6
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2005
Mark Kleinschmidt
BY JAKE POTTER
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR „
Mark Kleinschmidt is no
stranger to the spotlight.
A Chapel Hill Town Council
incumbent running for re-election,
Kleinschmidt —one of five openly
gay elected officials in state history
made headlines earlier this year
thanks to his efforts to reach out to
the area’s gay and lesbian commu
nities by asking the town to oppose
the Defense of Marriage Act.
Kleinschmidt’s stance on gay
rights recently won him the
endorsement of Equality N.C.
“Mark has been a stellar leader
in the community,” said Equality
N.C. Executive Program Director
lan Palmquist. “We expect that he
will continue to lead ... and con-
Will Raymond
BY TED STRONG
CITY EDITOR
Will Raymond just looks like a
technology type of a guy.
From his bright red and blue
Chuck Taylor shoes to his bushy
black beard, ponytail and round
glasses, he projects the image of
an experienced traveler on the
information superhighway.
But Raymond says that Chapel
Hill voters will judge him on his
platform, not his facial hair.
“The people of Chapel Hill, I
think, will decide this race on pol
icy and not appearance, and that’s
one of the great things about living
in Chapel Hill,” he said.
But technology, while clearly
not the only plank in Raymond’s
platform, definitely has been a
Bill Thorpe
BY JAKE POTTER
ASSISTANT CITY EDITOR
Bill Thorpe makes no bones
about it he’s still running the
“man of the people” campaign he
did a few decades ago.
“It is anew day, but I’ve always
been in tune with Chapel Hill,”
said Thorpe.
Thorpe served two terms for the
council, between 1977 and 1981
and again between 1983 and 1987.
He was mayor pro tern his last two
years in office.
He said he is again vying for a
seat because of his passion for the
town. “I care about the town,” he
said. “You mature and you learn as
everyone else does over time.”
That doesn’t mean he’s chang
ing his political leanings, however.
tinue to be vocal.”
But Kleinschmidt is about more
than sexual orientation.
Students for a Progressive
Chapel Hill and
the N.C. Police
Benevolent
Association
also have tipped
their hats to
Kleinschmidt,
citing his pro
gressive views
on a variety of
issues.
At 35, Kleinschmidt is staying
busy he splits time between the
council and the Center for Death
Penalty Litigation in Durham,
where he works as a nonprofit
attorney and sits on the board of
chapel mil Town Council
major issue for him in this year’s
Town Council race.
Raymond, who serves on the
town’s technology board, is highly
knowledgeable,
said Gregg
Gerdau, the
board’s chair
man.
“Where
he’s strong,
he’s an expert,
and where he
doesn’t know,
he’s able to figure out very quickly
and understand,” he added.
Raymond wants to ensure that
Chapel Hill’s economy develops,
including the growth of businesses
that pay what Raymond called a
Chapel Hill living wage enough
chapel Hill Town Council
“People know Bill Thorpe in terms
of what I’ve done,” he said. “I’m not
someone that’s just coming in.”
Originally hailing from Oxford,
Thorpe has
resided in
Chapel Hill
with wife, Jean,
since 1970.
His establish
ment in the local
political arena
is reflected in
the funds he’s
s.
received from current council mem
bers Edith Wiggins and Dorothy
Verkerk, former council member
Joe Herzenberg and Carrboro
Alderman Joal Hall Broun.
Herzenberg, who served with
Thorpe during the 19705, said he
Vtofers Guide
chapel Hill Town Council
directors for the state chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union.
Kleinschmidt’s main campaign
points focus on two of the area’s
most-heated debates affordable
housing and town-gown relations.
The incumbent is in favor of sim
plifying the affordable housing pro
cess. Kleinschmidt said the council’s
approval of a reworded clause in the
affordable housing section of the
town’s 2000 Comprehensive Plan
is a step in the right direction.
But keeping open discussions
between affordable housing pro
ponents and developers subject to
the town’s affordable housing reg
ulations also is crucial to moving
the initiative forward, he said.
