CHAPEL HILL - A black-and-white photograph just inside the front door of James Merritt's parents' home shows a row of children posing beside their mother in front of what looks like a Model T or a Model A Ford, with a wood-planked house in the background.

Merritt points to the smallest girl in the photo.

"That's my mother," he says. "And that house, where she grew up, is right about where the Chapel Hill Town Operations Center is now."

Merritt's roots in Chapel Hill run deep. He grew up here, and his family has been here since the 19th century. His grandfather owned a large tract along Millhouse Road, including the parcel on which the new town operations center is located. His father worked for many years at UNC Hospitals, and his mother, now 90, was a cook for "five or six" university chancellors, Merritt said.

Merritt attended Northside Elementary School and Lincoln High School before working for many years as a guidance counselor and assistant principal in Virginia. He moved back here in 2004 and serves on the alumni association for Orange County's former black schools.

As of Monday evening, he will also serve on the Chapel Hill Town Council. Last Monday, the council selected Merritt to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Bill Thorpe in September. He will be sworn in Monday and serve the remainder of Thorpe's term, which expires next year.

The Chapel Hill News sat down with Merritt on Thursday to find out a little bit about the town's newest council member.

CHN: Why did you decide to apply for a seat on the council?

Merritt: I want to be part of the direction that Chapel Hill is going. I'm interested in the issues we're facing -- issues like public safety, Carolina North, affordable housing -- and I wanted to be a part of addressing those issues.

CHN: What did you tell the Town Council during the application process?

Merritt: I told them I would look forward to working with them, and being a native Chapel Hillian I can address the needs of the people who live here. I know quite a few people here. There are not many people of African-American descent in this town that I don't know.

CHN: The council on Monday will have a public hearing about the proposed hotel in Southern Village, which a number of residents have said they oppose. Have you had a chance to study that issue?

Merritt: I've been forwarded some documents on various issues, and I've been studying them. Monday will be mostly an information session. I don't know whether the council will take any action on Monday. I think it's more a chance to gather information.

CHN: Then on Tuesday you have a meeting about Carolina North. What's your perspective on that project?

Merritt: I think on the whole it's a good thing. The university is the largest employer in Chapel Hill, and the town needs to have a good working relationship with it. I think it will be a benefit to both the town and the university.

CHN: Do you feel a responsibility to serve as a liaison for the African-American community?

Merritt: I'm an advocate for all the citizens of Chapel Hill. Whatever affects African-American residents affects everyone else who lives here too. I do feel, having the roots I have here, that I probably have more community support; people may feel freer to talk to me.

CHN: In your application, you said the library expansion was something you were particularly interested in. Do you think, given current economic conditions, the town should delay that project?

Merritt: Because of the downturn in the economy, I think it'll be a challenge, but it would be nice to stick to the timetable, if at all possible. It's only likely to get more expensive as time goes on.

CHN: What have you spent most of your time involved in since moving back here in 2004?

Merritt: I've done some afterschool tutoring at the Hargraves Center, and I've been working with the alumni association for Orange County's black schools. The association is doing a lot in the county. Right now we have a project going to take full-course Thanksgiving meals to people who are sick, shut-ins or distressed. We're going to make sure they have a good Thanksgiving meal. My mother did that for 25 years in our neighborhood. She would cook two turkeys, one for our family and one for neighbors in the surrounding community. My two sisters and I would take plates around to people who might not otherwise have a full Thanksgiving meal.

CHN: Do you have any sense yet whether you'll want to run for an elective term when this one is over?

Merritt: I'm strongly leaning toward it. For some of the things I'd like to do, it's going to take more than a year. It'll take three to six months just to get caught up. But I learn fast, and I hope to continue serving. I'm really looking forward to it. I think the Town Council is a wonderful group of people, and I want to be a part of helping take this town where it's going.