Campaign flyer from Joe’s first Chapel Hill Town Council race, 1979

About Joe

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Chapel Hill, N.C., United States
Joe Herzenberg was born June 25, 1941, to Morris & Marjorie Herzenberg. His father owned the town pharmacy in Franklin, N.J., where Joe grew up. After he graduated from Yale University in 1964, Joe went to Mississippi to register voters for Freedom Summer. He joined the faculty of historically black Tougaloo College, where he was appointed chair of the history department. Joe arrived in Chapel Hill in 1969 to enroll as a graduate student in history at the University of North Carolina, and, along with his partner Lightning Brown, soon immersed himself in local, state, and national politics. Although Joe’s first campaign for the Chapel Hill Town Council in 1979 was unsuccessful, he was appointed to the Council to fill a vacant seat and served until 1981. In 1987, he was elected to the Council, becoming the former Confederacy's first openly gay elected official. Joe died surrounded by friends on October 28, 2007. He was 66 years old.

Wednesday, October 15, 1997

3 reasons for Franck

Chapel Hill Herald, Oct. 15, 1997

Here are three reasons why I am voting to keep Richard Franck on the Town Council.

As a user of town and Triangle Transit Authority buses, I believe that no one now on the Council has a greater and more effective commitment to public transit than Richard.

As a member of the Chapel Hill Greenways Commission, I know that Richard is a big supporter of greenways, parks and open space.

And as someone who has struggled with Chapel Hill's garbage, I believe that Richard is providing important leadership on solid-waste issues on the Council and on the Landfill Owners Group, which he chairs.

Please help keep Richard Franck on the Council for another term.

Joe Herzenberg
Chapel Hill