and came up with a permanent solution?

And that's such a small thing, but really is the essence, I think, of what we do up here and what all my colleagues I know do as well.

So very mundane, but really good things to do as an elected official.

Um and the second thing is really uh that has been the greatest part of last week is getting to know our town staff.

Um that is really so great and such a privilege as an elected official to figure out how our town works and see the hard work that goes into making it work.

And you know, what other job could you uh request to go out at 5 a.m.

with the guys on the garbage trucks and pick up everybody's trash and see how hard they work and how important their work is to the community, or my colleague um council member McCullough and I are on the solid waste advisory committee and deal with this sort of thing, and it's so silly, you know.

You think why would anybody be interested in that?

But it's critical, it's critical to our community, and what a great thing to do.

And really that part of getting to know the staff, one of the best parts for me was um getting to give some awards and um see the promotions of our uh first responders, our police officers, and our firefighters.

What a privilege to be able to do that.

And I'm so happy to be able to honor those who who help us and put their lives on the line for us every day.

And then finally, I um especially the last couple years, I have really enjoyed working with you all, my fellow council members.

And I know we don't always agree on everything, um, but but however, we do agree on a lot of things, and we've got a lot of stuff done together.

And I think particularly in recent months hiring our great new town manager, um, town manager Bor Hees, said Boor Heath, um, working together on our dealing with the floods and the disasters in our community, um, you know, approving some more great affordable housing uh plans for some of the lowest income members of our community.

It has been really a pleasure, and I very, very much appreciate all of you.

Um, and then finally I'll just stop and I won't go on forever as I'm want to do, but uh I will say, you know, serving in local government can be a pretty thankless job.

There are a lot of people who don't participate in the election, don't bother to vote.

It's hard to get people who are willing to run.

And so I really salute our two new members and welcome them to the council.

What a what an important thing to be doing for our community, um being willing to do it.

I'm glad you are willing to step up.

I, for one, am happy to have done my four years and ready to step away and do other things.

You may be seeing me in other capacities around town.

I'm not going very far.

Um, but I'm very happy to do it.

I want to thank the um voters of Chapel Hill, the residents of Chapel Hill for letting me do it, and my colleagues as well.

So thank you very much.

Up next, we have a resolution of appreciation for council member searing um to be read by council member Elizabeth Sharp.

Um would the two of you please proceed to the podium.

So when Adam suggested that I might read this, he said um he thought he should ask me because he got me into this mess.

Um I uh I think I have no one to blame but myself, but it is really been um an honor to serve beside you, and um it's always been very apparent that you did this job for all of the right reasons, and that is always um uh can bring the rest of us back to center.

So thank you for that.

All right, a resolution to honor and thank Councilmember Adam Searing for his dedicated service to the people of Chapel Hill and his commitment to community well-being and public engagement.

Whereas Councilmember Adam Searing has served the town of Chapel Hill as a town council member since December eighth, twenty twenty-one, and his term will conclude on December third, twenty twenty-five.

And whereas Adam brought the council a strong voice for environmental stewardship, public health, fiscal sustainability, and transparent governance, consistently advocating for the well-being of Chapel Hill residents, and whereas he demonstrated a deep commitment to parks and recreation, championing improvements to public spaces and supporting initiatives such as improvement and expansion of skate park facilities and expanded recreational opportunities for youth and families, and whereas Adam actively engaged with the public through community outreach, fostering transparency and encouraging civic participation, and whereas he consistently provided an independent perspective that enriched council deliberations.

Now, therefore it be it resolved by the mayor and council of the town of Chapel Hill that we honor and thank Councilmember Adam Searing for his dedicated service, advocacy for parks, public health, fiscal sustainability, and environmental justice, and his unwavering commitment to the people of Chapel Hill.

We further resolve that Chapel Hill is a stronger and more engaged community because of Councilmember Searing's leadership.

This the third day of December 2025.

Thank you.

That brings us to the office to the oath of office for the 2025 to 2027 mayor.

This happens before the council members are sworn in so that I can continue to run the meeting in the second part.

Tonight I have the true honor of being sworn in by district court judge for Orange and Chatham Counties, Hathaway Pendergrass.

Judge Prendergrass, would you please join me up front?

Yeah.

Okay.

All right, you can repeat after me.

I Jessica Anderson.

I Jessica Anderson.

Do solemnly affirm.

Do solemnly affirm.

That I'll support and maintain.

That I will support and maintain.

The Constitution and laws of the United States.

The Constitution and laws of the United States.

And the Constitution and laws.

And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina.

Of North Carolina.

Not inconsistent therewith.

Not inconsistent therewith.

And that I will faithfully.

And that I will faithfully discharge the duties.

Discharge the duties of my office.

Of my office as mayor.

As mayor.

For the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

For the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

They say I'm legit.

We'll have a very short break, about three to five minutes.

Um, just enough to stand up and stretch.

Um, in coming council members, you will stay in the audience.

Um, until you've taken your oath of office.

I don't know.

That's the open.

Hello, everyone.

I'd like to call the meeting back to order.

