Bio

I am Dr. María Teresa Unger Palmer, a 30+ year resident, mother, and grandmother of Orange Co. residents.

I ran for Commissioner in the primary to work for the safety of all my community, alleviate the affordability crisis, and address our over-reliance on property taxes and the inequitable property revaluations’ impact on our Black communities.

I came to the US as an exchange student in 1978, married Micheal, and made the South my home. I have worked as teacher, pastor, principal, chaplain, university administrator, and most recently a family support coordinator for organ transplantation in hospitals across NC.

I founded the Hispanic congregation at United Church of Chapel Hill and started Mi Escuelita, the first Spanish immersion daycare in the Triangle. I completed my doctorate in Education at UNC and helped bring language immersion to CHCCS.

I have worked to register voters and elect progressive democrats to office for decades, and served as precinct co-chair of Orange Co.’s Weaver Dairy precinct. I have served in state and local positions including as an Orange Co. Human Rights Commissioner, a member of Chapel Hill Town Council, and as a member of the State Board of Education.

6,802 Orange Co. residents gave me their vote in March, and many others urged me to run again after expressing that they were already pledged to Jamezetta, but would like to see us both on the board. I believe all my training and experience have prepared me to continue my public service on the County Commission.

Question 1

Being an Orange County Commissioner is a significant commitment of time. In addition to attending Board Meetings, there are Work Sessions and retreats. Preparation for meetings typically includes reading packets that can be several hundred pages long. Each Commissioner serves on 5-7 Boards and Commissions, most of which meet monthly. Commissioners also attend numerous community events.

Do you have the available bandwidth required to meet the demands of the position? What approaches will you use to balance the commitment required to ensure you are effective in the role?

I have recently retired and do occasional contract work, so I have the time to devote to public service. Having served on multiple boards and commissions while working full time and raising a family, I am certain I have the bandwidth and energy necessary to do the work of County Commissioner.

Question 2

Orange County depends heavily on residential property taxes, while nearby counties such as Durham, Wake, and Alamance have developed larger commercial, industrial, retail, or employment-based tax bases.

What specific strategies would you support to diversify Orange County’s revenue base without undermining our environmental, educational, and community values so that homeowners are not repeatedly asked to carry the primary burden?

We need to think outside the box and bring businesses and industry that help us solve some of the problems we face while at the same time bringing good paying jobs and tax revenue. For example, what if we made manufactured homes in Orange County to bring building costs down? We could pre-approve certain designs, as Mississippi and Louisiana did after Katrina, and work with local builders, Durham Tech, and the Chamber of Commerce to train local workers.

What about making Orange Co. a sports destination that brings tournaments and tourism dollars? There are opportunities in every sport, from Volleyball to Pickleball. What about micro-loans to seed new business ventures, allowing farmers to diversify their income. We need to incentivize creative ideas and support entrepreneurship.

Question 3

Orange County supports two separate public school systems despite limited tax revenue outside of residential property taxes.

Would you support a study which gives consideration to a hybrid service model regarding the sharing of central office functions, transportation, purchasing, technology services, or specialized staff to reduce costs while maintaining or improving educational quality for all students? Please explain why or why not.

Absolutely. Having served on the NC State Board of Education, I have seen every possible model for collaboration (such as regional consortia in WNC) and studied them as part of my Ed. D. in Educational Leadership. There are many cost-saving models that also benefit all our children through increased access to specialized programs. Orange Co. can and must be a center for educational innovation.

Question 4

Orange County faces a growing affordability challenge. Rising housing costs make it difficult for teachers, first responders, county employees, young families, and recent graduates to live in the communities they serve. This also contributes to declining school enrollment and places additional pressure on homeowners to fund county services through property taxes. Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order No. 36 calls for increasing housing opportunities and affordability across North Carolina.

What specific actions would you take as a county commissioner to increase the supply of affordable and workforce housing while preserving Orange County’s environmental resources and quality of life? Where do you see access to water and sewer capacity fitting into your vision for the county?

Sustainable development that addresses climate change and provides much-needed housing is one of my top three agenda items. I will work with our municipalities to encourage more dense, urban development and multimodal transportation and development corridors linking our towns. I will bring to the table UNC, Durham Tech, the Chamber of Commerce, and non-profit housing providers, and invest in partnerships that preserve and develop affordable (especially employee/workforce) housing, Expanding access to water and sewer is a must for our urban areas so that we can attract new businesses, expand our tax base and address our housing crisis.

I have served on the Chapel Hill Town Council, so I’m very familiar with issues of development, particularly in my district (Southern Orange County), and look forward to working on the development of the Green Tract and bringing expertise gained from working on the Land Use Management Ordinance in Chapel Hill to the County’s work on land-use.