Voters Keep Some, Oust Some

By Catherine M. Welch & Laurin Penland

Wilmington, NC – Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo remains in place, while the Wilmington City Council sees two new faces.

Saffo received 60% of the vote to challenger Paul Knight's 40%.

The convention center hotel, annexation, and the raucous downtown bar scene dominated this year's debate. Paul Knight says he's pleased with the share of votes he got for his first time running, but says he's not sure he will run again.

"People just aren't concerned. They're just not concerned: 75,000 people, 12,000 vote."

And in the city council race Charlie Rivenbark led the pack with 14% of the vote, a fraction of a hair ahead of incumbent Earl Sheridan who held onto his seat. Newcomer Kevin O'Grady pushed out Margaret Haynes with 12%.

Wrightsville Beach
Unofficial results show David Cignotti beat out incumbent Stephen Whalen for mayor of Wrightsville Beach with 54% of the vote.

Susan Howell Collins and Bill Sisson will get a shot at aldermen. Collins came in with 30% and Sisson pulled through with 24%. All of the incumbents lost.

Pleasure Island
On Pleasure Island, unofficial results show Lonny Lashley and Robert Lewis took two of the Carolina Beach council seats up for grabs with 27% and 28% of the vote respectively.

And in Kure Beach, Dean Lambeth squeaked out a win in the mayor's race to Jim Vatrt beating him by 29 votes. In the Kure Beach council race, unofficial results show Chuck Keener and Tim Fuller were voted into the pair of open seats with 36% and 32% of the votes.

Brunswick County
Unofficial results show Larry Lammert unable to hold on to his mayor's seat with Andy Sayre beating him by three votes.

In Boiling Spring Lakes, Richard White took that town's mayor's race with 55% of the vote. While in the commissioner's race Charlie Carroll and Craig Caster landed the seats up with 30% and 35% respectively.

In Southport Sandy Spencer lost her mayor's seat to Robert Howard with Spencer getting 35% of the vote to Howard's 65%.

Navassa Mayor Eulis Willis keeps his job.

And in Oak Island, unofficial results show incumbent mayor Johnnie Vareen lost his seat to challenger Betty Wallace with 43% percent of the vote to Wallace's 57%.

Leland

Consolidation with Belville and Navasa and plans for the proposed Skyway Bridge drove the Leland mayor's race.

Unofficial results show incumbent Walter Futch held on to his seat with 65% of the vote. Futch was followed by challengers Frank Bullara and Bob Boynton who got 31% and 4% of the vote respectively. Bob Boynton says the people spoke and they chose to stick with the mayor they have

"You know he's a homeboy and a lot of people in Leland want to keep things the way they are. And so if that's what most of the people want to do, I suppose that's what will happen."

Of the six candidates seeking Leland City Council, unofficial results show Patricia Batleman and Martha Currie landing the pair of open council seats.

Pender County
Unofficial results for the Burgaw mayor's race show Kenneth Cowan held on to his job, beating Elaine Tyson by 37 votes.

In Surf City, Michael Curley and Doug Medlin held on to their seats on town council.

Unofficial results for Topsail Beach's Town Commissioners' race show of the six candidates vying for three seats: Julian Bone, Ed Broadhurst and Grier Fleischhauer won those seats, beating out two sitting commissioners.