Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

I was raised and educated in New York City, where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute and a Master of Arts in Communication Technology at New York University. I lived in Ft Lauderdale and New Orleans before moving to Chapel Hill with my family in 1998. I am currently a small business owner and a food columnist for Southern Neighbor and other print and broadcast media. I have been married to Christopher Voorhees for 17 years and have two sons, Mikko, a rising-9th grader at Chapel Hill High School and Brody a rising-7th grader at Smith Middle School.  My mother, Jacky Rich, also resides with the family.

I am an active volunteer for the Inter-Faith Council's Community Kitchen, and serve on the Ironwoods Home Owner's Association where I chair the Neighborhood Impact Committee.  I was a member of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) Board of Directors from 2001-2007, and held the positions of vice chair, secretary of the board, chairperson of the human resources committee, and chairperson of the natural resources committee.  I also served on the OWASA community outreach, art, and property committees.  I am a former member of the Chapel Hill Technology Advisory Committee and the SGC at Seawell Elementary School.  I served as President of the Chapel of the Cross Pre-School Board of Directors where I was also the fundraising chairperson.  I am a member of the North Carolina Sierra Club, the NRG - Chapel Hill, and Orange Democratic Women.

I have never been a bystander. I have always worked to make my community a better place.  In my opinion, that is the responsibility of an elected official, and that is why I am asking for your vote on November 3rd. I have lived in Chapel Hill since 1998 and am proud to call it my home. I love Chapel Hill for many reasons, but most of all for the people that, like me, call it home. Chapel Hill is an amazing town, and we all have a responsibility to ensure that it remains a beautiful place for our children and grandchildren. With this in mind I have focused my vision for Chapel Hill on sustainability:  environmental stewardship, economic growth and social responsibility. One issue that I encounter repeatedly as I speak to citizens is "how will we handle our growing population"? I believe we must have a vision for the future of Chapel Hill. We must have a holistic approach to growth and density that emphasizes citizen input and continually revisits planning documents to ensure that they accurately reflect the needs of the community. We must manage the little space that is available to us in an intelligent manor. I believe we need more affordable and entry-level housing for our workforce, young professionals and young families.  We need to focus spending on our local businesses and provide assistance to start-up companies who wish to locate in Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill should be a more bike and pedestrian friendly town. Dedicating bicycle and pedestrian lanes will serve to reduce vehicle miles traveled. We must protect our open spaces, our natural resources and our historic districts to preserve the Chapel Hill that we know and love.  Lastly, I believe we need to increase the accessibility of local government, so that every citizen has a voice that is heard, valued and respected.