A town task force isn't the only group talking about growth.

Candidates for mayor Augustus Cho and Councilman Matt Czajkowski both took Chapel Hill's growth on in filing for the top seat this week.

The U.S. Census had nearly 50,000 residents in Chapel Hill in 2006. Add students in, and you have nearly 78,055, Cho said on his Web site.

"It is difficult to maintain the "Chapel Hill Village" atmosphere under these circumstances," he wrote. "What we can do is to capture the essence of the village as we once knew it and maintain it like Charleston, SC, Georgetown in DC, the historical sections of Philadelphia have successfully done."

Czajkowski was more pointed.

Taxes are too high, downtown has lost its vitality and "unrestrained" growth has led to projects that have shocked the community, he said. (Read his full statement on the OrangeChat blog: blogs.newsobserver.com/orangechat).

Still to come: two-time candidate Kevin Wolff, who filed without releasing a statement Friday, and Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt, who has announced he too wants to succeed Mayor Kevin Foy, who is not seeking a fifth term.

Here is a list of candidates who had filed as of 5 p.m. Friday:

CARRBORO

For mayor: Mark Chilton*

For Board of Aldermen (3 seats): Jacquie Gist*, Randee Haven-O'Donnell*, Sammy Slade

CHAPEL HILL

For mayor: Augustus Cho, Matt Czajkowski, Kevin Wolff

For Town Council (4 seats): Jon DeHart, Matt Pohlman, Penny Rich

HILLSBOROUGH

For mayor: Tom Stevens*

For Town Board (2 seats): Frances Dancy*, Mike Gering*, Bryant Kelly Warren Jr.

CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO SCHOOL BOARD

(3 seats): Michelle Brownstein, Joe Green, MaryAnne Gucciardi, Gary Wallach,

*incumbent

ELECTION

2009

INSIDE

See complete list of candidate filings.

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