Candidate Biography (submitted by campaign):

51 years old (1958) from Seoul, South Korea.

I immigrated to the U.S. in July of 1968.

Attended:

• Linton Hall Military School in Bristow, Virginia, 4th through 6th grade (August 1968 to June 1971)
• Glasgow Middle School in Fairfax, Virginia, 7th grade (August 1971 - December 1971)
• Kenmore Junior High in Arlington, Virginia 7th through 8th grade (Jan 1972 - June 1973)
• Brogden Junior High in Durham, NC 9th grade (August 1973 - June 1974)
• Sanderson High School, Raleigh, NC 10th grade through 12th grade (August 1974 - June 1977)

Lived in Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill over the years.

A 1982 graduate of UNC-CH, majored in Economics.  UNC: national champs in NCAA Basketball, Lacrosse and the College Bowl in 1982.

Franklin Street was special then; something magical about Franklin Street that made people come from all over and enjoy what it offered, like Purdy's on Franklin where I worked as a bartender and a bouncer for a time.  Truly, a "win-win" situation for both local business owners and the students; we need to restore it.

Lived & worked in L.A, N.J. in marketing and in the garment district in NYC until I matriculated at Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) to study for Master of Divinity degree, learning more Hebrew and Greek than ever thought humanly possible.  Worse, parsing more Hebrew and Greek verbs than should be legally allowed ...

A father of two: son graduated from ECHHS, Class of 2009, daughter 8th grader at Smith Middle School.

I've been a pastor, a college teacher, an author, writer, a columnist for the Chapel Hill News, a parent, a concerned citizen, a community activist, and a martial arts instructor.

For more detailed bio, please visit: www.augustuscho.com

The theme of my mayoral campaign is "Investing in Chapel Hill".

The Town of Chapel Hill has given herself over the years to countless generations of Carolina students and the residents of Chapel Hill.  The time has now come to give back to a town that has been so generous to others.

JFK stated it eloquently: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country".

It is now what we (citizens of Chapel Hill) can do for our Town.

As chair of the Transportation Advisory Board and a member of the Community Design Commission I have honored that challenge.

Now, I invite you to join me and serve our wonderful community by supporting me as we take Chapel Hill to a new level -- fulfilling her full potential.

I stand for commerce, sustainable ("smart") growth & leadership.

Commerce

As a UNC graduate, I understand the significance of Franklin Street and the important role every small, independent business plays to make Chapel Hill that very special place for us.  The detrimental impact panhandling has to be curtailed.

Sustainable Growth

Chapel Hill has gone from a small town to a large town to becoming a small city.  This means housing issues: affordable & workforce housing.   I support giving developers flexibility by allowing different options to fulfill the quotas instead of being rigid; also, streamline the process thereby removing uncertainties the developers face unfairly.

Leadership

I care about human beings.

The point of elected leadership is to make a positive difference in the lives of Chapel Hill citizens.  Clarity of thinking by addressing the causes - instead of dealing with the symptoms afterwards - will go a long way to resolving issues permanently.

Let's be accountable to our citizens and be transparent in government.