Label him a winner

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.

“That is how we have created the most livable city in America. That is how we became one of the best places in America to start a small business,” Kleinschmidt said.

“That’s how we are going to overcome the divisions we’re experiencing now.”

Kleinschmidt received 4,152 votes, to Town Council member Matt Czajkowski’s 4,053 and Augustus Cho’s 226. Kevin Wolff, who dropped out of the race, received 97 votes.

During the campaign, local business owners converged around Czajkowski’s candidacy.

Although finance reports show Czajkowski received more than four times as much money from private donors than Kleinschmidt, Kleinschmidt had nearly as many donors, including current and former Town Council members.

Kleinschmidt also received the endorsements of many traditional institutions in Chapel Hill, including the Sierra Club, the NAACP and Foy.

“Mark understands the balance we need,” Foy said. “It’s easy to make all sorts of promises in a campaign and a lot more difficult to be a good judge of priorities.”

Kleinschmidt must continue to work alongside Czajkowski, who will remain on the Town Council, and contend with his supporters.

Kleinschmidt said he has valued Czajkowski’s voice on the council.

“He’s contributed in ways that no other members could, and he’s made the decisions we’ve made as a council better,” he said.

Czajkowski admitted defeat was disappointing, but said he was happy with his campaign achievements.

“We wanted to feel as though we’ve done everything we possibly could,” Czajkowski said. “And secondly, that we conducted it in the most honorable manner possible, and we accomplished both of those goals big time.”

Czajkowski said he thinks Kleinschmidt understands the challenges the town faces.

“And to a certain degree, I think he’s open to how we address them,” he said. “I don’t believe we can ignore the half that voted for me.”

Kleinschmidt becomes the first openly gay man to be elected mayor in Chapel Hill.

Despite local governments’ lack of power regarding civil rights, local elections are still important for the gay community, said Ian Palmquist, executive director of Equality N.C., a gay rights lobbying group.

“It’s critical that LGBT people are visible and active in the community,” Palmquist said. “Our lives are about much more than just equal rights.”

As votes continued to arrive Tuesday, Kleinschmidt let his guard drop for a moment of insecurity.

“It’s only 168 votes,” he said, referring to his lead.

His mother was present to grab him for a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Either way, you’re a winner in my book,” she said.

Senior writer Mark Abadi contributed reporting.Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.