Kevin Foy issued this statement this afternoon:
Foy Won’t Seek Re-election this Fall
I’ve been a member of the Chapel Hill Town Council for the past twelve years, and I’ve been Mayor for the past eight years. Being Mayor of Chapel Hill is the best job in North Carolina, because you get to meet and talk with so many people from around the state, you get to work with an exceptionally qualified professional staff, and you see so much interest in issues from people in the community. Besides all that, you always have something amazing to celebrate – like (only in the last couple weeks) a national championship at UNC, a national idol – Anoop Desai—, and high school students who analyze and challenge the town’s commitment to environmental protection.
I’ve given a lot of thought to whether I should ask voters to elect me again this Fall. But because I have accomplished the things that I set out to do when I first ran for Mayor in 2001, I am not going to run for re-election this year.
When I asked voters to elect me in 2001, I set out some fundamental themes that would guide me:
1) protect the natural environment;
2) respect and nurture the community’s commitment to education; and
3) keep our community a welcoming place that values diversity.
Chapel Hill has made a lot of progress on each of these goals. One of the joys of my time in office has been the extent to which our community has embraced and focused on making each of these a priority. For example, we have expanded environmental protection, especially near streams (including the 750 acres of open space in our inventory); we have strengthened our ties with UNC; and we have added hundreds of units of housing that are affordable to teachers, nurses, and police officers.
Lots of other things have also come up over the course of my time as mayor. First among them has been the Council’s responsibility to hire a new manager. Roger Stancil is an excellent manager and we are fortunate to have him. He and the town staff are among the best in the nation. We have objective proof of that because we see examples all the time – just one being the way our police department, fire department, parks and recreation, transit, public works, and communications office adroitly manage an event like Halloween.
Anyone who serves in a position like mine understands how difficult it can be to move on, because there are always new challenges to face. But it is time for another person to lead in Chapel Hill. I look forward to our future, and I am confident that Chapel Hill will continue to be a great place to live, work, and go to school.