Unofficial results for 2025 Municipal Election in Southeastern North Carolina

Published

6 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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US soldier with North Carolina ties found dead after vanishing in Morocco a week ago

Published

8 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

US soldier with North Carolina ties found dead after vanishing in Morocco a week ago

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — (AP/WNCN) — The remains of a U.S. Army soldier with ties to North Carolina who went missing during military exercises in Morocco a week ago have been recovered in the Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. military said Sunday. Military teams are still searching for a second missing soldier.

The remains found are those of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer, who was one of two U.S. soldiers who fell off a cliff during a recreational hike in Morocco while off duty.

Key, 27, from Richmond, Virginia, was a graduate of Methodist University in Fayetteville.

The two were reported missing on May 2 after participating in African Lion, annual multinational military exercises held in Morocco.

1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key, Jr. (Photo courtesy: US Army)

Key earned a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Methodist University in Fayetteville, with minors in international business, entrepreneurship, and business administration.

“A Moroccan military search team found the Soldier in the water along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time May 9, within roughly one mile of where both Soldiers reportedly entered the ocean,” U.S Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.

The two went missing around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a terrain characterized by mountains, desert and semidesert plains, according to the Moroccan military.

Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, Morocco. Photo by CBS News Crew.

Their disappearance triggered a search-and-rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and other military partners. The operation deployed frigates, vessels, helicopters and drones.

Search efforts will continue for the missing second soldier, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly on the issue.

The official said a U.S. contingent remained in Morocco after the multinational war games ended Friday to provide command and control and to continue search and rescue operations.

FILE – U.S and Moroccan military forces take part in the 20th edition of the African Lion military exercise, in Tantan, south of Agadir, Morocco, Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy, File)

Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, U.S Army Europe and Africa said.

He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024 as an Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, according to the statement.

Key is survived by his father, Kendrick Key Sr.; his mother, Jihan Key; his sister, Dakota Debose-Hill; and his brother-in-law, U.S. Army Spc. James Brown.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY NEWS

The search-and-rescue operation, now in its ninth day, has covered more than 12,000 square kilometers of sea and littoral zone, currently adding around 3,000 square kilometers per day.

The soldiers had been taking part in African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – with more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations. Since 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.

In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir while taking part in the exercises.

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North Carolina

NC State graduates stunned as donor pays off senior year debts in commencement speech

Published

20 hours ago

May 10, 2026

Press Room

NC State graduates stunned as donor pays off senior year debts in commencement speech

North Carolina State graduates were in for a surprise when their commencement speaker vowed to erase some of their student debt, offering the class “greater freedom” to pursue their goals.

Anil Kochhar, the son of a notable late NC State alumnus, revealed that he and his wife, Marilyn, would pay off all final-year loans for the graduates during the Wilson College of Textiles commencement ceremony in Raleigh on Friday.

“It is my privilege to announce today that, in honor of my father Prakash Chand Kochhar, Marilyn and I are providing a graduation gift to cover all the final-year education loans incurred by Wilson College graduates during the 2025–26 academic year,” Kochhar announced.

The emotional gift honored Kochhar’s late father, Prakash Chand Kochhar, who traveled from Punjab, India, to Raleigh in 1946 to study textile manufacturing at NC State.

The crowd erupted in cheers and gave the Kochhars a standing ovation as stunned students realized their senior-year loans were gone.

“Marilyn and I hope that all of you leave Reynolds Coliseum today not only with a degree but with greater freedom to pursue your goals, take risks and build the lives you’ve worked so hard to achieve,” Kochhar added.

The graduating class consisted of 176 students who received their bachelor’s degree and another 26 earned a master’s degree, according to Axios Raleigh,

For many students, the surprise payout could mean a dramatically different future.

“As a daughter of immigrants, this money helps me and my family a lot, and I’m really fortunate to have an opportunity like this,” Alyssa D’Costa, a fashion and textile management major, told the university.

Prakash Chand Kochhar arrived in Raleigh on a scholarship to attend the then School of Textiles, where he was believed to be only the second Indian student ever to enroll at the university.

He went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the school and build a career that took him around the world before his unexpected death in 1985.

The Kochhar family has made several major donations to the college in recent years, including scholarships and funding for faculty and graduate programs — but Friday’s graduation surprise may have been their most memorable gift yet.

“My father could not have imagined this moment. Not just me standing here, but all of you sitting here,” Kochhar said.

“A new generation, shaped by a different world, but connected by the same spirit of possibility that brought him here decades ago. And that’s what today represents.”

“Eighty years ago, a young man traveled thousands of miles from India to Raleigh with little more than hope and determination,” he added.

“He could not have known where that journey would lead. He could not have imagined the life it would create, or that one day his son would stand here speaking to a graduating class at the very institution that welcomed him.”

University officials said the Kochhars coordinated with school leadership and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid to arrange the debt payoff before graduation.

“I could not be more grateful to Anil and Marilyn for this extraordinary investment in our newest Wilson for Life alumni,” Wilson College of Texiles Dean David Hinks said.

“One of our primary goals is to make the Wilson College affordable for all, and Anil and Marilyn are helping us achieve it,” Hinks said.

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North Carolina

North Carolina man found dead after falling overboard in East TN lake: TWRA

Published

1 day ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

North Carolina man found dead after falling overboard in East TN lake: TWRA

HAMPTON, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said its wardens are investigating the eighth boating death of the year following an incident on Watauga Lake.

At around 7 p.m. on Friday, the TWRA was dispatched to a boating incident at Rat Branch boat ramp after the caller said the operator had fallen overboard in the no-wake zone and did not resurface.

The victim, identified as 36-year-old Alexander Luster, of Boone, North Carolina, was participating in a bass tournament and fell overboard prior to the start of the event, TWRA officials said. First responders recovered his body shortly after 11:30 p.m.

TWRA said an autopsy has been ordered, and the incident, which is the eighth boating death in Tennessee this year, remains under investigation.

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