I respect all that the Orange County Democratic Party has done to organize over the decade I've lived in Chapel Hill. But it commits many sins of omission.

Notable in the Chapel Hill election was the fact Mark Kleinschmidt voted for the use of Chapel Hill tax money to fund individual campaigns, then used that money for his own campaign. All the other candidates who hold seats in Chapel Hill declined public campaign funds as the appropriate thing to do.

Worse, Kleinschmidt, the only registered Democrat running for mayor, voted for lifetime health benefits for all two-term Chapel Hill Town Council members while he was a two-term member. If Matt Czajkowski had not alerted a few residents that this was on the consent agenda, there would not have been a public outcry and a second vote rescinding the first vote.

We recently learned that the town has an unfunded liability for employee benefits of over $3 million. This would be much more huge if the Kleinschmidt and council (minus Czajkowski) vote had stood.

Also, Kleinschmidt was one of three council members who voted against allowing Starbucks to come into Eastgate Plaza and renovate an abandoned gas station, yet the renovation included elegant, simple improvements to the roads into and out of Eastgate that have made traffic flow safer and less congested.

The OCDP will promote the election of someone unsuitable if the candidate is a registered Democrat, even when there is a more suitable candidate also running.

Lynne Kane

Chapel Hill