North Carolina
Unofficial results for 2025 Municipal Election in Southeastern North Carolina
SOUTHEASTERN N.C. (WECT) – Here is a breakdown of the unofficial winners of races across Southeastern North Carolina in the 2025 North Carolina Municipal Election:
NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Wilmington – Mayor
27 of 27 precincts reporting
- Jonathan Barfield: 5,067 votes
- Billy Craig: 7,411 votes
- Bill Saffo: 12,093 votes
Wilmington – City Council
27 of 27 precincts reporting
- Clifford Barnett: 6,647 votes
- Chakema Clinton-Quintana: 11,464 votes
- Richard Collier: 9,350 votes
- Sean Guerrero: 777 votes
- JC Lyle: 11,875 votes
- Kelly Roberts: 6,506 votes
- Cassidy Santaguida: 11,568 votes
- Luke Waddell: 10,571 votes
Carolina Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Lynn Barbee: 1,092 votes
- Youssef Hassan: 301 votes
Carolina Beach – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Vince Losito: 1,041 votes
- Wayne Rouse: 1,122 votes
Kure Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Kure Beach – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Byron Ashbridge: 385 votes
- Mark Dirks: 358 votes
- Tracy Mitchell: 118 votes
Wrightsville Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Wrightsville Beach – Board of Aldermen
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Margaret Baggett: 490 votes
- Hank Miller: 453 votes
- Todd Schoen: 469 votes
- Lee Williams: 58 votes
- David Wortman: 356 votes
BRUNSWICK COUNTY
Bald Head Island – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Peter Quinn: 159 votes
- Scott Thomas: 120 votes
Bald Head Island – Village Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Debra Drumheller: 82 votes
- Slaughter Fitz-Hugh: 174 votes
- Andrew Hano: 81 votes
- Jesse Hermann: 193 votes
Belville – Mayor
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Nia Moore: 87 votes
- Chuck Bost: 179 votes
Belville – Town Commissioner
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Hunter Smith: 208 votes
- Ryan Merrill: 214 votes
Boiling Spring Lakes – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Michael Ellis: 472 votes
- Jeff Winecoff: 583 votes
Boiling Spring Lakes – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Todd Ausborn: 519 votes
- David Mammay: 401 votes
- Kim Sherwood: 547 votes
- Ernie Siriani: 512 votes
Bolivia – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Bolivia – Board of Aldermen
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Jonathan Hayes: 13 votes
- Hannah Hrvol: 11 votes
- Dewey Smith: 14 votes
- Melissa Kay Walters: 12 votes
Calabash – Town Commissioner
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Shaun Bellamy: 95 votes
- Frank Strungis: 90 votes
- Bill Wilham: 95 votes
Carolina Shores – Mayor
2 of 2 precincts reporting
Carolina Shores – Town Commissioner
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Jeff Alt: 273 votes
- Jack Brinson: 229 votes
- Andrew Davis: 198 votes
- Walter Goodenough: 75 votes
- Debbie Watts: 507 votes
Caswell Beach – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Kathleen Berry: 117 votes
- Martha Dollinger: 89 votes
- Thomas Jarvis: 86 votes
- Connie Silverstein: 67 votes
Holden Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Mike Felmly: 172 votes
- Alan Holden: 394 votes
Holden Beach – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Chad Hock: 235 votes
- Sylvia Pate: 337 votes
- Keith Smith: 306 votes
- Maria Surprise: 234 votes
Leland – Town Council
7 of 7 precincts reporting
- Leland Hyer: 2,588 votes
- Bill McHugh: 2,401 votes
- Frank Pendleton: 3,142 votes
- Edgar Robbins: 371 votes
- Susan Waleed: 1,763 votes
Navassa – Mayor
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Jerry Merrick: 123 votes
- Ernest Mooring: 96 votes
- Rose Terry: 162 votes
Navassa – Town Commissioner, District 1
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Tony Burgess: 72 votes
- Ida Dixon: 111 votes
- Marcell Hatten: 99 votes
- Craig Suggs: 145 votes
- Wanda Jones Willis: 217 votes
Northwest – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Sheila Grady: 186 votes
- James Knox: 35 votes
Oak Island – Mayor
6 of 6 precincts reporting
- Christopher Brown: 1,551 votes
- Douglas DeArros: 77 votes
- Liz White: 1,493 votes
Oak Island – Town Council
6 of 6 precincts reporting
- Tommy Brown: 1,296 votes
- Chasey Bynum: 1,391 votes
- Chip Frazier: 765 votes
- Kerri McCullough: 1,024 votes
- Reece Simmons: 332 votes
- Scott Stephenson: 1,175 votes
Ocean Isle Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Ocean Isle Beach – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Polly Bristow: 168 votes
- Mark Robertson: 230 votes
- Wayne Rowell: 209 votes
Sandy Creek – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Sandy Creek – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Johanna Didrill: 26 votes
- Austin Lentz: 19 votes
Sandy Creek – Town Council, Unexpired Term
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Rebecca Wilkins: 23 votes
