I'm Jon, and I'm running for Chapel Hill Town Council.
Growth and development are the central issues facing voters in this election.
The question is, how do we align Chapel Hill’s growth with the values of our community?
Livability, sustainability, and affordability are important. Actionable plans based on those values are even better.
I’m running for Chapel Hill Town Council to put these ideas into action.
Endorsed by Chapel Hill leaders across roles and approaches
why vote Jon Mitchell for Town Council
Experienced.
I’m a recent chair (2022-2023) and third-longest serving current member of the Planning Commission. I know our local development policies inside and out, and I understand what we need to fix in order to achieve better long-term results.
Thoughtful.
I will continue supporting some growth, but I will also closely scrutinize the "how." If I’m not satisfied with a proposal or policy, I ask questions, seek alternatives, and demand better outcomes.
Meticulous.
I’m a bank regulatory lawyer by trade, with public and private sector experience. I engage with the details, in service of our broader goals.
Hear what Jon has to say about preserving tree canopy in Chapel Hill:
about Jon Mitchell
candidate for Town Council
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I'm a lawyer specializing in financial regulation, and a part-time stay-at-home dad
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I’ve worked as a federal banking regulator in Washington D.C. (3 years) before transitioning to private practice (8 years full-time)
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For the past six years, I’ve split my time between regulatory consulting projects and stay-at-home parenting of two children in the CHCCS system
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I had the privilege to serve as Chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission from 2022-2023
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I’m a policy person at heart, and genuinely love hearing different points of view
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My wife and I have been Chapel Hill residents for 8 years
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My primary (and favorite) mode of transportation is my e-bike
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In my spare time you can find me backcountry backpacking, gardening, fixing up the house, playing piano, or reading city planning books
"The chair of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission since 2022, Jon Mitchell understands the role growth and development will play in this election and the town’s future. We’d urge readers to give the avid e-biker, regulatory lawyer, and part-time stay-at-home dad a hard look; he’d likely bring a thoughtful, actionable approach to governing to the town council."
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ready to tackle Chapel Hill’s biggest challenges
Affordability.
We need to continue steadily building new housing to avoid becoming an enclave for the affluent only.
Livability.
A livable town is an affordable, walkable, and bikeable town with accessible amenities and employment opportunities for all. To this end, I support the development of mixed use, walkable neighborhoods connected by a signature greenway system. I am also committed to devising standards that prevent needless obliteration of the Town’s prized tree canopy.
Sustainability.
Our previous project-by-project planning approach has worked against our environmental goals. With smarter planning, we can reduce carbon emissions through better transportation alternatives and housing patterns, and identify the Town's highest value natural areas for preservation.
Lack of execution.
Implementation is hard, much harder than debating general ideas. I am especially well positioned to help the Town convert our ideas into reality.
Keeping our best interests in mind
My campaign is designed to serve the broadest swath of Chapel Hill residents, most of whom fall into one or more of the following categories:
Families
who want the Town to grow thoughtfully and in measured steps
Town workers
who struggle to afford living here
Residents
who want to bike or walk to school, work, etc. but lack safe routes to do so
Seniors
who want to age in place
UNC students
seeking better transportation alternatives and a pathway to becoming full-time residents after graduation
Long-time residents
concerned about the Town's traffic and sense of place
Nature lovers
who understand the need for natural areas in Town, and not just in the rural buffer
Young professionals
desperate to become first-time homeowners
Local businesses
seeking more foot traffic and more available local talent
Environmentalists
who are serious about carbon reduction
Citizens
who want our local government to work together better and meticulously implement its own stated plans
signature issue:
Implementing the Complete Community framework
In elections, candidates often spend their time focusing on what makes us different.
But you probably didn’t realize that just this past year, our local officials unanimously approved a plan to address the most contentious issue in Chapel Hill: development.
The Complete Community framework’s underlying values — livability, sustainability, affordability, and economic competitiveness — align 100% with my values, and likely also the values of most every other candidate in this race. Equity, diversity, jobs, climate, green space… they’re all baked into the framework. Chances are, you share these values too. Broadly speaking, most of us agree on what we want.
But implementing it is easier said than done. Just building out the plans and standards will require years of focus.
The number one pledge of my campaign is to implement the new framework swiftly, thoughtfully, and collaboratively, just as my colleagues and I on the Chapel Hill Planning Commission have already begun to do.
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Want to geek out some more with me? Continue reading all about the Complete Community framework.
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Need a nap? Consider donating to my campaign before catching a policy-induced snooze.
latest blog posts
Want my detailed thoughts on policy and local news? Look no further.
donate
The way we develop our housing and neighborhoods, and the way we connect our community via paths and transit, has the potential to reflect our shared values.
If you care about these issues, please consider donating to my campaign using the credit card form below.
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Your donation will help pay for campaign materials (signs, pamphlets), the cost of this website, and other efforts to reach voters.
...or, mail a check the old fashioned way
If you’d prefer to donate by check, please make it out to “Jon for Chapel Hill” and mail it to
216 Huntington Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
Don't forget to include your occupation and employer information on the check's "memo" line, as explained above.