Augustus Cho

10:40 a.m. Nov. 4 - The original version of this story cited election result numbers that only included Orange County precincts. The Chapel Hill mayoral and town council races also draw votes from one precinct in Durham County. This story has been updated to reflect the numbers being reported by the State Board of Elections, which reports on election results from all counties (Scroll to view the Chapel Hill race).

In a polarizing mayoral campaign between “establishment” and “pro-business” candidates, the man labeled as the embodiment of current policies won.

After serving eight years on the Town Council, Mark Kleinschmidt won the tight race with 48.62 percent of the vote.

In the aftermath of the divisive campaign, Kleinschmidt said cooperation will be necessary to build on the successes of Kevin Foy’s term.

Candidates for the upcoming municipal elections gathered to talk golf and politics Monday during a reception following the Bill Thorpe Golf Classic.

William Thorpe Jr., son of the former Chapel Hill council member Bill Thorpe Sr., organized the event in memory of his father, who died last year.

Fifteen of the 17 candidates for mayor, Chapel Hill Town Council and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education gave minute-long speeches in honor of Bill Thorpe.

Mayoral candidates delved into their college pasts as they clamored for votes from students at Tuesday’s debate.

UNC Young Democrats and College Republicans collaborated to host the event with the goal of overcoming student apathy.

All four candidates were asked about student involvement in the upcoming election and issues such as development and safety.

 College Republicans chairman John Eick said he hoped the meeting counteracted voter apathy.

Candidates for Chapel Hill government met at University Presbyterian Church on Thursday to discuss downtown parking and development.

Hosted by Friends of Downtown, the forum showcased the four mayoral candidates and the eight Town Council candidates.

Several of the candidates cited Durham’s policy of offering free parking as an example of a successful parking plan.

Many candidates stressed the need to streamline the process of opening a business and reduce its cost in order for downtown to develop.

Mayoral candidates

Businesses have seen fewer panhandlers, and arrests have fallen in the last couple of years. Chapel Hill mayoral candidates will have to give their ideas for continuing the trend this election season.

Several measures, like the Orange County 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and the Real Change from Spare Change program have reduced the number of panhandlers, said Jim Norton, executive director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership.

With new developments proposed and progressing in Chapel Hill, the next mayor will have to balance the need for growth with the need to maintain the town’s character.

“The big issue in Chapel Hill has been the big issue since I’ve been involved, and that is, how does this town grow?” Mayor Kevin Foy said.

He said the urban growth boundary dates back to the 1980s.

Chapel Hill Town Council candidate Penny Rich became the first in North Carolina history to qualify for public financing in a municipal campaign Wednesday night.

Not many plan to follow.

The voter-owned elections program was started last year to level the disparities in campaign spending. It provides candidates with public money if they raise a certain amount on their own.

Despite the financial returns, the voter-owned election program struggled this election cycle to attract participants.