Delaney Direct—Moving to the Center in Chatham

Voting, Affordable Housing, and the Rule of Law

Although I will not be on the ballot for reelection as a county commissioner in 2026, I am eager to see if The New York Times editorial board is correct that “The Partisans Are Wrong: Moving to the Center Is the Way to Win.” Maybe confirmation bias is at work, but I tend to agree with the editors’ thesis and these key points:

• “The evidence is vast” that “[c]andidates closer to the political center, from both parties, continue to fare better in most elections than those farther to the right or left.”

• Persuasion “remains far more effective than pursuing the fantasy that America has a latent left-wing or right-wing majority waiting to be inspired to turn out.”

• “Our political system works best when it includes politicians who are not beholden to either side’s orthodoxy and instead build coalitions to tackle major challenges.”

• “These lessons are especially urgent for Democrats.” (Bold in the original.)

• “Ultimately, moderation is about respect.”

Here are three opportunities for Chatham to find its moderate center and improve our community.

1. Switch to District Commissioner Voting. Democrats are rightly enraged by gerrymandering in the Trump era. In North Carolina, we seek an independent commission to replace Republicans’ undemocratic methods of drawing federal and state legislative districts. We even acknowledge that we introduced effective gerrymandering in NC decades ago—and should not have. But Chatham retains countywide voting to ensure that the 55% Democrat voting majority elects an all-Democrat Board when 2 of 5 commissioner districts would likely vote Republican. Moderate voices would say “we can, and want to, find middle ground with others.”

2. Recast Our Affordable Housing Strategy. The county has a growing deficit of 2,500 affordable rental units. Between April and August 2025, only 9% (59 of 622) of homes sold in Chatham were considered affordable (under 80% of the area median income). Almost no homes were available for those earning 30% of AMI ($34,700). A coalition bringing diverse input and ideas is needed to make progress in this area.

3. Embrace the Rule of Law. To borrow from A Man For All Seasons, Trump cuts a great road through the law to chase his devils. Damn Congress’s spending power, the President will cut employees, agencies, and departments at will. Damn international law, drug runners on speedboats will be military targets for extrajudicial killing. Damn the First Amendment and Congress, the President alone decides to deploy the military for domestic missions. Most Americans embrace a far more moderate view of our rule of law democracy. Democrats have to find those allies on national and local issues, follow the law, and hold ourselves accountable to distinguish ourselves from Trumpian autocracy.

I’m entering the final year of my commissioner term with hope that our Chatham community will find more common ground across traditional divides. In some ways, that’s a tall order. One group shows up for a Charlie Kirk vigil and a different one turns out for a No Kings rally. One local Republican leader tells me that party members have given up on being heard or represented by local elected officials.

Part of that failure of local democratic government is mine. I hope numerous people will step forward as candidates for District 3 in 2026 and share their vision for a more inclusive political environment here.

In the meantime, I will continue to try to make progress. Here are some ways to join discussions that I will co-lead:

• Community Conversation: Fair Share Affordable Housing for Chatham Wednesday, November 5, 6-8 p.m. at Chatham Grove Community Center, 1301 Andrews Store Road.

• Community Conversation: Bridging Political Divides Through Respect Wednesday, November 19, 6-8 p.m. at Chatham Historical Courthouse, 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro.