Former Commissioner Diana Hales reflects on her eight years serving Chatham

Few people in Chatham County have as much knowledge about the intricacies and nuances of local government as Diana Hales.

During her eight years as Chatham County Commissioner, the now-75-year-old Hales oversaw historic changes that will affect the future trajectory of the county. From the removal of the Confederate monument in front of the Pittsboro Courthouse to paving the way for the likes of VinFast and Wolfspeed to change the economic future of the region, she voted on plenty of headline-making moments.

But to her, it isn’t those headline moments that define her two terms in office, but rather what Hales calls “the daily grind.” The things people don’t see — like the rezoning requests and tax policy changes — are what excited Hales about local government.

As Karen Howard, chairperson of the Chatham Commissioners, said at Hales’ final board meeting, “All the things we all value about Chatham but many of us take for granted,” Howard said, “Diana has had the foresight and fortitude to stand up and defend those things.”

Among her colleagues on the board, Hales earned notoriety for sending lengthy Sunday night email messages before Monday board meetings. Each was chock full of questions about agenda items and ideas for improving policies. Her colleagues also revered her as doing “the yeoman’s share” of the work on the board through a keen eye for detail.

It came as a bit of a surprise to some, then, when Hales announced she wouldn’t continue using that detailed approach in a third term on the board. She announced last December she wouldn’t seek reelection for the District 3 seat, citing age and a desire for “some younger vision” on the board.

She got her wish when fellow Democrat David Delaney, 51, won the seat over Republican challenger Tom Glendinning in November.

In a conversation this week with the News + Record, Hales reflected on the legacy she leaves behind on the board and her hopes for the new wave of local government in Chatham.

The following has been edited for clarity and brevity.

How would you reflect on your eight years as commissioner? How have you seen the county evolve over time?

It’s been a real opportunity to serve this county. That’s especially true when it feels like the county is growing on steroids. The pressures of being neighbors with the Triangle were never going to keep Chatham the quaint, rural place it was 20 years ago. With our proximity to Jordan Lake, Research Triangle Park, UNC, you name it, there was just no way to contain the inevitable growth.

That inevitable growth I saw coming is why I ran in 2014. I felt like the commissioners at the time weren’t seriously contemplating the future problems of the county. We had no zoning, no comprehensive planning and I felt there was no real strategy for the future. Karen Howard, Jim Crawford and I all ran in 2014 with the common vision of tackling these bigger-picture issues and establishing a common zoning policy. Luckily, we all won and that’s exactly what we did in the county.

Through the zoning, which was harmless to local businesses and property owners, along with the comprehensive land use plan, Plan Chatham 2017, I feel that we’re moving forward well and with a strong guide.

What is one thing from your time in office you’re most proud of? Why was it so important to you?

Hands down it was the removal of the Confederate monument in Pittsboro in 2019. It was essential and necessary that we removed it to make sure Chatham is a place for all residents.

I remember those public hearings so vividly — being escorted out of the board room and checking to make sure my tires weren’t slashed and the threatening phone calls to my home. But I knew in my heart it was the right thing, and so did my fellow board members. That monument was not there to honor the war dead, it was an in-your-face warning to Black people in our county ­— and that’s not how we honor the people and community of Pittsboro.

Many of us know the big things like Wolfspeed and VinFast, but what are some of the other goals you’re most proud of in your time on the board that the common person may not recognize as the work of commissioners?

Aside from county-wide zoning and Plan Chatham, there was also the third leg of land use in the county: the Unified Development Ordinance. While that’s still under planning, once it all comes together we will have a great roadmap for how we want the future of Chatham to look. And these aren’t highly visible, but it’s governance, though. That’s what this county needed to work on was simply governance.

I think I’m also proud of our establishment of a housing committee to look at improving our affordable housing stock in the county. That continues to be an elephant in the room for us though. After all this growth, where are the people in these workforce jobs going to live? We have 119 units that we’ve given land to developers for those units and obviously, there is still a long way to go. But we’re working on it and examining possibilities.

Of course, I am proud of the big two industries coming here in Wolfspeed and VinFast, but largely because I see what they’ll mean for our tax base. Right now, 90% of Chatham’s tax base is property tax. These industries are going to diversify that base to make it more commercial. The industries will also make sure we have less commuting and we can make Chatham a place to live and work instead of just one or the other.

The other thing I am proud of is Article 46 sales tax. That tax gives a 0.25% tax on sales purchases, which has helped us put more than $1,000,000 aside for various projects since last year. That includes things like affordable housing, education, parks amd recreation, etc. Personally, I’m very happy to have seen money from that tax go toward the Chatham Agricultural Preservation & Development Trust Fund, which will support agricultural preservation and development within Chatham County.

I’ve been a pretty staunch and vocal advocate for farmland preservation and ensuring those with farmland in the county can keep that land in their families for generations to come.

Now that you’re not serving on the board of commissioners, do you have plans to stay involved in the county?

Chatham certainly won’t be getting rid of me. I’ve already put in my application for several committees including working on farmland preservation and giving rights to young farmers in the county. I’m also very interested in Keeping America Beautiful, which helps to build and maintain green spaces. We voted to get involved with the national organization before the pandemic, but I will be on the board locally when that gets going again next year.

With David Delaney (Dist. 3) and Katie Kenlan (Dist. 4) joining the board for the new term, what are your hopes for this new board of commissioners?

I was very happy the election was as certain as it was. To me, it’s a huge benefit that Katie is a Chatham native — she went to our schools, she grew up here. Same thing with Franklin Gomez Flores (Dist. 5) who is also a product of our region. I think it’s fantastic to have the two youngest people on this board be the ones with the most experiential basis in the county.

On the other side, it’s also helpful to have someone like David who is a little bit newer to the county [Delaney has lived in Chatham for five years] because he understands the needs of future residents, which there will be many of as we grow in Chatham.

Going forward, you have to still understand what was before and have an appreciation for what Chatham was 30 years ago, or what was challenging 50 years ago. I think that appreciation can be served by someone who just moved into the county, but you need to be able to know the past to do something about it.

Reporter Ben Rappaport can be reached at brappaport@chathamnr.com or on Twitter @b_rappaport.