Next Tuesday, Nov. 3, New Hanover County voters will go to the polls. How many will vote in Wrightsville Beach is an unanswered question; the mayor and two incumbent members of the board of aldermen are running unopposed.
Mayor Bill Blair and aldermen Elizabeth King and Darryl Mills will cruise to re-election, no matter how many votes they get. Those in Wrightsville Beach who wish to vote in the uncontested election can do so at the Fran Russ Recreation Center in the municipal government complex at 321Â Causeway Drive. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
There is a write-in option for each candidate, though no organized write-in candidates have made themselves known. The next opportunity for Wrightsville Beach residents to make a change in the town government will be when the 2017 election cycle, the terms for aldermen Hank Miller and Lisa Weeks expire.  Blair’s seat will also be on that ballot, as the term for Wrightsville Beach mayor is just two years, while aldermen serve for four years.
While the Wrightsville Beach board will remain the same, voters in Wilmington have several options to bring change to the city council; eight candidates are up for three of the council’s six seats. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo is also on the ballot, but with no challenger, the result is likely to be a low-turnout election, several candidates acknowledged.
Change is certain to come to the Wilmington City Council, as incumbent council member Laura Padgett is not seeking re-election. But Mayor Pro-Tem Margaret Haynes and council member Neil Anderson are and they face six challengers. Like Wrightsville Beach, the mayor of Wilmington serves a two-year term while council members serve a four-year term.
Wilmington voters have a variety of candidates from which to choose. With no districts in Wilmington, every candidate is at-large, which candidates said puts an emphasis on a get-out-the-vote effort from supporters. Several candidates said they believed it would take about 5,000 votes to win a seat on the council.
While next Tuesday is Election Day, Wilmington voters can cast early ballots up until Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Board of Elections office in the New Hanover County Government Center at 230 Government Center Drive in Wilmington, located near the intersection of Racine and Oriole drives near The Home Depot. There will be 17 polling locations in Wilmington on Election Day.
The candidates for the council offer Wilmington voters a variety of experience and personal background. However, candidates for the seats cited the need to address similar issues, mainly population growth, transportation and infrastructure improvement and business development.
Incumbents Anderson and Haynes are running for their second four-year terms, though Haynes has served on the council since 2009, having been appointed to the seat before winning election in 2011.
Hollis Briggs Jr. served on the advisory committee for the transportation bond approved by Wilmington voters in 2014. He was also a member of the USS North Carolina Battleship Committee for eight years. Deb Hays, a local Realtor, has served in several local positions, and is the current chair of the Wilmington Planning Commission, which offers the council recommendations on zoning and development issues.
Paul Lawler, who has a 30-year career as a certified public accountant, is a member of the Downtown Parking Advisory Committee and the city’s Comprehensive Plan committee. Frank J. Madonna recently urged the city council not to approve rezoning for a proposed grocery store project on Eastwood Road near the intersection with Military Cutoff Road, which he said wasn’t needed and would expand sprawl. The council ultimately approved the rezoning.
John Presswood, a local real estate agent, focused his campaign on infrastructure and transportation upgrades, with an emphasis on improved rail service. Alvin Rogers owns Rogers Appliances in Wilmington. He said his primary issue will be to address transportation and traffic.
Kure Beach Mayor Dean Lambeth is being challenged by Emilie Swearingen, a current member of the town council who is giving up the seat. Kure Beach Town Council Member David Heglar also faces re-election and is one of three candidates for two open council seats, along with John Ellen and Joseph Whitley.
Carolina Beach Mayor Dan Wilcox is being challenged for his seat by Bob Lewis. There are several candidates for two open seats on the Carolina Beach City Council, including incumbents Sarah Friede and Steve Shuttleworth. Candidates Patrick Boykin, Tom Bridges, Tom Elicson, Tammy Hanson, Lonnie Lashley, T.D. Scaringi and Steve Wright are also vying for those open seats.
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