Showing posts tagged “Augustus Cho”
Joe Schwartz ·
4 Nov 2009, 3:31 AM ·
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*Reporter’s note: Scroll to the bottom if you want the quickie results from Election Day (no suprises in Carrboro or Hillsborough. CHCCS followed the Indy endorsement. Chapel Hill Town Council went to Penny Rich, Ed Harrison, Laurin Easthom and Gene Pease). If you’d like to read a scene-setting piece from Chapel Hill Mayor-elect Mark Kleinschmidt’s victory party, then read on.
Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt celebrates his mayoral victory as his twin sister clutches his shoulder and his mom bursts into tears.
Supporters erupted. His mother burst into tears. His sister shouted. Mark Kleinschmidt just smiled contently, arms crossed but giving the kind of ear-to-ear grin you could feel across the room, satisfaction and disbelief merging together on his face. The campaign had just received word that rival Matt Czajkowski had made his concession speech at the Franklin Hotel.
The progressive bloc had won. They’d just escaped a new, moderate business-centered group gaining traction and council seats. Not so fast.
Word came back that one precint, Patterson, was yet to report. Kleinschmidt was up a scant 168 votes. The jubiliation turned to shocked concern. It was too close to call.
“I don’t want a Dewey defeats Truman headline,” Kleinschmidt warned reporters at his R&R Grill party. The pack of local politicos returned to the laptop, clicking refresh again and again.
Moments later, the candidate’s ever-buzzing cell phone went off once more. It was Mayor Kevin Foy calling to congratulate him.
Kleinschmidt cautioned him, but thanked him for his support. Then the results flashed on the TV screens. It was final — Kleinschmidt had won.
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Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Orange County, politics Amanda Ashley, Augustus Cho, Brian Voyce, Bryant Warren, Christine Lee, Ed Harrison, Frances Dancy, Gene Pease, Greg McElveen, Jacquelyn Gist, Jim Merritt, Joe Green, Jon Dehart, Kevin Foy, Kevin Wolff, Laurin Easthom, Mark Chilton, Mark Kleinschmidt, MaryAnne Gucciardi, Matt Czajkowski, Matt Pohlman, Mike Gering, Penny Rich, Randee Haven-O'Donnell, Sammy Slade, Sharon Cook, Shell Brownstein, Susana Dancy, Tim Peck, Tom Stevens, Will Raymond
Joe Schwartz ·
2 Nov 2009, 2:15 PM ·
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The race for Chapel Hill mayor is too close to call between Matt Czajkowski and Mark Kleinschmidt, according to a poll released today by Public Policy Polling. The councilmen have 45 and 44 percent, respectively, with a 4 percent margin of error. Competitors Augustus Cho and Kevin Wolff each have 3 percent.
The survey found incumbent Ed Harrison (12 percent), Gene Pease (11 percent) and first-term Councilwoman Laurin Easthom (10 percent) leading the race for four seats on the Chapel Hill Town Council with Jon DeHart (9 percent) and Matt Pohlman (9 percent) battling Penny Rich (8 percent) and appointed Councilman Jim Merritt (7 percent) for fourth place. Will Raymond came in last at 3 percent.
The poll was conducted Saturday and Sunday with 30 percent of the 614 voters contacted responding as still undecided. Election Day is tomorrow.
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Chapel Hill, Orange County, politics Augustus Cho, Ed Harrison, Gene Pease, Jim Merritt, Jon Dehart, Kevin Wolff, Laurin Easthom, Mark Kleinschmidt, Matt Czajkowski, Matt Pohlman, Penny Rich, Public Policy Polling, Will Raymond
Joe Schwartz ·
27 Oct 2009, 4:15 PM ·
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Fliers paid for by the Kevin Wolff for Mayor Campaign popped up at Chapel Hill and Carrboro early voting sites this weekend, leading some to question if Wolff is still actively seeking office despite saying he’s dropping out and others denouncing the material’s anti-gay content.
