CHAPEL HILL - CHAPEL HILL -- The final days before the filing deadline brought out new and unexpected challengers in local races.

Four men now want to succeed Kevin Foy as Chapel Hill mayor. Foy, meanwhile, said last week he is in the early stages of considering a bid for U.S. Senate.

"To run a credible statewide race, you have to be out talking to people and getting familiar," he said. "You've got to go out and basically do statewide what I've done in Chapel Hill over the past 15 years."

In Carrboro, Mayor Mark Chilton now has two growth-minded challengers: Amanda Ashley, who wants to limit the town's population, and Brian Voyce, who ran two years ago saying the town had learned nothing from past mistakes and annexations.

Only Hillsborough Mayor Tom Stevens is guaranteed another term. No challengers filed to run against him.

Here, briefly, is who's running for local municipal office. Look in Wednesday's Chapel Hill News for candidates for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board.

MAYOR

Name: Augustus Cho

Age: 50

Address: 106 Aster Place, Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: writer

Note: Cho is chairman of the town's Transportation Board and member of the Community Design Commission.

Comment: "The village atmosphere is an era that's gone. The only way we can grow is up."

Name: Matt Czajkowski

Age: 60

Address: 1083 Burning Tree Drive, Chapel Hill, 27517

Occupation: corporate executive

Note: Czajkowski has called for stronger rules against downtown panhandlers, criticized public campaign financing and opposed healthcare benefits for retired council members.

Comment: "The voters of Chapel Hill will at long last be able to choose between continuing the policies of the last eight years which have led us to where we are today - or a new practical approach which insists on fiscal discipline, pursues growth which is right for Chapel Hill and does the necessary things to revive downtown."

Name: Mark Kleinschmidt

Age: 39

Address: 208 Village Gate Dr., Chapel Hill, 27514

Occupation: attorney

Note: Kleinschmidt is an anti-death penalty lawyer and one of only five openly gay elected officials in North Carolina.

Comment: "We have not been able to avoid the consequences of the national economic crisis. ... My years on the council and in our community have prepared me to guide our community through these challenging times."

Name: Kevin Wolff

Age: 50

Address: 133 Forsyth Drive, Chapel Hill, 27517

Occupation: attorney

Note: Wolff has little political experience but tried twice to unseat Foy.

Comment: NA

Chapel Hill Town Council (4 seats)

Name: Jon DeHart

Age: 42

Address: 102 Old Larkspur Way, Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: mortgage banker

Note: DeHart supported developer Carol Ann Zinn in her unsuccessful permit application for 58 luxury condos off Highway 54 east of Meadowmont.

Comment: NA

Name: Laurin Easthom*

Age: 44

Address: 104 Livingston Place, Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: dentist

Note: Easthom is an outspoken scrutinizer of development proposals.

Comment: "As a mom of two young girls, I want Chapel Hill to continue to be an environment in which they can thrive, learn, love and play, and pass on their love of their hometown to their children. That's my bottom line."

Name: Ed Harrison*

Age: 58

Address: 58 Newton Dr., Chapel Hill, 27707

Occupation: ecological planner

Note: Harrison works to protect pedestrians and cyclists from the impacts of development.

Comment: "With Kevin [Foy] leaving office, the institutional knowledge and cooperative relationships I've developed are invaluable in continuing our Town's progress."

Name: Jim Merritt*

Age: 65

Address: 106 Crest Dr., Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: retired school administrator

Note: Merritt has deep roots in Chapel Hill and opposes Millhouse Road for a waste transfer station because he grew up visiting his grandparents in that rural area.

Comment: "I do not look upon myself as a candidate for the African American community, but as an advocate for all of the citizens of Chapel Hill."

Name: Gene Pease

Age: 58

Address: 208 Glandon Dr., Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: corporate executive

Note: Pease has served on various finance, planning and library committees since 2004.

Comment: "We need to find a better balance between essential town services and progressive social policies."

Name: Matt Pohlman

Age: 34

Address: 104 Colburn Point, Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: investment adviser

Note: NA

Comment: NA

Name: Will Raymond

Age: 47

Address: 209 Mt. Bolus Road, Chapel Hill, 27514

Occupation: software developer

Note: Raymond ran unsuccessfully for council in 2005 and 2007; he is a frequent critic of the current council, often demanding greater scrutiny of development projects.

Comment: "It is clear that Chapel Hill's residents want to move forward on a different path for the next decade."

Name: Penny Rich

Age: 50

Address: 109 Oldham Place, Chapel Hill, 27516

Occupation: personal chef

Note: Rich narrowly lost to Czajkowski for the final seat in 2007.

Comment: "... I represent the unique perspective of the average everyday citizen."

INSIDE

Read profiles for other races in Orange.

CARRBORO

Mayor

Name: Mark Chilton*

Age: 38

Address: 203 Ashe St, Carrboro, NC 27510

Occupation: Attorney and broker

Note: Elected to the Board of Aldermen in 2003 and as mayor in 2005 and 2007. Says higher taxes may be necessary because of the new fire station that will have 12 firefighters.