“You can’t be successful with
new regulations unless the devel
to raise a family in Chapel Hill.
One way to encourage that type
of business, he said, is amenities,
including water fountains, bath
rooms downtown and municipal
networking, whereby the town
provides high-speed Internet
access as a sort of public utility.
The plan could integrate fiber
optic cables, WiFi and WiMAX
—a technology that provides high
speed wireless Internet for distanc
es of eight miles to 30 miles.
Raymond also wants to apply
his background as a technological
entrepreneur to the town’s day-to
day processes, working to increase
cost efficiency in town processes.
“I’m very good at... (creating)
a very efficient organization using
technology and a very cost-effec-
admires Thorpe’s return to politics.
“He’s been active in local politics
longer than anyone else running or
currently holding office,” he said.
If Thorpe wins a seat, he will be
the only black voice on the council
Wiggins, the current mayor pro tern,
is leaving her post this November.
“He did a good job representing
the black community back then,”
Herzenberg said.
Thorpe made national history in
1984 when he initiated a successful
movement to get the town to recog
nize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as
a paid holiday for town employees
making Chapel Hill the first U.S.
municipality ever to do so.
Thorpe has made neighborhood
protection, an issue he also focused
on in his prior council terms, a
opers are active in discussion,” he
said.
Kleinschmidt said collabora
tion between town and University
representatives on growth projects
such as Carolina North, UNC’s
proposed satellite campus, and
downtown development might be
a door to a closer relationship.
“The relationship has improved
a great deal over the past couple
of years because everyone realized
the players’ roles,” he said.
That said, Kleinschmidt said
there still is work to be done.
“(Several years ago) we clearly
didn’t have an understanding of
each other’s roles... but hopefully
many people are recognizing that
a critically assessed plan isn’t a
statement of contempt,” he said.
five organization,” he said.
Raymond also wants to change
policy in another area: Carolina
North. The project, a proposed
University satellite campus, calls for
a massive construction with 17,000
parking spots.
Raymond understands that the
project never will be vehicle free
but said that the University needs
to use that goal and similar goals
for air, noise and light pollution as
starting points, rather than speci
fications on the table.
“I don’t think that the develop
ment that they have on the table
is worthy of a fantastic research
university,” Raymond said.
He added, “I think that UNC
itself would not be happy with it
if they actually built it.”
focal point in this election. He is
supportive of the neighborhood
conservation districts four historic
subdivisions applied for this year.
Thorpe also wants to further
incorporate affordable housing
into developments and begin stu
dent internships at Town Hall.
Thorpe also has called for the
council to become more visible in
discussion on the Carolina North, a
UNC’s proposed satellite campus.
Now retired, Thorpe is a former
director of apprenticeship and
training for the N.C. Department
of Labor and once was an analyst
for the Office of State Personnel.
Thorpe said he’s happy to be
active again in town politics.
“I’m just fortunate that I’m still
able to do this.”
ttfyr iailg (Ear Rrri
Nice to meet you
Age: 35
Job: attorney for the Center
of Death Penalty Litigation
Favorite movie:
Brazil, Lord of the Rings tril
ogy
Inspired by what album:
10,000 Maniacs, Our Time in
Eden
Political figure he would
like to meet and why:
Harvey Milk, former member
of the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors, one of the first
openly-gay elected officials
Nice to meet you
Age: 43
Job: a software developer for
TibcoExtensibility
Favorite movie:
Lillies of the Field
Inspired by what album:
Billy Bragg, early Clash, Liz
Phair
Political figure he would
like to meet and why:
Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of
Burmese martyr and general
Aung San, because of her
ability to persevere in spite of
incredible resistance
Nice to meet you
Age: 64
Job: retired political consul
tant
Favorite movie:
Ray
Inspired by what album:
albums by Luther Vandross
Political figure he would like
to meet and why:
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.,
because he'd like to learn
about her past experience
being First Lady of the United
States and her leadership in
the U.S. Senate