On Monday, the fliers, which give a checklist comparing Wolff and competitors Matt Czajkowski and Mark Kleinschmidt, were gone at the Morehead Planetarium site, but a few soggy ones remained in a plastic bag attached to a Wolff campaign sign at Carrboro Town Hall. Among the differences, Wolff notes that unlike Kleinschmidt, one of five openly gay elected politicians in the state, he is not a “gay-rights activist” and “has children.”
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Chapel Hill, Orange County, politics Augustus Cho, Chapel Hill mayoral election, Kevin Wolff, Mark Kleinschmidt, Matt Czajkowski, Steve Hill
Joe Schwartz ·
15 Oct 2009, 9:05 PM ·
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The third time won’t be the charm for Kevin Wolff, who announced at a WCHL forum Thursday night that he’s ending his campaign.
Wolff, a patent attorney who failed in 2005 and 2007 bids as well, had taken out newspaper ads encouraging Councilman Matt Czajkowski to drop out of the race, saying that the two would split votes. Tonight he decided he was the one who needed to go.
Wolff said he wants to see a moderate mayor and that Czajkowski now provides the best chance to achieve that goal. He said he expects Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, a liberal, to win the race. Wolff called on republican Augustus Cho to join him in leaving the two councilmen to fight for Chapel Hill’s top job.
This marks the end of what has been, by all accounts, a troubled and controversial campaign for Wolff. He upset some residents with a push poll in which the words “moral” and “mayoral” were confused, leading some to say that Wolff claimed to be the only “moral” candidate. He denied those charges.
His “Keep Matt where he’s at” advertisements also drew scrutiny. Wolff also was an outspoken critic of publicly financed elections before deciding to file for the funding. He then loaned himself $10,000 for his campaign, which disqualified him from the program.
Early voting started today, and Wolff’s name will remain on the ballot.
You can hear Wolff’s announcement here.
Chapel Hill, politics Augustus Cho, Kevin Wolff, Mark Kleinschmidt, Matt Czajkowski
Joe Schwartz ·
14 Oct 2009, 3:43 PM ·
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Matt Czajkowski has raised more than $21,000, triggering rescue funds for voter-owned candidate Mark Kleinschmidt. Czajkowski filed his 24-hour special report Friday, stating that he has accumulated $23,629.50 in private contributions. Among them are real estate leaders, developers and university professors.
Czajkowski’s sum means Kleinschmidt can claim an additional $4,000 in public financing on top of the $9,000 he’s earned already by gaining $4,505 from individuals and a political committee, according to his September report.
Competitor Augustus Cho’s latest report, filed Friday, shows only one private contribution for $200 from his treasurer. He’s loaned himself $547.50 for the campaign. Kevin Wolff’s most recent filing shows $10,210 raised including a $10,000 loan to himself.
Chapel Hill, politics Augustus Cho, Chapel Hill, Kevin Wolff, Mark Kleinschmidt, Matt Czajkowski, mayoral race
Lisa Sorg ·
8 Jul 2009, 1:20 PM ·
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Two days down, eight to go: Candidate filing for the 2009 election opened Monday, with candidates seeking the top spot as Chapel Hill mayor and duels brewing in Durham Ward 2 and on the Wake County school board.
In Raleigh Council District D, incumbent Thomas Crowder is expected to run against architect Ted Van Dyk, who had not filed as of press time, but has announced he will soon. Two at-large seats are up for grabs Bill Shakespeare, Ricky Lee Sartain and Robert Claris hope to dethrone incumbents Russ Stephenson and Mary-Ann Baldwin, who plan to run as well.
The board of education candidate list is packed. (See “Wake school board race takes shape,” June 27.) Deborah Vair and Rita Rakestraw will spar in District 1, while John Tedesco, Horace Tart and Cathy Truitt go head-to-head-to-head in District 2. Karen Simon has filed in District 7 and Ray Martin has staked his claim for District 9.
