CARRBORO, N.C. – Carrboro welcomed Barbara Foushee as the town’s new mayor on December 5th, 2023.
Though it is her first time in the mayoral seat, Foushee says she has always had a passion public service.
“I have been a community activist, a community engager, for many years before I came to the elected seat. I love service. I love serving people,” Mayor Foushee says.
Foushee previously served on the Carrboro Town Council from 2017 to 2023.
She was energized to run after former Mayor Damon Seils announced he would not seek re-election.
She won the seat in an unopposed race, and ultimately became Carrboro’s first Black woman mayor.
Foushee campaigned on community engagement, housing affordability, and racial equity, much of which she hopes to act on through pursuing the Carrboro Comprehensive Plan.
“We are currently working to get some of that low-hanging fruit from the comprehensive plan. We don’t want a plan that sits on the shelf, and this council is hard at work to make sure that what went into that comprehensive plan comes into action into the community,” she says.
The Carrboro Comprehensive Plan outlines the town’s “vision for the future” and an “implementation strategy” to see this through.
“In addition to the Carrboro Connects plan, there’s also an implementation plan. And, so, periodically, town staff will come to us and just kind of let us know how things are going and how these plans are being implemented,” Foushee says.
The Carrboro Comprehensive Plan is set to be fully implemented by 2042.