Why Lydia?

In Lydia's words:

"I believe I should be elected to one of the three seats that will be on the ballot for the Carrboro Board of Aldermen this fall. I am organized, efficient and levelheaded. I believe in community service and I get things done.

From an early age, I was a go-getter. At age three, I rode my tricycle 'to the office' every day, mimicking my dad, who is also an attorney. At age five I taught my younger sister how to read. In high school I persuaded my principal to start a girls' softball team and by college I was running all of the summer youth athletic programs in Athens, Ohio.

As a young adult, I continued my busy ways. While working for the city of Durham, I attended law school in the evening. Time management and prioritization were especially essential during this time.

While working for Durham, I learned how city government operated from the inside - from the nuts and bolts of putting together the budget, to long-term planning and objectives, to preparing for growth, to program implementations and to working with personnel matters. I know this experience would help me as an alderman.

As an attorney, I have been trained to think through problems analytically and critically. I research, assess, examine from the opposing view, argue for my position and move forward no matter what the outcome. I believe this is what our town leaders are elected to do.

I have lived in the Triangle area of North Carolina since 1983 and I have been serving my community in a variety of ways throughout my personal and professional life. I became a Carrboro resident on Jan. 31, 2006 when the town annexed my neighborhood, and I have worked steadily since then to learn about and serve this unique and wonderful community. Specifically, I chaired the Carrboro New Horizons Task Force and I serve on the Carrboro Planning Board.

If elected, my initial priorities would be to use my background and experience to nurture the town's open space and greenways efforts, to carefully steward Carrboro's growth and development, and to continue efforts to relieve the tax burden on town property owners.

Please feel free to e-mail me at lydia@lydialavelle.com or contact me at (919) 942-5640 with any questions, suggestions or comments."