In Cary, incumbent Julie Robison is seeking re-election to an at-large seat, with Cynthia Sinkez and incumbent Jack Smith filing for District A and C, respectively.
So much for rumors that Mike Woodard would run for Durham mayor: The councilman is seeking a second term in Ward 3, which includes parts of north and west Durham. Meanwhile, in southern Durham, Ward 2 voters can choose, so far, between incumbent Howard Clement III, who’s running for a seventh term, and Durham County Libertarian Party Chairman Matt Drew.
Early voting for these races (Durham’s is a primary) begins Sept. 17. Election Day is Oct. 6, with runoffs, if necessary, on Nov. 3. The Indy’s endorsements issue will be published Sept. 16. Wake Board of Elections and the Durham Board of Elections have additional information.
This is the first year for voter-owned election funding in Chapel Hill, which adds to the intrigue, since Mayor Kevin Foy is not running for re-election. Under the pilot program, mayoral and town candidates can qualify for public funds maximum $9,000 for mayoral candidates, $3,000 for council candidates.
To be eligible, mayoral candidates must declare they haven’t collected more than $1,500 in seed money since Jan. 1; that limit for participating town council candidates is $750. Subsequently, mayoral and council hopefuls can raise and spend $4,500 and $2,250 in qualified contributions, respectively. Qualified contributions are those made by Chapel Hill residents in amounts from $5-$20. Once those requirements are met, the candidates qualify for public funds.
Vying for the top job is Town Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, who works as an attorney at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, is expected to run, although he has yet to file. First-term Town Councilman Matt Czajkowski, who had not attended a town council meeting before he was elected in 2007, hasn’t yet filed but will reportedly try to out-conservative Augustus Cho, a bigwig in Orange County’s small GOP circles who lost in the Congressional District 4 Republican primary to Cary’s B.J. Lawson.
For Town Council, Gene Pease has said he will run, while Penny Rich, who was unsuccessful in her last bid, has filed and will take advantage of the voter-owned election funding. A new group, Citizens For Responsible Government, composed of some top developers and longtime players in Chapel Hill—Omar Zinn, Phil Post and Bruce Ballentine—has stated it “expects to play a significant role” in Chapel Hill’s elections.
In Carrboro, incumbents Jacquie Gist and Randee Haven-O’Donnell are running for another term on the Board of Aldermen, while activist Sammy Slade is looking to occupy the seat of John Herrera, who is not running for re-election. All these candidates have pledged to raise no more than $3,000.
Just one person has filed so far for the three vacant seats on Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board: Michelle Brownstein. She has taken the $3,000 pledge.
Tom Stevens is running for his third term as Hillsborough mayor. He has pledged to accept the $3,000 limit on campaign contributions. Likewise, Mike Gering plans to run his campaign on the cheap, less than $3,000, as he for runs for re-election to Hillsborough’s town commission.
In Chatham County, no one has yet taken the plunge for Town Council, although incumbent Mayor Randy Voller is running; he will face at least one challenger, William Crawford.
Durham, Orange and Chatham counties hold early voting Oct. 15-31, with Election Day Nov. 3. The Indy will endorse in those races, and any Wake County runoffs, in the Oct. 14 edition.
The Orange County Board of Elections and Chatham County Board of Elections have additional information. Look for daily updates as candidates continue to file.
Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange County, Raleigh, Wake County, politics Augustus Cho, Bill Shakespeare, Citizens for Responsible Government, Cynthia Sinkez, elections, Gene Pease, Howard Clement III, Jack Smith, Jacquie Gist, Julie Robison, Mark Kleinschmidt, Mary-Ann Baldwin, Matt Czajkowski, Matt Drew, Michelle Brownstein, Mike Gering, Mike Woodard, Penny Rich, Randee Haven-O'Donnell, Ricky Lee Sartain, Robert Claris, Russ Stephenson, Sammy Slade, Ted Van Dyk, Thomas Crowder, Tom Stevens
