Mayoral hopeful Wolff runs for the third time

Kevin Wolff is hoping the third time’s the charm.

The attorney ran for mayor of Chapel Hill unsuccessfully in 2005 and 2007, losing to Kevin Foy both times.

But Wolff said he can win in this year’s four-person field and give residents the more conservative voice they’ve been looking for.

“I don’t think the other three candidates give the representation for the majority of the people here in Chapel Hill,” he said.

Wolff is running against candidates Augustus Cho, Matt Czajkowski and Mark Kleinschmidt.

Wolff, a Republican, said the Town Council needs more political diversity — the reason behind a recent campaign move.

In the past couple of weeks, Wolff placed half-page advertisements in local newspapers calling on Czajkowski, who is registered as unaffiliated, to drop out of the race, asking residents to “keep Matt where he’s at.”

Wolff said he reasoned that Czajkowski, who has two years left on his Town Council term, could remain on the council as Wolff’s ally. He said in the ad Czajkowski currently has no allies on the council.

“Keeping Matt where he’s at is ultimately most effective,” Wolff said. “Matt is no better off being mayor.”

Wolff, who worked for 13 years for General Motors, said one way to revitalize downtown is to make the process of opening a local business easier.

He said Chapel Hill too often gives out special-use permits to developers, which add extra steps they must go through before opening.

“Make it special once again,” Wolff said. “We need to make the approval process much less subjective.”

Wolff said that as mayor, he would address the town’s panhandling problem at the root ­— by ending homelessness in one two-year term.

“Knowing Kevin, when he sets his mind to something he will do it,” said Mary Wolff, his wife. “If he doesn’t, he’s said to people he will not run again.”

Wolff has taken a critical stand against spending money on some town projects, such as the plan to turn downtown’s Lot 5 parking lot into a condominium-retail development.

As a holder of three degrees from Youngstown State University and Indiana University, Wolff emphasized working proactively with the University.

This includes continuing to advocate for Carolina North, the University’s future satellite academic campus.

“A lot of who I am is a result of getting that education,” Wolff said. “I’m not one to be an obstructionist with the University.”

Mary Wolff ran in the Board of Orange County Commissioners primary election in 2008 as a Democrat, and had she won, would have run against her husband in the general election.

But despite their political differences, she said Kevin Wolff is the right choice for mayor.

“You do need a dialogue,” Mary Wolff said. “It takes many different ideas to come to the table to come to the right solution.

“And if he doesn’t achieve what his goals are, he’ll gladly step aside,” she said.



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.