Candace Hunziker (Pittsboro Town Council, North Carolina, candidate 2025)
From Ballotpedia
 |
School boards • Municipal • All local elections by county • How to run for office |
 |
Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!
Candace Hunziker is running for election to the Pittsboro Town Council in North Carolina. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Hunziker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Candace Hunziker provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 6, 2025:
- High school: St Margaret's McTernan
- Gender: Female
- Profession: Healthcare Management
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
- Campaign endorsements
- Campaign Facebook
Elections
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Pittsboro Town Council (2 seats)
The following candidates are running in the general election for Pittsboro Town Council on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Freda Alston (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Alex M. Brinker (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Corey Forrest (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Ashley Gross (Nonpartisan) | ||
Candace Hunziker (Nonpartisan)  | ||
| Tobais Palmer (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Nikkolas Shramek (Nonpartisan) | ||
 | Tiana Thurber (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Hunziker's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Candace Hunziker completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hunziker's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I’m Candace Hunziker, a decade long Pittsboro resident, community builder, and the former President of the Chatham Forest HOA, where I served four years and helped our neighborhood earn Chatham County’s “Best Neighborhood” award during COVID. Professionally, I’m the Practice Manager for Carolina Spine Specialists, overseeing four clinics across Chatham and Wake Counties. I’ve also worked in construction and development, from building homes in Macon, Georgia, to working with Choate Construction on commercial projects.
My life has always been guided by something Mr. Rogers said: “Look for the helpers.” I’ve spent my life trying to be one — someone who listens, brings people together, and helps make things better where I can. Whether it’s solving stormwater problems, organizing neighborhood events, or helping patients and staff in my clinics, I believe strong communities start with kindness, connection, and a willingness to listen.
I’m not a politician — I’m a neighbor who listens, learns, and shows up. My campaign is built on three words that define my approach to leadership: Planning, Balance & Opportunity.- Planning. Pittsboro is growing fast, and we need thoughtful, forward-looking planning to protect what makes this town special. My background in construction, infrastructure, and project management helps me see how growth, traffic, and stormwater connect — and how to make them work better for residents. I understand the development side and know how to build respectful relationships with developers to achieve smart, balanced growth. Good planning means prioritizing density over sprawl to use land wisely, control infrastructure costs, and prevent rising taxes for residents.
- Balance. We can grow without losing the small-town character that makes Pittsboro home. That means supporting responsible development while protecting our environment, historic downtown, and neighborhoods. Balance also means keeping communication open and transparent — making sure residents have a seat at the table and a voice in decisions that affect them. Local businesses are the heart of a town, and we need to ensure residential growth doesn’t outpace commercial development so Pittsboro remains vibrant, self-sustaining, and economically strong.
- Opportunity. I want Pittsboro to remain a place where families, local businesses, and future generations can thrive. That means investing in local commerce, housing affordability, and sustainable infrastructure so that everyone — longtime residents and new neighbors alike — can live and work here. When people can afford to live where they work, it strengthens our community, supports small businesses, and attracts the kind of employers that keep Pittsboro growing in the right way.
I’m passionate about smart growth, protecting Pittsboro’s environment and bird sanctuary status, and strengthening our local economy. I believe in planning for density over sprawl to keep taxes stable and preserve open space. I care about connecting our communities through walking paths and public spaces that bring people together. Mr. Rogers reminded us that a neighborhood is where people care for one another — and that’s what I want Pittsboro to remain: a town that feels like a real neighborhood.
I look up to people who live with kindness and compassion, especially toward animals and those who can’t speak for themselves. People like Jane Goodall, Steve Irwin, Gandhi, Betty White, and Fred Rogers — all of whom made the world better in their own way. I also admire people like Jimmy Carter, who led with humility and service, and Maya Angelou, whose words inspired empathy and understanding. I’ve always been drawn to people who quietly help, who choose compassion over judgment and action over attention. My heroes are the helpers — the ones who care simply because it’s the right thing to do.