Shallotte – Mayor
5 of 5 precincts reporting
- Art Dornfeld: 331 votes
- Walter Eccard: 249 votes
Shallotte – Board of Aldermen
5 of 5 precincts reporting
- James Bellamy: 399 votes
- Eugene Vasile: 382 votes
Southport – Mayor
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Rich Alt: 848 votes
- Joe Pat Hatem: 1,208 votes
Southport – Board of Aldermen, Ward 1
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Robert Carroll: 920 votes
- Mike Crosbie: 908 votes
- David Miller: 763 votes
- Karen Mosteller: 987 votes
Southport – Board of Aldermen, Ward 2
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Nelson Adams: 365 votes
- Katie Boyd: 0 votes
- Bonnie Bray: 793 votes
- Paul Gross: 860 votes
St. James – Town Council
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Dennis Barclay: 895 votes
- Jim Board: 1,069 votes
- Peter Cudlip: 286 votes
- Ray Irvin: 576 votes
- Jeffrey Lewis: 625 votes
- Bill Miller: 895 votes
Sunset Beach – Mayor
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Shannon Phillips: 1,321 votes
- Nicholas Peters: 547 votes
Sunset Beach – Town Council
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Sean Arnold: 1,127 votes
- William Brougham: 896 votes
- Katie Bordeaux: 1,482 votes
- Gerard Byrnes: 667 votes
- Richard Dysinger: 684 votes
Sunset Beach – Town Council, Unexpired Term
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Michael Hargreaves: 600 votes
- Christie Batchelor: 1,264 votes
Varnumtown – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Varnumtown – Board of Aldermen
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Lori Galloway: 37 votes
- Jeremy Ridenhour: 26 votes
PENDER COUNTY
Atkinson – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Atkinson – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Hector Ramos: 25 votes
- Penny Stith: 21 votes
Burgaw – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Burgaw – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- James Malloy: 126 votes
- Myura McDuffie: 116 votes
St. Helena – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Robert Barnhill: 28 votes
St. Helena – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Neil Benton: 31 votes
- Judy Katalinic: 25 votes
Surf City – Town Council
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Hugh Canady: 680 votes
- Andy Pleil: 1,000 votes
- Jillian Rodrigues de Miranda: 466 votes
- Jeremy Shugarts: 184 votes
Topsail Beach – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Topsail Beach – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Alex Arab: 137 votes
- John Best: 178 votes
- Nancy Thomason: 179 votes
- Tim Zizack: 110 votes
Watha – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Joseph Craig: 8 votes
- Samuel Miller: 11 votes
- Rachel Stadsvold: 10 votes
- Ken Fountain: 15 votes
BLADEN COUNTY
Bladenboro – Mayor
2 of 2 precincts reporting
Bladenboro – Town Commissioner
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Jeff Atkinson: 94 votes
- Cris Harrelson: 87 votes
- Gregory Sykes: 86 votes
- Joey Todd: 60 votes
Clarkton – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Stephen Hester: 32 votes
- Troy Mitchell: 41 votes
- Write In: 53
Dublin – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Dublin – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Richard Sibbett: 15 votes
East Arcadia – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Lillian Graham: 40 votes
- Pamela Graham: 42 votes
Elizabethtown – Town Council
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Brenda Clark: 212 votes
- Paula Greene: 458 votes
- Penny Johnson: 41 votes
- Bobby Kinlaw: 320 votes
- Herman Lewis: 303 votes
- Rufus Lloyd: 328 votes
Elizabethtown – Town Council (Unexpired Term)
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Bruce Dickerson: 438 votes
- Robert Hester: 149 votes
Tar Heel – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Tar Heel – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Steve Dowless: 14 votes
- Derek Druzak: 15 votes
White Lake – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- James Barefoot: 163 votes
- Tim Blount: 159 votes
- Paul Evans: 147 votes
- Richard Shaw: 172 votes
COLUMBUS COUNTY
Boardman – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Eric Williamson: 20 votes
Boardman – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Donald Britt: 20 votes
- Tevis Britt: 19 votes
- Crystal Rogers: 20 votes
- James Smith: 20 votes
- Minnie Turbeville: 20 votes
Bolton – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Bolton – Town Alderman
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Daniel Brown: 67 votes
- Barbara Jo Graham: 54 votes
- Gary Graham: 40 votes
- Kelvin Thurman: 12 votes
Brunswick – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Tammy Blackmon: 42 votes
- Curtis Hill: 53 votes
- Ricky Mason: 34 votes
- Alonzo McArthur: 31 votes
Cerro Gordo – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Cerro Gordo – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Tracey Blackwell: 24 votes
