The Election, Women's History Month and an update from the U.S. Capitol. March 8, 2026

March is Women's History Month, and March 8 is International Women's Day.

Pictured below are several of the many North Carolina women who are deeply dedicated to serving our community - and making history while doing so.

Congratulations to the women (and all) candidates* who will proceed to the General Election in November. Once elected, I look forward to working with them to build stronger communities and defend our rights.

And, pictured immediately below are two women who are no longer with us - yet continue to inspire me with their tenacity, intelligence, loyalty and work ethic. I called each of them "Mom".

Finally, this update provides a recap of February's visit to Washington, D.C. and Capitol Hill. The bottom line? County issues are shared issues - and together, counties are voicing the needs and concerns of residents with our federal representatives.

Marilyn

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*For full primary results for Orange County,

visit the Election Results page at the

 NC Board of Elections

Alice overcame poverty in a single-parent household to excel in school and become a registered nurse.

Akhtar emigrated to the U.S. as an adult. When she was 12 years old, she had to leave school to help care for her siblings.

Pictured (clockwise, from top left):: U.S. Rep Valerie Foushee, NC Justice Anita Earls, Judge Christine Walczyk, Orange County School Board Members Ann Purcell and Sarah Smylie, former Chapel Hill Town Council Member Karen Stegman, Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford, and NC Rep. Renée Price.

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COMMISSIONERS FROM ACROSS THE U.S. MET WITH CONGRESS TO DISCUSS BIPARTISAN ISSUES FACING COUNTIES

On February 21 - 24, the National Association of Counties (NACo) hosted nearly 2,000 County Commissioners and Staff from across the country at their Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C.

At the conference, I represented Orange County together with Commissioner Phyllis Portie-Ascott. 

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners had the largest delegation in the nation, and we met with Senator Ted Budd and Senator Thom Tillis' staff. We also visited with Rep. Valerie Foushee's staff.

County issues were not partisan - they were shared issues.

There was bipartisan alignment on many of the county issues in discussions at the state and national level.

Conference attendees focused on legislation in a number of areas, including:

Stopping further "Cost Shifting" from the federal government to states and counties:

• Last year's H.R. 1 threatens the well-being of residents receiving nutrition benefits (SNAP) and health covering via Medicaid Expansion.

• In Orange County, the cost of administering SNAP will increase by $900K per year - in a budget year when other costs are rising fast.

• Counties pushed for a delay in implementation of H.R. 1..

Supporting flexible federal investment in housing, health, and human services by:

• Increasing funding for housing programs that benefit low- and moderate-income residents. (On Feb. 26, Senator Ted Budd introduced legislation to expand and modernize eligibility requirements for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program).

• Enabling flexibility for counties to use funds for substance use prevention and recovery and increasing funding for behavioral health urgent care.

• Allowing individuals in custody to continue receiving Medicaid health benefits, and reducing the number of people with mental illness in county jails by supporting crisis diversion efforts.

• It is noteworthy that Orange County has funded the work of the Post-Overdose Response Team (PORT) and, in partnership with our municipalities, has implemented the innovative Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) team.

Reforming Disaster Recovery:

• Modernize mitigation programs, implement a universal disaster application and publish a public assistance dashboard.

• Transition from a reimbursement-based model to a grant-based model for FEMA public assistance.

Funding Farmland Preservation:

• In counties across the country, in NC and here in the Piedmont, farmland loss is accelerating as the demand for housing continues to grow.

• Counties pressed for federal supports for Conservation Easements and other farmland preservation measures.

The North Carolina delegation further focused on:

The urgent need for counties to prepare for the impacts of data centers:

• Counties that are homes to data centers emphasized the potential impacts for residents.

• As the explosive growth of artificial intelligence drives data center numbers and scale, the demands for electricity and water infrastructure can affect utility bills, water quality and noise levels. 

• Thoughtful land use policies can mitigate these impacts, and on March 5, I introduced an agenda item for the Board to direct staff to investigate and provide options for addressing data centers in our Land Use Plans. More on this topic to come in a future update.

Taxing authority and the implications for education:

• County association directors from states that included FL, TX, OH, and NC shared that there are national efforts underway to limit the taxing authority of county governments.

• Simultaneously, the federal government and many states, including NC, have reduced funding for public education, forcing many counties to dedicate a significant portion of their budgets (and property tax dollars) to support public schools.

• While these efforts appear popular given recent major increases in property valuations, the panelists shared that this could have major implications for the services that counties can provide residents.

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Marilyn Carter

Orange County Commissioner

Paid for by Friends of Marilyn Carter

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