I’ve been wracking my brain all afternoon trying to find a way to make “Searing” and “no drama” rhyme. But that sort of
whimsey wouldn’t impress Adam Searing, and that touches on what’s so quietly impressive about the man. Searing’s fact-based, pragmatic approach to solving problems is only one of many reasons I’m voting for him for mayor.
Since he was first elected to Chapel Hill Town Council in 2021, Searing has been the adult on the dais. He takes his responsibilities seriously. He has an excellent brain, and he puts its full power to use in approaching issues directly, then analyzing, strategizing and problem-solving to find the best solutions as our town grows.
A nonprofit lawyer and health advocate, Searing has made a career fighting the good fight and helping people passionately on opposite sides of an issue find a resolution. He comes to council meetings having done his homework. He listens to his constituents and colleagues and leverages staff expertise. He screens out the sniping of politics and personalities going on around him and focuses on what matters most to people who live here or want to live here.
Searing is well aware we pay three times the property taxes that homeowners in Durham and Wake County towns pay, yet Chapel Hill doesn’t have enough money to pay for the basics as we grow — firetrucks and street repaving, as well as playgrounds for children of different abilities or those who like to spend their outdoor time skateboarding. He has learned from other municipalities that eliminating single-family zoning increases the cost of housing all over town.
He knows the physical and mental health benefits of having green space, and he wants it available to people who don’t have a car or the budget for membership fees. He knows we don’t have to pit affordable housing against environmental protection.
Searing takes practical stands: Don’t build housing on a toxic coal ash dump without cleaning it up first. Involve UNC in supplying housing for students off campus as the university increases enrollment. Make room for people of all income levels. Work opportunities are spread over a wide pay spectrum; we need housing opportunities to match.
Over the years, Searing has received many awards, including from President Barack Obama, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Indy Week newspaper. Locally, he’s supported by an army of community leaders, including a highly respected former mayor. Searing is a strong leader who amplifies voices others often ignore.
To make the changes we need to see, he’ll need a backup band of council members. Searing has identified four council candidates — Elizabeth Sharp, Breckany Eckhardt, David Adams and Renuka Soll — who will bring diverse perspectives to issues. Sharp is a small business owner, Eckhardt works in tech, Adams is a retired cancer researcher and Soll is an anti-gun activist who chairs the town’s Parks and Greenways Commission.
Please join me in voting for: Adam Searing for mayor; and, for Town Council: Elizabeth Sharp, Breckany Eckhardt, David Adams and Renuka Soll.
Election Day is Nov. 7. Early voting starts in Chapel Hill on Thursday, Oct. 26. You’ll need to show a photo ID to vote this year.
