Miriam Rollin (Duck Town Council, North Carolina, candidate 2025)

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Miriam Rollin

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Duck Town Council

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 4, 2025

Education

High school

Phillips Exeter Academy

Bachelor's

Yale University, 1982

Law

Catholic University of America, 1987

Personal

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Advocacy

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Miriam Rollin ran for election to the Duck Town Council in North Carolina. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source]

Rollin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Miriam Rollin provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on August 26, 2025:

• High school: Phillips Exeter Academy
• Bachelor's: Yale University, 1982
• J.D.: Catholic University of America, 1987
• Gender: Female
• Religion: Jewish
• Profession: Advocacy
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Rollin Forward for Duck
• Campaign website
• Campaign endorsements
• Campaign Facebook
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Duck Town Council (5 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Duck Town Council on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Bren Chasen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Kevin Lingard (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Marc Murray (Nonpartisan)
		Miriam Rollin (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Monica Thibodeau (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Sandy Whitman (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= 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 Rollin's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rollin in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Miriam Rollin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rollin's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an active Duck resident, committed to protecting the natural beauty, quaint village atmosphere, and family-friendly essence of Duck. I am an appointed member of the Town’s Board of Adjustment, and help the Town with Clean Sweeps, Beach Grass Plantings, July 4th Parades and concerts.

I have applied my over 40 years of professional policy advocacy experience to address issues of importance to residents, owners, merchants and visitors in the Town of Duck. I spearheaded a petition effort to the Town Council to restrict beach driving in Duck — which was signed by over 700 property owners. The petition resulted in further limitations on vehicular beach access in the Town. I recently advocated that the Council: - refuse a request to change ordinances to allow gaming facilities in Duck, - keep overall revenues the same, despite recent high Dare County reassessments, & - adopt turtle-friendly beachfront lighting ordinances.

I am robustly involved in the greater Dare County community, volunteering for the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, the STAR Center at the NC Aquarium, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the Theatre of Dare, the Center for Dolphin Research, the Jewish Community of the Outer Banks, and the Beach Food Pantry.

I retired from my long career of advocacy for disadvantaged children and families in 2022. My deep expertise with law, policies, budgets, and organizational management ideally positions me for election as a member of the Duck Town Council.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The Town of Duck is a unique but delicate gem, and I will work as a member of the Town Council to maintain Duck’s Ocean-side and Sound-side natural beauty, its quaint village atmosphere, and its family-friendly essence.
• I have extensive experience reaching out to many people from a wide variety of backgrounds and working collaboratively to achieve policy solutions that benefit us all. I will ensure that the voices of Duck constituents are truly listened to, and that the Town partners effectively with businesses and neighboring jurisdictions to address issues of mutual concern.
• My deep expertise in policies and the law gives me the skills and knowledge to be able to promptly understand and analyze complex provisions of current and proposed ordinances, and ensure that the resulting policies adopted are wise, and are likely to achieve their desired impact, without unanticipated negative consequences.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Alleviating Route 12 Congestion: I will work to:

• Build coalitions with businesses & neighbor jurisdictions to lobby the NCDOT for prompt approval & funding of the Mid-Currituck Bridge.
  
• Pilot peak-hour crossing guards and/or pedestrian crossing signals, and encourage weekday rental start-dates.

  

2. Preventing Offshore Oil & Gas Drilling: I will work to:

• Convene OBX towns, businesses, NGOs, to submit Bureau of Ocean Energy Management comments and file suit(s).
  
• Mobilize a petition and town hall series, harnessing media partnerships.
  
• Commission an ecological impact study.
  

3. Securing Sea Turtle-Friendly Beachfront Lighting: I will work to:

• Amend the lighting ordinance.
  