Um, before we get started again, I want to remind all members of the new council that immediately following this meeting, we'll be taking some group photos.

Um, so please stay up here at the dais when we're done.

You may not escape.

Um, during that time, everyone else is invited.

Oh, I heard another mayor back there.

Hey, Mayor I couldn't resist.

Um, during that time, everyone else is invited to head across the foyer to the first floor conference room for a light snack or cake.

Um, we are now ready to have each of the council member elects take their oaths of office so that everyone knows what to expect.

Um, I'll be inviting each new member elect up front individually, and we'll be going in alphabetical order.

Um, once a council member has been sworn in and the pictures have been taken and they've signed over at the clerk's desk.

Um, they will take their seat at the dais.

Um, at that time, if they so wish, we invite them to make brief remarks, um, one or two minutes.

So then I will then call up the next person to be sworn in.

To get us started, I'd like to ask Camille Barry along with District Court Judge Hathaway Pendergrass up front.

You raise your right hand for me.

I Camille Barry.

I Camille Barry.

Do solemnly affirm to solemnly affirm that I will support and maintain that I will support and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States.

Not inconsistent therewith.

And then I will faithfully and then I will faithfully discharge the duties of my office.

As town council member.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Come here.

I want to say thank you.

Thank you to everyone who participates in our democracy.

Thank you for voting.

If you were eligible to vote, thank you for helping others to vote.

It is the eve of twenty twenty-six, and we all need to.

We need to encourage everyone to make sure that they are eligible, that they have done everything that they must to vote.

It is the most precious gift that we were given by those before us who died for that privilege.

And I'm so honored to serve once again.

And that was my family, my extended family, because my blood family couldn't be here tonight.

I have a lot of extended family here.

And we have to remember that.

Next up, I would like to call uh council member elect Wes McMahon along with former Chapel Hill Mayor, current clerk of Superior Court, Mark Kleinschmidt.

Mr.

Okay, repeat after me.

I Wesley McMahon.

I Wesley McMahon do solemnly affirm.

Do solemnly affirm that I will support and maintain.

That I will support and maintain the Constitution and Laws.

Of the United States.

Of the United States.

And the Constitution and Laws.

And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina.

Of North Carolina.

Not inconsistent therewith.

Not inconsistent therewith.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

The duties of my office.

The duties of my office.

As town council member.

As town council member.

Of the town of Chapel Hill.

Of the town of Chapel Hill.

Congratulations, Councilmember.

Thank you.

Thank you all for coming out tonight.

It is a incredible honor and privilege to take this role.

Not many times do you swear to do something on the Constitution in the United States and in North Carolina.

And I think in this day and age, we are in short supply of swearing on the Constitution.

One of the things that the uh town manager gave us to read was a book about how to lead a local community.

And one of the phrases in there was we can't control a lot of things like luck and the environment and things outside of town, but one thing we can control is the integrity of our process.

And I believe I'm here to uphold integrity of the process of the work we do in town and integrity is also in short supply.

So I look forward to um helping our town do this because our nation is short on integrity and swearing to oaths.

And I am happy and proud to do this work.

Thank you.

Next up, I would like to invite council member elect Paris Miller Fuchee, along with along with district court judge Joel Brown.

All right.

We shall begin.

I, Paris Miller Fushi.

I, Paris Miller Fushi, do solemnly affirm, do solemnly affirm that I will support.

That I will support and maintain the Constitution and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States.

And the laws of the United States.

And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina.

And the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina.

Not inconsistent therewith.

Not inconsistent therewith.

And that I will.

And that I will faithfully discharged.

Faithfully discharge.

The duties of my office.

The duties of my office.

As town council member.

As town council member of the town of Chapel Hill.

Of the town of Chapel Hill.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

First, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the candidates on a successful election and re-election to office.

And I really want to share my feelings of gratitude.

First, to the Chapel Hill community.

You've given me a second term to continue this work.

The work of ensuring our growth is smart, the work of building the town that is truly affordable for the people who make it run, the work of protecting our community from climate threats.

And if you've ever held elected office, you know, service is filled with a profound weight of responsibility.

And I look forward to finding ways to work with the town manager, with town staff, and my colleagues, and channel our energy and ideas into building a better community for everyone to my volunteers.

Time's a heart out there.

And if you so much as rub two pennies together to donate to this campaign, I want to say thank you.

To my village.

It is a place where culture lives, adapts, and sometimes dies, but always tells the story of who we are.

So when I stumble, you support me and bring me back to our roots of faith, morality, and integrity.

To my campaign team, each of you are leaders in your own respect.

And the fact that you decided to join or rejoin this re-election campaign is an honor.

Through your leadership, I've continued to grow, and together, we are building a movement that centers affordability, the needs of working class people, climate justice, and equity.

Thank you for believing in me and to my family.

I use that term in the broadest way possible, because some of you are truly family, and you know who you are and how you show up.

To my husband, I'm sorry the house is the mess.

Campaigns are hard, but the good news is that it's over.

Uh to my son, you are my why.

