Chapel Hill Town Councilor Adam Searing will not be running for re-election this fall, he announced on Thursday morning.
Searing, a nonprofit and health care attorney whose four-year term on the elected body is set to end this winter, shared the decision in his newsletter and described the local political climate as a major factor.
“My day job is in the polarized cauldron of national health care politics, so you’d think dealing with running a council election in a progressive college town of 60,000 wouldn’t seem such a heavy lift,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, we’ve made it exactly that.”
Searing earned election to the town council in 2021 after running on a platform of more transparency from the local government, more streamlined spending and protecting green spaces while investing in parks. He took part in approving a wave of affordable housing projects and efforts in town while also being critical of most other development, serving as a contrarian to the town’s efforts in 2022 to develop a planning framework for sustainable growth and more housing options. In 2023, he campaigned for the Chapel Hill mayorship as Pam Hemminger departed — sharing a similarly-critical message of the town’s development approaches compared to Jess Anderson, who ran on continuing such work. Searing earned roughly 41% of the vote compared to Anderson’s 59%, and the bloc of town council candidates running with him saw just one — Elizabeth Sharp — elected.
In his newsletter, Searing said the imbalance between the workload of serving on council and discourse around local politics made his choice to not run for a third time “an easy one.” He cited perceived personal attacks against him and family members, extensive questionnaires asked by “special interest groups” during campaigns, “well-funded anonymous-donor political group activity,” and social media where “any questioning of impractical or unpopular ideas can quickly lead to accusations of racism or sexism.”
Searing closed with the caveat that he has enjoyed working with his peers on the council and appreciates the work public officials do to help the local government function, while also acknowledging there is “plenty of unfinished business” on efforts he will still remain committed to following and supporting. He indicated his goal after leaving elected office is to make a difference in the community by doing more hands-on, tangible service.
“I know lots of folks who I’ve had the pleasure to work with and get to know over the last few years will be disappointed in my decision,” Searing wrote. “And I share that feeling. But we’ve created a local political gauntlet where the price demanded for participating – personally, reputationally, and professionally – far outweighs my strong commitment to public service. I’d rather put that commitment into activities like trail building, coaching youth sports, raising money for community projects, pro-bono legal work and so on.”
Searing becomes the third of four Chapel Hill Town Council members whose terms expire this fall to share their plans moving forward. He joins Karen Stegman in leaving the council, as Paris Miller-Foushee launched her re-election campaign earlier this month. Camille Berry has yet to share her intentions for the fall, while one challenger has already publicly launched their campaign: Chapel Hill Planning Board member Wes McMahon.
The filing period for the 2025 municipal election cycle in North Carolina begins the morning of Monday, July 7 and will run through 12 p.m. of Friday, July 18. Election Day for the 2025 municipal elections will be Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Featured photo via Paris For Chapel Hill Town Council.
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Chapel Hill Town Council’s Adam Searing Not Seeking Second Term, Cites ‘Heavy Lift’ of Local Governing Chapelboro.com.
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