Lydia Lavelle

Lydia E. Lavelle is an American academic and politician. She was the mayor of Carrboro, North Carolina, from 2013 to 2021, and is a professor of law at North Carolina Central University. She was first elected mayor in 2013, after serving on the Board of Aldermen of Carrboro for six years from 2007 to 2013. When she was elected, she became the first openly-lesbian mayor in North Carolina. She served on the board of the North Carolina Metropolitan Mayors Coalition and on the North Carolina Commission on Inclusion, to which she was appointed in 2018. As a law professor, she has researched the effects of anti-discrimination laws on LGBT people. In 2015, after receiving their marriage certificate, they held a public celebration of their marriage. She then clerked for Clifton E. Johnson, North Carolina Court of Appeals judge from 1993 to 1995, and spent several years in private practice with Kevin Foy, who was mayor of Chapel Hill from 2001 to 2009.

Positions As a result of her research and her identity, she has led Carrboro in promoting policies inclusive of LGBT people and others. She has opposed raids by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, alongside her counterpart in neighboring Chapel Hill, Pam Hemminger. She has also expressed an interest in continuing the development of public transportation in the region. Candidate Votes % Michelle Johnson 2,196 29.89 Lydia Ellen Lavelle 2,191 29.82 Dan Coleman 1,907 25.95 Braxton Foushee 987 13.43 Write-In (Miscellaneous) 69 0.91