Northside resident and Planning Board member Donna Bell has won a seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council by a 6-2 vote.
She takes her seat at the next council meeting, filling a vacancy left when Bill Strom resigned in August.
New Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt joined council members Laurin Easthom, Sally Green, Ed Harrison, Penny Rich and Jim Ward in voting for Bell at a special meeting of the Town Council Monday night.
Several members of the council said they were concerned that with Jim Merritt’s loss in the fall election the council did not have adequate representation in the African American community and that Bell would be the best choice to fill that void.
Council members Matt Czajkowski and Gene Pease voted for Matt Pohlman, the fifth-place finisher in this fall’s council election. Pohlman had been a supporter of Czajkowski’s bid for mayor.
C’mon–what does Pohlman’s support for Czajkowski as mayor have to do with anything? I expect more of you all than this.