Jon DeHart didn’t lose last night. All of us in Chapel Hill lost.

DeHart has the financial expertise, knowledge of debt and ability to analyze risk that Town Council will need for the foreseeable future. He is a coalition builder and team player who ran a clean, transparent campaign. He can rise above snarkiness. We can bank on his integrity.

Yet on a gorgeous fall day, not enough people took time out from their busy day to go to the polls and ensure him a seat on council. We will live to regret it.

Matt Czajkowski retained his seat and the lonely position of holding council members accountable for their actions. Donna Bell won her first election. Jim Ward, the stealth candidate, returned for a third term. And Lee Storrow, the novelty candidate, will get to view the world from the dais.

How is it that in this dire economy, with a field of strong candidates who have years of life experience and career expertise among them, we selected someone whose diploma is probably not yet back from the framer’s?

Mark Kleinschmidt, who continues as mayor, will have the opportunity to serve as father figure to this ambitious pup. Kleinschmidt, a Carolina alum, as is Storrow, has logged a decade on the dais and knows that being young and bright and cute will only take you so far when you need to make decisions as part of a team that includes some very strong personalities. Kleinschmidt, we suspect, knows how much council will miss DeHart’s down-to-earth leadership style and business expertise.

But looking to the positive, Nathan Westmoreland, president of UNC’s Young Democrats, assured me that Storrow and Czajkowski are a lot alike and that they stand for the same things. Westmoreland and I were electioneering at the same precinct today, and every time I told a voter why I supported Czajkowski, Westmoreland would follow up with, “Everything she said applies to my friend Lee.”

So we’re buoyed by the expectation that every time Czajkowski raises his hand yea or nay on a vote, Storrow will follow suit.

But we’ll miss what DeHart could have added to the discussion.
– Nancy Oates

Lattes seem to be the budgetary benchmark in Chapel Hill these days. During the public comment period last year about whether to proceed with the library expansion, a Friend of the Library brushed off the tax increase that the extra operating expenses would require as “the cost of a couple of lattes a week.”

Jason Baker revived the latte measure at the final candidates forum Sunday, again measuring an expected property tax increase against the expense of latte consumption. Baker, who has linked his campaign to that of Donna Bell to run as a team, perhaps should have considered how well that comment might play in Bell’s home district of Northside. Like the person who came up with the Cinderella piñata, he might have wished he’d thought that idea through. Perhaps if those property owners in Northside had just cut back on their latte consumption, they might have had the money to pay their property taxes and not been so willing to sell to developers who came in and changed the character of the neighborhood.

But hearing that sort of blooper has me out stumping for candidates with experience. Think of some of the things you said and did as a kid that seemed like a good idea at the time. Aren’t you glad you weren’t in a position of authority, so that the damage you caused was limited?

We are in the midst of an economic crisis the likes of which many of us have never experienced as adults. And there is no end in sight. We need mature, experienced representatives on council to analyze options and make well-thought-out decisions to make sure that Chapel Hill can remain home for a diverse socio-economic mix of people, not just the sector for whom belt-tightening means cutting back on lattes.

If you haven’t already voted, go to the polls now, before they close at 7:30 p.m., and vote for Matt Czajkowski, Jon DeHart, Laney Dale and Augustus Cho for Town Council.
– Nancy Oates

School board candidates generally run low-profile campaigns, even though our excellent schools remain a top reason people moving to the area say they choose Chapel Hill and Carrboro over Durham, where the taxes are lower and the houses cost less. The decisions school board members make ensure that our schools serve children of all capability levels so well.

One major change in this year’s election: Seven candidates are running for five seats. Four of the seats are for four-year terms and one seat is a two-year term. (The two-year term is the balance of a full term after Joe Green resigned to accept a job outside the area.) The four candidates with the most votes will fill the four-year terms, and the candidate with the fifth-highest number of votes will fill the two-year term. So you may vote for as many as five people.

We’re pleased with the work the current school board has done. We support re-electing all four incumbents and newcomer James Barrett. Here’s why:

Jamezetta Bedford: An accountant, Bedford has served on the board since 2003. She worked as a substitute teacher in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools while raising her three children, who are now grown. Her children each fit a category: gifted; special needs; regular kid. Her grandson provides further impetus for her to make sure our school system remains top-flight. Her accounting skills will be a boon as state and federal funding for schools decreases.

Mia Borroughs: The current vice chair, Burroughs was first elected to the board in 2007 and had been a classroom volunteer for 10 years while her children were young. She has made her career advocating for nonprofits that serve youth. On the board, she has taken a special interest in protecting children from falling through program cracks.

Mike Kelley: Former board chair (2009-10), has served on the board since he was first elected in 2003. A research physician at Duke University Medical Center and the Durham VA, he made time to volunteer in the public schools for years. All four of his children are academically gifted and went to public schools. Yet Kelley ensures that the schools serve students of all academic levels. With a new superintendent this year, rely on Kelley’s experience to facilitate a smooth transition.

Annetta Streater: A dental hygienist, Streater has completed additional leadership training over the years. Her two children attend public schools in the district, where she has held leadership roles as a volunteer. She joined the board in 2006. She has worked to close the minority achievement gap, increase teacher and staff diversity, and encourage parent involvement.

James Barrett: A CHCCS alumnus, Barrett continues the tradition with his children. He manages software developers at IBM, and he brings an ability to analyze data about how schools are performing. He volunteers as a math tutor in the schools and coaches rec-league baseball and basketball. A founding member of the strategy and education teams of Orange County Justice United, he has worked with local governments to advocate for improved social justice and has built relationships with government officials.
– Nancy Oates

All due respect to Tim Sookram, I approached the mayoral election expecting to support Mark Kleinschmidt. In the past couple of years, which coincides with his becoming a property owner in Chapel Hill, Kleinschmidt has grown into the job. He has developed an understanding of the need to foster commercial development and a vibrant downtown and encourage business growth. Increasingly, he votes with Matt Czajkowski on issues that will have a big impact on the lifestyle of residents.

