Q&A with Mark Kleinschmidt

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt announced Wednesday his plans to run for a third term as mayor in the November election.

Staff writer Lauren Grady sat down with Kleinschmidt to talk about his successes as mayor and goals for a possible next term.

Daily Tar Heel: What do you consider some of your most significant achievements to date as mayor?

Mark Kleinschmidt: We’ve done a lot to preserve our bond rating during tough economic times. We’ve been able to secure significant grant funding for our transit system. We have completed a comprehensive planning process involving more people than have ever participated in such a process in Chapel Hill.

I’m proud that we’ve received national honors like being named one of the 10 best places to live.

Certainly one of the greatest achievements would be the creation of LAUNCH-Chapel Hill, our first business incubator that is really coming together — the county, the town, University and business community.

DTH: Tell us about your endorsement by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

MK: The LGBT Victory Fund is an organization that works hard to elect LGBT people to office. I’ve been proud to have their endorsement in the past. This is kind of the year of the LGBT mayors … This year we have several other strong candidates, like the mayors of Minneapolis, Harrisburg, Pa., and New York City.

DTH: Your work with Mayors Against Illegal Guns has put you in the national media spotlight recently. Do you plan to continue work with that group in the coming year?

MK: Absolutely. Being the mayor I’ve had the opportunity to speak about issues like gun violence and working to find solutions on a national level has been a very important role. I think I’ve been thrust into it, and I’m pleased to be breaking this wall.

DTH: If re-elected, what would your next term look like?

MK: It’ll be a time for us to really make the promises of (Chapel Hill) 2020 … We will be completing the planning efforts for various parts of our community…

We will continue to have even stronger relationships with our neighboring jurisdictions as we see the implementation of the Orange County and Durham County transit plan, which we will see expand bus service on weekends and at night.

And I’m looking forward to guiding the additional transit options within the next few years and fighting for the light rail.

DTH: Anything else you’d like to add?

MK: Being the mayor of Chapel Hill — and I’ve said this before — is an extraordinary honor and I feel so grateful that I’ve had this opportunity. It also comes with some great obligations and responsibilities.

Chapel Hill is a relatively small town. The brand of our town is very, very big. There are expectations for Chapel Hill to demonstrate leadership on a number of issues: environmental protection, social equity, social justice and equality. I’m looking forward to continuing to keep Chapel Hill a leader on those issues.

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.