After falling short of earning election to the Chapel Hill Town Council two years ago, Erik Valera is preparing to run again.
Valera’s campaign formally announced Friday morning his plans to file and join the race for four seats on the elected body. The former member of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission said his goal is to restore trust in local government and create “meaningful opportunities for residents to engage with their local government.” On the policy side, Valera said he wants the town to use thoughtful land-use planning to create placemaking, increase housing opportunities, and spur support for local businesses.
In 2023, Valera finished sixth in a race between 10 candidates for four town council seats, tying with David Adams and being roughly 500 votes behind Elizabeth Sharp who earned the final seat. His policy goals largely aligned with the group of candidates promoting sustainable growth and adding density along high-traffic corridors, a key theme of the town’s adopted Complete Communities strategy. On his campus website, he said his platform this year largely remains the same and will also prioritize “practical steps to strengthen civic life, including expanding tools for public engagement, investing in staff training to de-escalate conflict, and creating new ways for neighbors to connect and support one another.”
An emphasis in his policy goals if elected, Valera says, would be aligning development with Chapel Hill’s natural features to best mitigate climate change while meeting community needs. He said he wishes to preserve floodplains, protect tree cover, and limit building in high-risk ecological areas while stating the town does not have to pick between growth and sustainability.
“If we grow with nature, we grow stronger — socially, economically, and environmentally,” he wrote.
Professionally, Valera works as a nonprofit consultant as the principal for his own company after holding leadership roles with El Centro Hispano, CommunityWorx, Youth Forward and the Diamante Arts & Cultural Center in the last eight years. His background also lies in public health, having worked as a research project manager at UNC’s School of Medicine before becoming a program director for the Latino Commission on AIDS — and he is also a practicing artist while sitting the board of the Orange County Arts Alliance. Through much of that work, Valera is also known as a passionate advocate for the immigrant community and has served on the North Carolina Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.
This year’s cycle features two open seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council, as current members Karen Stegman and Adam Searing each announced they will not seek another term. Incumbent Paris Miller-Foushee shared her intentions to file for re-election, while Councilor Camille Berry has not yet publicly shared her plans. In addition to Valera, Wes McMahon — a current member of the Chapel Hill Planning Commission — also plans to run for election once the filing period opens.
In North Carolina, the 2025 municipal election filing period 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 Valera For A Better Tomorrow.
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Nonprofit Consultant, Artist Erik Valera to Join Race for 2025 Chapel Hill Town Council Seat Chapelboro.com.
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