But …

On a few occasions when opportunities for Kleinschmidt to show leadership have come his way, he has ducked. When some council members exhibited behavior unbecoming their office, he could have stopped it with a word. But he remained silent or defended them. Being a leader means sometimes people will get angry at you. It will feel as if they don’t like you or don’t want to be your friend. And who wants that? But a good leader will put personal comfort aside and do what is right. And when Kleinschmidt has been presented with the opportunity to do what’s right for the town, he has sometimes disappointed me.

That said, I have reservations about Tim Sookram as mayor. He has no political savvy and doesn’t look like the figurehead Chapel Hill’s increasingly wealthy and professional electorate may want representing our town. But I’ve got to hand it to him – he’s hung in there. He’s participated in all of the forums; he says what he thinks, which may not necessarily be what voters want to hear. Yet his views reflect the Chapel Hill many of us say we want: affordable housing that will allow diversity; better public transportation so we can live green; a strong downtown friendly to arts and business both. As someone who is self-employed, he may have a heightened sense of time management, and he most likely is used to setting goals and putting in the hard work to meet them, rather than sitting back and waiting for someone else to make it happen. He has the potential to grow into the role, and I’m willing to take a chance on him.
– Nancy Oates

An understanding of finances drove our picks from among a field of strong candidates for Town Council. The economy shows no sign of improving, and the town is close to its debt ceiling. Decisions about raising revenue and spending will need to be made judiciously. We looked for experience, maturity and leadership. Here’s what we found:

Matt Czajkowski: Tough enough to enlist and serve four years in the Navy during the Vietnam War and smart enough to earn two degrees from Harvard (one an MBA), Czajkowski has demonstrated strong leadership during his past four years on council. He speaks up: to ask questions that cut through bureaucracy-speak; to shine light on questionable deals; and to hold council members and staff accountable to their word. For speaking up he has been subjected to harsh comments from business-as-usual council members, yet he continues to put the well-being of his constituents ahead of his own comfort. And it has paid off. Other council members are beginning to recognize the wisdom of his words, and we no longer see 8-1 council votes. We are grateful that he is willing to continue to look out for us for another four years.

Jon DeHart: Borrowing money seems easy, but DeHart knows what it costs. He understands debt service and credit ratings and realistic limits. He backs innovative strategies to make living in Chapel Hill affordable to a range of income levels. An Eagle Scout, he established his integrity early on and practiced peer leadership among a group tougher than the sitting council – teenage boys. During his service on town advisory boards and church committees, he has earned a reputation as a coalition builder, a de-polarizer and an open-minded listener. He has demonstrated his commitment over the years to making time to better the community.

Laney Dale: Because he runs his own company that launches entrepreneurial businesses, Dale has a sharp sense of judicious risk-taking. He is used to assessing the value of an investment. A relative newcomer to Chapel Hill, he has a fresh vision of what Chapel Hill could be, rather than fighting to keep the town from changing.

Augustus Cho: As chair of the Transportation Board, Cho is known for keeping members focused on the topic and oriented toward solving problems. He is unflinchingly honest with himself, a quality that reflects his integrity. He has a reputation for being ethical and objective and voting on the merits of an issue, rather than voting with his friends.
– Nancy Oates

In a New Yorker cartoon, a teenage boy is lifting weights in his room. His mother walks in and says, “Here, let me do that for you.”

That cartoon came to mind as I looked over Town Council candidate Lee Storrow’s 35-day finance report that showed his mother making a $381 in-kind contribution (the legal limit is $280) to host a fundraiser in Storrow’s hometown of Asheville. His parents’ friends donated generously, and I’m guessing they are of the ilk who expect more than coffee and cookies if they are to dig deep to help out. But that doesn’t justify ignoring Chapel Hill’s rules.

Storrow seems like an ambitious kid who aims for a career in politics, and as he has no children, Town Council is a more likely first step than the school board to begin his political career. With the help of the Asheville contingent, he has more money in his coffers than candidates who relied on local support.

Still, we would like to see candidates who value ethics and show leadership. While waiting at the traffic light on MLK and Hillsborough, I noticed that all the campaign signs on the west side of the street had disappeared, except for Storrow’s. If he can’t even get his supporters to shape up, how effective will he be on council?

We’re still troubled by Penny Rich pushing through an ordinance change so that she could land a catering gig of thousands dollars, lying to the press by claiming it was a fundraiser, then donating $25 to the Public School Foundation only after Chapel Hill Watch called her out on it. Then Kleinschmidt and Jim Ward emailed us that they didn’t see anything unethical about Rich’s actions. (At a recent council meeting, Rich asked whether the Occupy Chapel Hill contingent would be exempt from town’s Halloween rules. We couldn’t help but wonder whether she had booked a catering gig in front of the courthouse that night.)

Though I often disagreed with the way Sally Greene voted, I never doubted her integrity. I would hate to think she might be replaced by someone whose moral compass is the majority sway of his Twitter followers.

While we approve of Storrow’s mother evidently being honest in what she spent, we wish Storrow had taken the time to read the rules of campaign fundraising and spending and let his mom know what limits she had to operate under. In the meantime, we’re wrestling with our own ethical dilemma – Storrow’s disbursements list the name of a website developer who put up his website for an astonishingly affordable price. Would it be ethical to contact her to see what she would charge to freshen the design of Chapel Hill Watch?
– Nancy Oates