Comment: "It doesn't matter who's in it [the race], I always take it seriously."

Name: Amanda Ashley

Age: 53

Address: 506 N. Greensboro St, #36, Carrboro, NC 27510

Occupation: Phydeaux pet store

Note: Wants to cap the town's population at 25,000 people, avoid raising taxes for at least two years and encourage alternative transportation.

Comment: "Willy-nilly growth is not the answer."

Name: Brian Voyce

Age: 55

Address: 8401 Sterling Bridge Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Occupation: Owner/director/adviser of privately held, biotech/biomed small businesses in 2007

Note: Ran for mayor in 2007, has criticized town's recent annexations, opposes solid waste facilities in Eubanks Road area

Comment: "Current growth proponents support an undefined amount of growth for southern Orange. They don't support any carrying capacity limit. They don't define a quality of life agenda for future growth that maintains the current quality of life for the vast majority of residents." (N&O, 2007)

Board of Aldermen (3 seats)

Name: Jacquelyn Gist*

Age: 54

Address: 206 Maple Ave #A, Carrboro, NC 27510

Occupation: Career counselor at UNC Career Services

Note: Has served on the Board of Aldermen since 1989, says overriding issue is to maintain Carrboro's fiscal health.

Comment: "I came real close to not running this time because it's a lot of work and it's 20 years. But I looked at our current situation, and with the town so vulnerable ... my experience can serve the town well."

Name: Randee Haven-O'Donnell*

Age: 58

Address: 106 Fairfield Ct, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Occupation: Teacher

Note: Has served on the Board of Aldermen since 2005, worked to preserve Bolin Creek, supported downtown library and helped enact greenway plan

Comment: At a solar panel installation: "Before 'green jobs' became a catch phrase, I started conversations and plans to forge partnerships like this one to propel Carrboro into viable solar energy use, solar business development, workforce training, and consumer use."

Name: Sammy Slade

Age: 34

Address: 105 Dillard St, Carrboro, NC 27510

Occupation: community organizer, urban farmer and a carpenter

Note: Co-founder and co-coordinator of Carrboro Greenspace, says expanding participation in the town's decisions will be campaign mainstay

Comment: "I believe I have much to offer Carrboro."

Name: Sharon Cook

Age: 55

Address: 1610 Claymore Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Occupation: homemaker and community volunteer

Note: Current member of the Carrboro Planning Board, served on the Greenways Commission, Homestead and High School Road safety task force

Comment: "This is the town my husband and I chose to raise our family in, it's a great town. It really concerns us when ... (we hear) 'we can't afford to stay here.'"

Name: Tim Peck

Age: 54

Address: 112 Elm St, Carrboro, NC 27510

Occupation: General contractor and plumber

Note: A former PTA president of Carrboro Elementary School, says he wants to examine taxes. Thinks town is a good size and there's never a good place to draw the line.

Comment: "I'd like to participate in shaping Carrboro."

RACES

FROM PAGE A

HILLSBOROUGH

Mayor

Name: Tom Stevens*

Age: 55

Address: 213 W. Tryon St, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Occupation: Owns leadership consulting business

Note: Seeking third term as mayor.

Comment: "I believe a widely shared vision of our town has emerged, a vision that emphasizes small-town character, celebrating our heritage, sustainable prosperity for folks from all walks of life, and community vitality you can feel walking down the street."

Board of Commissioners (2 seats)

Name: Mike Gering*

Age: 53

Address: 158 W. King St., Hillsborough, NC 27278

Occupation: Senior programmer at IBM

Note: Seeking third term, says he initiated purchase of 20 acres of the Collins property, chaired task force that responded to the county's plans to locate a waste transfer station in economic development district, and chaired Way-Finding Signage Committee, which has recommended replacing street signs with coordinated system to guide tourists into and around Hillsborough.

Comment: "Our downtown has seen a new vitality, the town has opened new parks, and we have improved our economic base through new developments that include senior housing and a community college. Through it all, Hillsborough continues to preserve and celebrate our natural and historic heritage."

Name: Frances L. Dancy*

Age: 55

Address: PO Box 29, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Occupation: Business Officer at the Carolina Population Center, UNC

Note: Seeking fourth term, says strategic growth plan will tell developers what Hillsborough wants and how it should look

Comment: "Since my election, our Police Department has been accredited; we've completed the West Fork on the Eno River Reservoir project, and approved Waterstone Development, which took approximately four years before final approval. It is my desire to continue to be of service."

Name: Bryant Kelly Warren Jr.

Age: 59

Address: 109 Holt St, Hillsborough, NC 27278

Occupation: Carrier, U.S. Postal Service

Note: Chairs town's parks and recreation board, has chaired plannng board. Ran in 2007 saying growth needs to blend in and town needed to attract manufacturing jobs.

Comment: "Growth is coming to Hillsborough whether we like it or not, and it's up to the town's leadership to guide growth and development to preserve Hillsborough's unique, irreplaceable qualities. That's ultimately why I'm running."

* incumbent

COMING WEDNESDAY

Don't miss candidate profiles for the city school board race.