Listening, honesty, and common sense. I think people are tired of politics that feel distant or scripted. An elected official should be approachable, willing to admit what they don’t know, and able to ask the right questions. To me, leadership means being fair, transparent, and treating people with respect. Listening isn’t just hearing — it’s learning.
Commissioners make decisions that shape Pittsboro — but it’s not just about casting votes. It’s about taking input from staff, boards, and residents; making sure every decision follows our ordinances, state laws, and planning guidelines; and weighing those choices against the town’s budget and long-term needs. The goal is to choose the path that makes the most sense for Pittsboro — not just today, but for the next 30 years.
I want to leave a legacy of kindness, compassion, and connection — that I made things better wherever I could. I hope people will say I tried to help others, that I stood up for animals and the environment, and that I cared deeply about people. Ingrid Newkirk once said, “The person who dies with the most good deeds wins.” I plan on being a winner.
The Challenger explosion is the first major event I remember vividly. I was actually at home that day sick. Watching from my mother's bedroom. When it exploded, I didn't know what I saw. I didn't understand. It couldn't be real. It was one of the first times I realized the world could change in an instant.
My first job was at Marshalls. It taught me patience and how to deal with the public — lessons that have served me ever since. Fifteen years later, after a successful career in marketing, I found myself back at Marshalls. I had just gotten married, moved to New Jersey, and returned from my honeymoon on September 9, 2001. Two days later, everything changed. The world shut down, and so did the job market. Going back to that same job after all those years taught me something entirely different — humility, and how to start over when life doesn’t go as planned.
I don’t have a single favorite. I read constantly — novels, poetry, history, philosophy — and whatever I’m reading at the moment tends to become my favorite. Right now, I’m reading Letters to Felice by Kafka. I love books that make me feel something or take me somewhere else completely. One story always leads me down another rabbit hole of curiosity, which is what I love most about reading.
Honestly, I’ve never really thought about that. There are plenty of characters in books and movies I’ve loved, but I’ve never wanted to be one of them. I’m happy being me — I’ve lived enough lives, had enough stories, and faced enough twists and turns to fill a few novels of my own. I think I’m already a pretty interesting character.
I’ve had several. After a serious injury in 2013, I faced years of recovery and had to fight hard to avoid multiple surgeries. That taught me perseverance and empathy in ways I never expected. My biggest ongoing struggle, though, is realizing not everyone feels the same compassion I do — for animals, for people, for the planet. It’s hard to understand the lack of empathy in the world sometimes, but it also keeps me motivated to be one of the helpers.
Experience helps, but I think what matters more is being willing to do the work, listen, and problem-solve. I’ve managed four clinics, led a neighborhood through major stormwater projects, and worked in both residential and commercial construction. That mix of experience has taught me how to bring people together and get things done — that’s what matters most.
Oh my gosh, I’ve heard so many stories while knocking on doors. I’ve met people who lived through the civil rights movement right here in Pittsboro, people who’ve lost a spouse and shared memories that still fill their homes, and people who just moved here and can’t believe how quickly they’ve fallen in love with this town. Every story is different, and that’s what makes Pittsboro so special — the diversity of experiences and backgrounds. Each person is a thread, and together we’re weaving something really beautiful.
I’m proud of my ability to overcome challenges and reinvent myself when life throws a curveball. There have been moments that could have stopped me in my tracks — like the injury that ended my career in magazine marketing, a job I absolutely loved. But instead of giving up, I found a new path in healthcare management and built a career I’m deeply proud of.
I’m also proud of what I achieved as HOA president during COVID. At a time when people were at their most isolated, I helped our neighborhood stay connected. We organized a Halloween car caravan, held porch concerts, brought in food trucks, and even had outdoor yoga. Those things might sound small, but they built community at a time when people really needed it. Instead of being isolated, we were connected — and I’m so proud of that.
I’m also proud of what I achieved as HOA president during COVID. At a time when people were at their most isolated, I helped our neighborhood stay connected. We organized a Halloween car caravan, held porch concerts, brought in food trucks, and even had outdoor yoga. Those things might sound small, but they built community at a time when people really needed it. Instead of being isolated, we were connected — and I’m so proud of that.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
