who's who
in town & county government
The new mayors of Pittsboro and Siler City
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By ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA Photography by JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
hatham County’s primary municipalities held swearing-in ceremonies for new mayors Kyle Shipp in Pittsboro and Donald Matthews in Siler City this past December. We sat down with them in February inside the N.C. Arts Incubator to get better acquainted. Kyle moved to Pittsboro with his wife, Dianna M. Tarallo, about 10 years ago; they now have a son, Rory, 3 ½. Kyle works in construction management as a senior engineer for Microsoft. He also holds positions in two volunteer roles – president of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Carolina and as ex officio member of the Chatham Economic Development Corporation. When he manages to find time for hobbies, Kyle enjoys woodworking, shooting and riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Donald and his wife, Janice Williams Matthews, returned to Siler City about four years ago after spending 17 years away for Janice’s career. He immediately began attending local public meetings to learn about the inner workings of his hometown. Donald, who does not drive due to low vision caused by severe glaucoma, walks through town using his sight cane and relies on technological advances to connect via email, phone and social media. He remains active as a minister with Second Chance Community Outreach, a community organizer with Democracy NC and the NAACP.
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