Anyone who has a ch has children, anyone who has a beating heart, attuned to the challenges we face, understands what I mean.

I think about my 13-year-old son, and I feel the urgency of building a better world for him, a better world for us.

So let's continue to build.

Thank you.

On the oath.

So see how you do.

Oh.

You would raise your right hand.

Okay, Mr.

Thank you.

I was a subtle.

I was trying to give you a subtle thing about that.

So, Mr.

Rivers, please repeat after me.

I, Louis Rivers the Third.

I, Louis Rivers III.

Do solemnly swear.

Do solemnly swear.

That I will support and maintain.

I will support and maintain the constitution and laws, the constitution and laws of the United States.

Of the United States.

And the Constitution and Laws and the Constitution and Laws of North Carolina.

Of North Carolina.

Not inconsistent therewith.

Not inconsistent therewith.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

And I will faithfully discharge the duties of my office.

The duties of my office.

As town council member.

As town council members.

Of the town of Chapel Hill.

Of the town of Chapel Hill.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations, Councilmember.

I don't think so.

While we're waiting for Councilmember Rivers, I just want to um really appreciate our judges.

We have the best judges, don't we?

And clerks, obviously, and clerks, thank you for correcting.

I just want to say thank you.

Echo what Camille said that next year is really important, that we need to come out and vote.

So I think a lot of us have flex that vote in muscle this year.

So it's critical that we do it next year.

And I suspect that these will not be easy times for our community.

Considering what's happening in the country was concerned with happening to our climate, but I am sure that with the town staff and with our colleagues, we can start making headway and make sure that Chapel Hill sees this way through these difficult times.

Thank you.

Now that everyone has been sworn in, our first order of business is to elect a mayor pro tem.

Uh for our audience, it has been a long-standing practice in Chapel Hill for the council to appoint a council member to this position who has the most seniority and has not served in this capacity before.

This year it's my understanding that council members wish to continue that tradition.

Council members, do I have a motion?

I'd like to move councilwoman Barry, be mayor pro ten.

Oh second.

Move by Councilmember Ryan, seconded by Councilmember McMahon.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed, please say nay.

Motion is unanimous.

Next, we will vote to approve the appointments for various council liaison and representatives to town and outside boards and committees.

As I was working on it up until then.

So may I have a motion to adopt?

So moved.

Second.

Motion by Councilmember Ryan, seconded by Councilmember Barry.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed, please say nay.

Motion is unanimous.

I'm having a hard time calling on people because I was used to where you were.

So just gonna have to get used to that.

Um I'd like to um to make some brief comments, and then I promise we will get you to cake.

Um friends and neighbors.

Um thank you for being here tonight and supporting your family members and friends who have been sworn in.

And your willingness to encourage, understand, and sometimes sacrifice makes our service possible.

And we know you roll your eyes sometimes too, and that's okay.

A special thank you to my partner in all things, Carthick, and my kids, Elena and Nico.

They do so many things to support each other, me, and our town, and they inspire me to keep pushing for the future that we all want for our families.

And to Jeannie Brown, who works tirelessly to keep me organized, focused, and on time as much as she can.

Her commitment to this town is truly commendable.

And she has served in the mayor's office for a decade now with integrity and endless hard work.

When I first ran for mayor two years ago, I made two promises that have guided every decision I've made and that will continue to guide my decisions for the future.

First, to be a mayor for all.

These accomplishments show that Chapel Hill can overcome obstacles and still stay true to our values of equity, sustainability, and community.

And they demonstrate that our complete community vision is beginning to come to life.

We are creating neighborhoods where people can live, work, and play within walking distance.

We are adding more diverse housing so families of different incomes can build a life here.

And our greenways are providing more than just recreation.

They are becoming the backbone of a town where mobility is safe, connected, and climate friendly.

Looking ahead, one of my goals, which I believe we all share, is to keep this momentum going, implementing complete community with fidelity.

Another is to model what healthy democracy looks like.

Listening respectfully to one another, working collaboratively to make thoughtful decisions, and engaging the public in ways that reflect our shared values.

And as a policy professional and a nerd, I am eager to see us continue as a board to focus our energy on transparent, data-driven decisions that help bring our complete community vision to life and earn the trust of our community as we go along the way.

Finally, at a time when our community faces social, economic, and environmental challenges, our response must continue to be rooted in care.

We will need to support one another in new ways, step up when systems fall short, and ensure no one is left behind.

What makes Chapel Hill strong isn't just our plans or policies.

Chapel Hill has always been a place where neighbors rise to challenges together.

Let us stay committed to housing that is accessible, greenways that connect us, a downtown that is thriving, a resilient and inclusive local economy, and a culture of care that guides us forward.

If we do, Chapel Hill won't just meet the challenges ahead.

We will build a future worthy of the generations to come.

And now, in that spirit, it is my honor to present your 2025 to 2027 Chapel Hill Town Council.

At this time, I ask council to stay at the dies for some pictures for our guests.

You are welcome to head across the hall for light refreshments.

And with that, our meeting is adjourned.