By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Chapel Hill Town Council incumbents Donna Bell, Jim Ward and Matt Czajkowski won reelection Tuesday night, joined by 22-year-old newcomer Lee Storrow, a recent UNC graduate.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt easily won reelection, earning 5,442 votes (77.54 percent), followed by Kevin Wolff, with 1,243 votes (17.71 percent); and Tim Sookram, with 292 votes (4.16 percent).
“I am very pleased and very grateful for the support of the people of Chapel Hill,†Kleinschmidt said. “It’s very humbling, obviously.â€
Bell, who was appointed to serve the unexpired term of Bill Strom two years ago, led the council field with 4,204 votes, or 17.15 percent, followed by longtime council member Ward, with 3,976 votes (16.22 percent); Storrow, with 3,868 (15.78 percent); and Czajkowski, with 3,765 (15.36 percent).
“I’m very excited about the results,†Bell said. “After being on the council for two years, it’s good to get some feedback that the job I’m doing is a good job.â€
Storrow, who will become the council’s youngest member, said he looked forward to the challenge.
“I’m really thrilled and excited,†Storrow said. “It is so exciting to me that 20 years ago Chapel Hill elected a 20-year-old to the council, and 20 years later elected a 22-year-old.â€
Ward said he too was thankful to his supporters for the opportunity to continue to serve on the council.
“The next four years have unique challenges, and I look forward to working with the folks who live here to figure out the best solutions at hand,†he said.
Challenger Jason Baker trailed Czajkowski with 13.73 percent of the vote, or 3,367 votes. Following Baker, Jon DeHart earned 2,438 votes (9.94 percent); Augustus Cho, 1,565 (6.38 percent); Laney Dale, 781 (3.19 percent); and Carl Schuler, 477 (1.95 percent).
Baker said that while he was disappointed, he was pleased with the rest of the election results.
“Everyone but myself who I voted for was elected,†he said.
Schuler said he ran to provide voters with more variety in the election field, and that he looked forward to seeing the work done by the council.
With impending work on the comprehensive plan and a tight budget, Schuler said, “It’ll be interesting to see what these guys have to say.â€