- Jeffrey Greene: 24 votes
- Lisa McKee: 18 votes
- Debra Prince: 7 votes
Chadbourn – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Shannon Britt: 117 votes
- Avala Nealy: 143 votes
- Rashad Roberts: 188 votes
- Andrew Worley: 85 votes
Fair Bluff – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
Fair Bluff – Town Commissioner
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Bradley Cutrell: 116 votes
- Clarice Faison: 137 votes
- Grayson Jarvis: 118 votes
- John Phillips: 63 votes
Lake Waccamaw – Mayor
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Greg Jacobs: 319 votes
- Chad Smith: 30 votes
- Matthew Wilson: 262 votes
Lake Waccamaw – Town Commissioner, East Ward
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Jerry Hinnant: 311 votes
- Scott Hyatt: 296 votes
Lake Waccamaw – Town Commissioner, West Ward
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Curtis Andrews: 285 votes
- Frank Carroll: 78 votes
- Charlyne Jacobs: 242 votes
Sandyfield – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Perry Dixon: 56 votes
- Leonard Hall: 58 votes
Tabor City – Town Council
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Bryan Culbertson: 45 votes
- Chris Fowler: 235 votes
- Lamont Grate: 235 votes
- Mitchell Strickland: 112 votes
Whiteville – Mayor
3 of 3 precincts reporting
- Brandon Acker: 32 votes
- Terry Mann: 367 votes
- Brittany Payne: 47 votes
- Mike Schachnuk: 96 votes
Whiteville – City Council, District 1
2 of 2 precincts reporting
- Helen Holden: 173 votes
- Vickie Pait: 230 votes
- Linda Smith: 235 votes
REFERENDUMS
Holden Beach Pier Bond ($7.3 million for new pier)
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Yes: 211 votes
- No: 351 votes
Sandyfield Malt Beverage Election
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Yes: 47 votes
- No: 31 votes
Sandyfield Unfortified Wine Election
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Yes: 45 votes
- No: 33 votes
Sandyfield Mixed Beverage Election
1 of 1 precincts reporting
- Yes: 47 votes
- No: 30 votes
Click here to watch WECT’s live election coverage.
Copyright 2025 WECT. All rights reserved.
RALEIGH — NC State replaced Kevin Keatts with Will Wade in March 2025, introducing him 368 days ago in front of the Wolfpack community at Reynolds Coliseum. A little over a year later, Wade decided to leave his new program to return to LSU, the school that fired him for cause in 2022, beginning a long journey back to Power Four basketball.
Now, athletic director Boo Corrigan and the rest of the NC State administration must find a new leader for the men’s basketball program. To make matters more complicated, they won’t have a lot of time to do so, as the new head coach needs to be in place firmly before April 7, the day the transfer portal opens. However, early noise indicates the group in charge has eyes on two candidates.
Who are the candidates?
According to multiple reports, Corrigan and other power brokers at NC State zeroed in on Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz and Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey as the primary two candidates for the opening. Both names were expected to be in the mix as soon as the Wade exit became more and more likely, although Corrigan shared no specific names during his Thursday press conference.
The NC State University Board of Trustees hosted an emergency meeting on Friday, with the primary subject being Wade’s buyout negotiation. Of course, speculation began quickly that there were discussions about the next coach of the Wolfpack, but that’s been confirmed not to be the case in the behind-closed-doors meeting for the board.
NC State Board of Trustees emergency meeting related to change in term of Will Wade’s buyout (from $5M to $4M, as AD Boo Corrigan said yesterday) not a new coach hire. Quickly went into closed session. No public business.
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) March 27, 2026
Even so, it seems as though NC State plans on making a strong push for Schertz first, despite his status as head coach at Saint Louis still and his recent agreement to a contract extension. That certainly makes things more complicated, but hiring Schertz would allow NC State to maintain any sort of positive momentum established by Wade and his regime in Raleigh. Still, Corrigan isn’t totally committed to a sitting head coach.
“I don’t think it has to be a sitting head coach at this point,” Corrigan said. “I think we want to find someone that knows how to coach and is a great coach, and has the ability to connect with people, both internal and external, with the players, be able to recruit. You have to be a good recruiter in this day and age.”
NC State will move as quickly as it possibly can, with Gainey and Schertz atop the list. That doesn’t rule out other options entirely, but all signs point to one of them being the most likely to be the next coach of the Wolfpack, ending the Will Wade era as quickly as it started.
