Mayoral candidates target students

Mayoral candidates Mark Kleinschmidt, Augustus Cho, Matt Czajkowski and Kevin Wolff debate Tuesday. DTH/Katherine Vance

Mayoral candidates delved into their college pasts as they clamored for votes from students at Tuesday’s debate.

UNC Young Democrats and College Republicans collaborated to host the event with the goal of overcoming student apathy.

All four candidates were asked about student involvement in the upcoming election and issues such as development and safety.

 College Republicans chairman John Eick said he hoped the meeting counteracted voter apathy.

 “In many ways, these elections are more important than presidential elections because they have direct impact on the lives of students,” he said.

Young Democrats co-president Charlie Sellew said that part of the lack of student interest is ignorance about local issues.

“We want to make people more aware of what’s going on and who the candidates are so that they know who they want to vote for,” Sellew said. “We want to see higher numbers, and this is one way to do that.”

The Roosevelt Institute, a student think tank, moderated the event. The organization posed a series of eight questions, and each candidate answered a total of four questions.

University-related building

Augustus Cho:

“It’s important to get Carolina North off the ground. You only have four years to establish a lifetime of memory.”

Matt Czajkowski:

“I was a strong advocate for the Innovation Center, which I think will be a cause for celebration amongst students.”

Revitalizing Franklin Street

Mark Kleinschmidt:

“When I was here as a student, it was a real downtown. … One thing we could think about is Franklin Street as a national highway. One thing we could do, and I would think about, is taking the road back.”

Cho:

“I would propose that we block off the corners of 100 East Franklin and 100 West Franklin and turn it into a walk-in mall where families can come in and have a good time.”

Parking in the town

Kevin Wolff:

“When we look at competing areas around us, they have ample and free parking. If you want free parking, action instead of rhetoric and dialogue, you have to vote for me.”

Czajkowski:

“The only way to add parking spaces is to go up. We have to find the money, but we haven’t had a detailed discussion about how we could do that in conjunction with retailers and businesses.”

Chapel Hill safety

Wolff, referencing the 2008 death of UNC Hospitals employee Valerie Hughes, who died near campus after being hit by a bus:

“I have two boys, and when I read the headlines, I get emotional. I look at each one of you, and I don’t want to think that my town’s government is responsible for the end of your life.”

Kleinschmidt:

“I learned as a student that we knew what we needed to enhance our safety. We empowered ourselves because we knew where those places were. I listened, and I will continue to do that as mayor.”

The debate concluded with a session of two-minute closing statements from each of the candidates, followed by student questions.

“The biggest thing for me is that I appreciate the fact that they came here. I don’t think I would have had a chance to see them otherwise,” senior Shaddi Hasan said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.