Ian Baltutis

Ian Baltutis ‘08 is running for the open Burlington City Council seat. Baltutis was elected as the mayor of Burlington in 2015 and served in that position until 2021. Afterwards, Baltutis went back to school and earned his master’s degree in City & Regional Planning and Public Administration.

Baltutis also has a foot in the Burlington community, having helped establish the Burlington Beer Works and he owns Persnickety Books, a local bookstore.

“I’ve had my hands in a lot of development that’s going on, really from that community standpoint of, ‘what does the community need? What kind of activities, businesses operations would really bring the community together and help create good, positive engagement and development,” Baltutis said.

Baltutis said campaign is defined by transparency, making Burlington more affordable and good government.

Donna Vanhook

Donna Vanhook, an Alamance Soil and Water Conservation district supervisor, is running for Burlington City Council. She is a retired law enforcement officer who was instrumental in the effort to get the Tarheel Army Missile Plant — a vacant plant site in Burlington that has contaminated the local area — cleaned up.

Helping revitalize East Burlington is a key piece of Vanhook’s platform. She wants to create more nutrient-dense food options for East Burlington residents, make housing more affordable and create a pharmacy since the only one available is in Walmart. She said improving the quality of life and focusing on community development is crucial. She also wants to focus on youth development.

“I want to work on youth empowerment, and I think that we can do some great things through the city that will uplift and also address gun violence here in the city,” Vanhook said.

Harold Owen

Incumbent Harold Owen is running for another bid as a city council member after being first elected to the position in 2017. He has extensive experience in Burlington, having served as the city manager for 13 years and the director of Burlington Recreation and Parks for 14 years.

Owen said he is focused on the growth of the Burlington community, which has grown to about 60,000 people now, and wants to maintain the consistency he has had over the past eight years on the council. He said he wants to continue to implement certain capital projects he has been a part of as a member of the council like a new recreation center.

He also wants to focus on policies regarding zoning and development. He said increasing the tax base is crucial to maintain public services in Burlington such as their water and sewer system.

“We certainly can increase the tax base which is needed everywhere to provide the services that people wish to have at the level we’re providing them now,” Owen said.

Jeffery Smythe

Jeffery Smythe, the former chief of police in Burlington, is running for Burlington City Council. Before moving to North Carolina, Smythe spent 27 years working for Arizona law enforcement. After eight years as the police chief in Burlington, Smythe is now the director of criminal justice standards for the state of North Carolina. Smythe said he doesn’t have direct experience with politics but his role as a police chief makes him suitable for the position.

“I don’t have any experience being an elected official, but I’ve got a ton of experience,” Smythe said. “Having been a police chief twice in two different states, the expectation or obligation is that you attend every council meeting. You attend every council study session, you follow the financial dealings and policy making decisions of said councils.”

He said he is focused on being responsible with budgets as Burlington grows.