• Launch homeowner education and incentives.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Unlike most other offices in the state & nation, this is a non-partisan office, which means that the Council can more readily find common ground in solving problems, and can disagree respectfully and without being disagreeable.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an inspiration to me, as a female Jewish lawyer; she fought tirelessly for justice, including women’s equality.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official must possess characteristics such as integrity, intelligence, diligence, courage, and the ability to listen well and debate respectfully. An elected official must adhere to principles of honest dealing, and accountability to the voters. I bring these characteristics and principles to the table.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities for a Town Council member are (1) to be accessible to the public, and listen to constituent ideas, comments and suggestions; and (2) to prepare for, attend, and vote in Town Council meetings — including decisions related to budgets, taxes/fees, ordinances, hiring/evaluating the Town Manager, and appointments to committees and boards. I am fully committed to fulfilling these responsibilities.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I seek to leave a legacy of a Town of Duck that maintains its unique character as a beautiful, vibrant, quaint and family-friendly town for future generations to enjoy.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

In July 1969, Apollo 11 made the first-ever lunar landing on the moon, and the first-ever human steps there — with Astronaut Neil Armstrong stating "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". I remember my parents letting me, as a 9-year-old, stay up past my bedtime for it, and the image being very grainy on our black and white TV, but it was still quite memorable and inspiring. When we put a lot of effort and attention to something, we can accomplish the amazing.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job out of college was working in DC for two years as a leader of a national student organization, fighting against proposed federal student aid cuts. Since my family was not wealthy, without those federal student financial assistance programs, I could not have afforded college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is “Gandhi: An Autobiography”, because it describes his development of the concept of active nonviolent resistance, and how Gandhi was able to mobilize a huge people-centered movement that made positive change happen.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

As a retired lawyer myself, I’m drawn to the fictional character of Atticus Finch, in the book “To Kill a Mockingbird”: a calm and principled lawyer, who fights for what’s right, even when it’s unpopular and dangerous.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being Jewish in areas, like the Outer Banks, in which there are not many Jewish people, can sometimes be a challenge. For example, when I was sworn in as a member of the Board of Adjustment for the Town of Duck, I was asked to put my hand on a King James Bible (a Christian Bible) for the oath of office. I was able to open the Bible, and put my hand on the portion of the Bible — what Christians call “the Old Testament” — that is the Jewish Torah. That’s just one of many examples. I do enjoy being connected with other faith organizations on the OBX — e.g., I’m speaking at a local church service in September — and I’ve been happy to join with other Jews as part of the Jewish Community of the Outer Banks.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A very impactful power that people should be aware of is the ability to build consensus among all our stakeholders and partners, and lead big-picture action, as a governing body, in concert with our residents, the business community, and other jurisdictions, on major issues of mutual concern — everything from building the Currituck bridge to preventing offshore drilling.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is quite beneficial to have previous experience in government policy and law — on which I’ve worked all of my 40-year career. It is also crucial for a Council member to make sure the views of Duck residents are represented and heard — which I have done already, and will continue to do.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Town Council members need two core strengths: (1) A clear grasp of policy and the law, so every decision rests on solid ground; and (2) Strong outreach and negotiation skills to balance the needs of residents, businesses, non-resident owners and visitors. I bring both. My extensive work with statutes, regulations, policies and the law means I can draft and review ordinances with precision. My track record in organizing and gathering community input enables me to listen to every Duck stakeholder and find solutions that serve us all.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

The Duck Town Council determines ALL of the policies and ordinances for the Town, the taxes, expenditures, and budgets for the Town, the hiring and evaluation of the Town Manager (who then hires the staff), and the appointments to Boards and Committees. The impact of the Town Council decisions on the day-to-day lives of Duck residents is significant.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

See endorsements on my website at: RollinForwardForDuck.com and also see the videos on my Facebook page, “Rollin Forward for Duck”.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

My campaign has just begun to reach out to voters, and has had a number of great conversations already.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Working effectively with thousands of police chiefs, sheriffs, and prosecutors around the nation to convince Congress to enact in 2010 and fully fund the voluntary Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, proven to substantially improve life outcomes for new, at-risk mothers and their children, including real reductions in child abuse and neglect and later crime.

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.

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