Kleinschmidt ekes out a win in mayor's race

CHAPEL HILL -- The liberal establishment held off a band of businessmen trying to change the town's course.

Two-term councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, a death-penalty defense lawyer and gay rights activist, narrowly defeated colleague Matt Czajkowski to take the reins as mayor. Kleinschmidt had just 48.6 percent of the vote in the four-person mayoral race.

"We have a divided community right now, and that's got to be job No. 1 to address that," Kleinschmidt said. "The first thing is to talk to Matt."

Czajkowski, a former investment banker and retired corporate finance officer, tried to lead three other finance experts onto the council to recruit new businesses downtown, cut taxes and reduce panhandling. Czajkowski has two years remaining on his council seat, but only corporate executive Gene Pease was able to join him in the race for four available council seats.

"They were being influenced heavily by a specific group of developers, and I think in the end that backfired on them," said Sierra Club-endorsed challenger Penny Rich, who led the field of Town Council candidates with 15.4 percent of the votes. "The people of Chapel Hill know what they care about."

Czajkowski said his 47.5 percent reflects an important constituency.

Kleinschmidt and Rich were the only candidates to use the town's new public campaign financing program, which Czajkowski and many of his supporters opposed.

"It feels like the voter-owned election program really worked," said Rich. "We engaged the citizens, and they gave it back."

Incumbent Ed Harrison took 14.7 percent and Laurin Easthom 14.5 percent. Pease topped 13.6 percent to take the last seat, edging challenger Matt Pohlman and incumbent Jim Merritt, appointed last year to replace the late Bill Thorpe as the only African American on the council.

The council now faces another appointment with the resignation of three-time councilman Bill Strom this summer. Kleinschmidt said he wants to hear from new council members Rich and Pease but said having at least one African American on the council is important to him.

"It's certainly something that will enter my thoughts," he said.

Two African Americans, Donna Bell and Aaron Shah, have applied for appointment. Czajkowski allies Matt Pohlman and JonDeHart finished fifth and seventh. This summer, Czajkowski and some residents had pushed the council to promise to appoint the fifth-place finisher, but it wasn't clear that person would actually apply for Strom's seat. Pohlman did. Like all the incumbents, Merritt, who finished sixth, did not apply.

A poll released Monday suggested the election was a referendum on the council's direction under Foy. Those who thought the town was on the right track supported Kleinschmidt by a wide margin, according to the weekend survey conducted by Public Policy Polling.

East Chapel Hill resident Marteh Bowen was among them. She voted for Kleinschmidt because of his long-term connection to Chapel Hill stretching back to the late '80s, when he was a UNC undergraduate.

"He's been around the area for a long time," she said.

Lisa Williams, a resident of the historically black Pine Knolls neighborhood, said she has been advocating for affordable housing through the Pine Knolls Community Center and the community-organizing group Justice United. She thinks Klein schmidt will be an ally, especially for creating more housing for police and fire fighters.

"They do not live in Chapel Hill because they can't afford it," said Williams, daughter of a retired Asheville cop.

Latest Comment View all comments

Related Content

• Link:
  Orange County vote totals, by contest and precinct