A planned offshore wind project off North Carolina’s coast that could have powered roughly 300,000 homes has been scrapped after the federal government agreed to spend nearly $1 billion to halt its development, a decision that is drawing sharp reactions and raising questions about future energy costs in the state.
Under the agreement, the French energy company TotalEnergies will be reimbursed for leases it purchased in federal waters near Bald Head Island. In exchange, the company will redirect that investment into oil and natural gas projects, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) production.
The move comes as electricity demand in North Carolina and across the Southeast is rising, driven by population growth and the rapid expansion of energy-intensive data centers.
Energy analysts say removing a major potential source of power from the pipeline could have lasting implications.
“I think folks are trying to figure out how to reconcile this with the fact that we do need more electrons on the grid,” said Katharine Kollins, president of the Southeastern Wind Coalition. “Every state right now is looking at how we can develop more energy, not how we should be taking options off the table.”
The canceled project, known as Carolina Long Bay, was one of two offshore wind developments TotalEnergies had planned along the East Coast. The North Carolina portion alone would have generated about 1,300 megawatts of electricity and brought significant economic development to the region.
State leaders were quick to criticize the decision. In a post on X, Gov. Josh Stein said the Trump administration is “spending nearly $1 billion in taxpayer money to pay off a company to stop investments in the clean energy we need,” calling it “a terrible deal for the people of North Carolina and our country.”
The Interior Department, which negotiated the agreement, defended the move, saying offshore wind projects are too costly and unreliable to meet the nation’s energy needs. In a statement, officials said redirecting investment toward natural gas would provide “affordable, reliable and secure energy” while strengthening grid stability.
The debate reflects a broader divide over how to meet growing electricity demand while keeping costs down.
Offshore wind projects typically require high upfront investment but have no fuel costs once operational. Fossil fuel plants rely on fuel that can fluctuate in price.
“Using a billion dollars of taxpayer money to remove an option for North Carolina and then require that company to invest in LNG just doesn’t feel right,” Kollins said.
She and other advocates argue that offshore wind could help stabilize energy prices over time by diversifying the state’s power mix, particularly during periods of high demand or fuel volatility.
The federal government and industry leaders backing the deal say natural gas offers a more dependable source of power, especially as the grid faces increasing strain.
Part of that shift now points to LNG, which is traded on a global market. That means prices can rise or fall based on international demand, geopolitical tensions and export levels — dynamics that do not affect wind energy.
The cancellation also highlights uncertainty around offshore wind development in North Carolina. Duke Energy, the state’s largest utility, holds a neighboring lease in the same area but paused development last year as it reevaluated costs and policy conditions.
As state regulators and utilities map out how to meet future demand, the loss of Carolina Long Bay narrows the range of options.
For residents, the stakes may ultimately show up in monthly bills.
“When we limit our choices,” Kollins said, “we limit our ability to control costs.”
The North Carolina Tar Heels were a first-round exit in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but that does not mean that what transpires the rest of the way does not matter for the program.
It has been less than a week since the Tar Heels blew a 19-point lead in the second half against the VCU Rams, en route to an 82-78 loss in overtime. The result has raised doubts about Hubert Davis’ future as North Carolina’s head coach.
With all of that being said, here are a couple of things the Tar Heels should be wishing to happen later this week in the Sweet 16.
Duke Falls Short
The North Carolina-Duke rivalry is arguably the best one in all of sports. It was a tantalizing matchup the first time these two squared off this year, with Caleb Wilson and Cameron Boozer going head-to-head, as both players are expected to be selected in the top five of the 2026 NBA Draft.
However, the discrepancy between the two teams was apparent, even though the Tar Heels split the season series. The Blue Devils entered the NCAA Tournameent as the No. 1-overall seed in the entire field, while the Tar Heels limped into the field as a six-seed.
While North Carolina would obviously prefer playing in the upcoming round, which starts on Thursday night, nothing would make Tar Heels fans happier than to see Duke fall to St. John’s in the Sweet 16.
The Blue Devils have been playing with fire in the first two rounds, at various points, but they ultimately advanced to the second weekend of the tournament. St. John’s is a formidable opponent that could legitimately take down Duke.
One of the Teams With a Legitimate Head Coaching Option To Lose
It has been well-documented that North Carolina is likely to be in the coaching market, as Davis appears to be on his way out in Chapel Hill. If this occurs, the Tar Heels need to make a substantial hire that will elevate the program back to competing for national championships.
There will be a slew of options for North Carolina to consider, but two names to keep an eye on are Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger and Alabama’s Nate Oats. You may be asking yourself, ‘Why should North Carolina be rooting for potential head coach candidates to lose?’
Here’s why: the transfer portal opens on April 7, and ideally, North Carolina would want its presumed new head coach in place well before then. Those coaches will not be the only two to watch for, but they are arguably the most ideal.
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