Unofficial results for 2025 Municipal Election in Southeastern North Carolina

Published

2 months ago

November 5, 2025

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.

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NC health officials urge vaccines amid measles and respiratory illness surge

Published

16 minutes ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

NC health officials urge vaccines amid measles and respiratory illness surge

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is responding to the most recent measles cases and a spike in respiratory illnesses in North Carolina.

In a meeting hosted by NCDHHS, health officials stressed the importance of staying up to date on vaccines.

Those officials were also asked about the vaccination status of the three kids who tested positive for measles in Buncombe County.

“The three cases in Buncombe County, all three of them, had at least one dose of MMR vaccine,” said Dr. Erica Wilson with NCDHHS.

News 13 reported on Tuesday that the three siblings contracted measles after visiting Spartanburg County, South Carolina, where there’s currently a large measles outbreak.

3 BUNCOMBE COUNTY CHILDREN CONTRACT MEASLES AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VISIT, NCDHHS REPORTS

The Mission Hospital Emergency Department waiting room in Asheville was listed as a possible measles exposure location on Sunday, Jan. 4, between 2 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Mission Health sent News 13 a statement, saying in part, “Our hospitals work with state and federal health officials on proactive preparedness, and we are following guidance provided by the CDC.”

The hospital provided state health officials with a list of 26 people who may have been exposed to measles on Jan. 4, according to Mission Health.

It’s not just Buncombe County that has reported measles in North Carolina recently.

JAN. 6, 2026 – A flyer in Buncombe County warning of illness symptoms amid three confirmed measles cases in the county. (Photo credit: WLOS Staff)

“One in Polk County and three in Buncombe County. Additionally, there was a measles exposure alert we released in Gaston County. All are connected to an ongoing measles outbreak in Spartanburg County, South Carolina,” said Dr. Kelly Kimple with NCDHHS. “About 90% of unvaccinated individuals who are exposed will become infected.”

POLK COUNTY CHILD CONTRACTS MEASLES AFTER SOUTH CAROLINA VISIT, NCDHHS REPORTS

In the meeting, health officials also addressed the increase in respiratory illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, and influenza.

“Whether it’s the childhood immunizations for things like measles, mumps, and rubella, or even the seasonal immunizations for things like RSV, COVID, and flu, vaccines are a critical and important part of remaining healthy and having healthy communities,” said NCDHHS secretary Dr. Devdutta Sangvai.

Additionally, as News 13 previously reported, there was a chickenpox outbreak in Buncombe County, with four cases confirmed at Fairview Elementary as of Jan. 6.

Health officials are reminding people that it’s not too late to get their seasonal vaccines. There are also additional preventative actions to protect oneself against respiratory viruses.

FLU CASES SURGE IN NC, STRAINING HOSPITALS AND INCREASING DEATH TOLL

“This includes regularly washing your hands with soap and water,” said Kimple.

Kimple suggests avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. She also said to clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces that may be contaminated.

“Cover those coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then discard the tissue promptly. Stay home when sick, except to seek medical care or testing, and take steps to avoid spreading infection to others in your home,” said Kimple.

NCDHHS also has helpful resources on its website, like a measles immunity checker, information about vaccines, and a program that helps eligible families get free vaccines.

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North Carolina

A town in western North Carolina is returning land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

A town in western North Carolina is returning land to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

FRANKLIN, N.C. (AP) — An important cultural site is close to being returned to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians after a city council in North Carolina voted unanimously Monday to return the land.

The Noquisiyi Mound in Franklin, North Carolina, was part of a Cherokee mother town hundreds of years before the founding of the United States, and it is a place of deep spiritual significance to the Cherokee people. But for about 200 years it was either in the hands of private owners or the town.

“When you think about the importance of not just our history but those cultural and traditional areas where we practice all the things we believe in, they should be in the hands of the tribe they belong to,” said Michell Hicks, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “It’s a decision that we’re very thankful to the town of Franklin for understanding.”

Noquisiyi is the largest unexcavated mound in the Southeast, said Elaine Eisenbraun, executive director of Noquisiyi Intitative, the nonprofit that has managed the site since 2019. Eisenbraun, who worked alongside the town’s mayor for several years on the return, said the next step is for the tribal council to agree to take control, which will initiate the legal process of transferring the title.

CHEROKEE CHIEF SIGNS ORDINANCE FOR FIRST OFFICIAL DEER SEASON ON TRIBAL LANDS

“It’s a big deal for Cherokees to get our piece of our ancestral territory back in general,” said Angelina Jumper, a citizen of the tribe and a Noquisiyi Initiative board member who spoke at Monday’s city council meeting. “But when you talk about a mound site like that, that has so much significance and is still standing as high as it was two or three hundred years ago when it was taken, that kind of just holds a level of gravity that I just have no words for.”

In the 1940s, the town of Franklin raised money to purchase the mound from a private owner. Hicks said the tribe started conversations with the town about transferring ownership in 2012, after a town employee sprayed herbicide on the mound, killing all the grass. In 2019, Franklin and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians created a nonprofit to oversee the site, which today it is situated between two roads and several buildings.

“Talking about Land Back, it’s part of a living people. It’s not like it’s a historical artifact,” said Stacey Guffey, Franklin’s mayor, referencing the global movement to return Indigenous homelands through ownership or co-stewardship. “It’s part of a living culture, and if we can’t honor that then we lose the character of who we are as mountain people.”

LUMBEE TRIBE OF NORTH CAROLINA GAINS LONG-SOUGHT FULL FEDERAL RECOGNITION

Noquisiyi is part of a series of earthen mounds, many of which still exist, that were the heart of the Cherokee civilization. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians also owns the Cowee Mound a few miles away, and it is establishing a cultural corridor of important sites that stretches from Georgia to the tribe’s reservation, the Qualla Boundary.

Noquisiyi, which translates to “star place,” is an important religious site that has provided protection to generations of Cherokee people, said Jordan Oocumma, the groundskeeper of the mound. He said he is the first enrolled member of the tribe to caretake the mound since the forced removal.

“It’s also a place where when you need answers, or you want to know something, you can go there and you ask, and it’ll come to you,” he said. “It feels different from being anywhere else in the world when you’re out there.”

The mound will remain publicly accessible, and the tribe plans to open an interpretive center in a building it owns next to the site.

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North Carolina

Former inmate buys NC prison to help others who have served time

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Former inmate buys NC prison to help others who have served time

With the recent purchase of the former Wayne Correctional Center in Goldsboro, Kerwin Pittman is laying claim to an unusual title — he says he’s the first formerly incarcerated person in the U.S. to purchase a prison. Pittman, the founder and executive director of Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc. (RREPS), was sent to prison […]

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