Local elections map future for Chapel Hill, Carrboro

This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.

In the closest election in the town’s documented history, Mark Kleinschmidt squeaked by to become the 34th mayor of Chapel Hill.

Kleinschmidt narrowly defeated fellow Town Council member Matt Czajkowski, 4,176 votes to 4,070.

Czajkowski, running on a business-oriented platform, spoke of freezing property taxes and revitalizing downtown, and his campaign mobilized much of the town’s business community.

Meanwhile, Kleinschmidt was painted as a “pro-environment” candidate, in line with the traditional forces of Chapel Hill government.

His liberal image was bolstered by endorsements from several current and former members of the Town Council, the local chapters of the NAACP and the Sierra Club and outgoing mayor Kevin Foy.

“There are a lot of people that wanted to vote for Mark because they saw him as progressive and they saw him as a continuation of the current council,” former mayor Rosemary Waldorf said.

Kleinschmidt may have gotten some help from the other candidates in the race. Registered Republicans Augustus Cho and Kevin Wolff diverted a combined 330 votes that likely would have gone to the unaffiliated Czajkowski.

Wolff had announced his dropping out of the race at a candidates forum, but never made it official with the N.C. Board of Elections. His name remained on the ballot.

With his win, Kleinschmidt became Chapel Hill’s first openly gay mayor and the third in state history.

He was the only mayoral candidate who opted in to the town’s voter-owned election program, which debuted this year.

For mayoral candidates, the program awarded participants public grant money to fund their campaigns after they raised up to $4,500 in small donations. Kleinschmidt’s campaign gained $13,000 from the program.

In contrast, Czajkowski raised more than $36,000, all of which came from donations that often reached the maximum $250 allowed by town ordinance.

In fact, Czajkowski’s high fundraising triggered an additional $4,000 “rescue fund” for Kleinschmidt once Czajkowski surpassed the $21,000 mark.

The only Town Council candidate to participate in the voter-owned program was Penny Rich, who garnered the most overall votes in her race.

“It gives voters the opportunity to see people who might not usually run for election,” Rich said. “It’ll open the door for people who don’t have a ton of money.”

Incumbents Laurin Easthom and Ed Harrison were re-elected, and newcomer Gene Pease grabbed the last seat.

Failing to get re-elected was Jim Merritt, the council’s only black member, whom the board appointed in 2008 to serve the remainder of the late Bill Thorpe’s term.

The board will decide next week how to fill the seat made vacant by Bill Strom’s resignation this summer.

Popular choices for the appointment are Donna Bell, who is one of two applicants who would ensure black representation on the council, and Matt Pohlman, who finished fifth in the election.

Carrboro elections

In Carrboro, Mark Chilton sailed to his third term as mayor with 1,667 votes, 72.07 percent of all ballots cast.

Third-time candidate Brian Voyce finished in a distant second with 19.5 percent.

Challenger Amanda Ashley, a self-described translesbian Wiccan feminist who spoke of capping the town’s population at 25,000, drew 7.48 percent of the vote.

Holding their seats on the Carrboro Board of Aldermen were Jacquie Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell.

Sammy Slade picked up the seat of John Herrera, who resigned this summer.



Staff writers Ben Allison and Matthew McGibney contributed reporting.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.