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Democrats captured three of four at-large seats on the Charlotte City Council on Tuesday night, giving them an unprecedented 8-3 majority.
With Democrat Anthony Foxx winning the mayor's race, Democrats now have almost complete control over the city's agenda.
Incumbent Susan Burgess, a Democrat, received the most votes and will remain mayor pro tem. The other Democrats elected were former City Council member Patrick Cannon and first-time candidate David Howard, according to complete but unofficial results.
Incumbent Edwin Peacock was the lone Republican to win.
No party has had an 8-3 majority since council districts were added and races became partisan in 1977. The most recent Republican majority was 6-5, from 1997 to 1999. The current council is 7-4 Democrat.
The outcome neutralizes the veto that Republican Mayor Pat McCrory occasionally used on such issues as the proposed streetcar line through central Charlotte.
McCrory tried to thwart a Democratic plan to spend $4.5 million designing the line, but Democrats came up with the seven votes needed to override his veto. Now the Democrats have an extra vote cushion.
With Republican mayoral candidate John Lassiter having stepped down from the council, Peacock has only two Republican colleagues: District 6 representative Andy Dulin and District 7 representative Warren Cooksey, both of whom easily won re-election Tuesday.
"Candidly, I haven't really thought of this (an 8-3 Democratic majority and a Democratic mayor)," Peacock said Tuesday night. "But it spells for a new strategy for the party moving forward. It's a veto-proof situation. I haven't even thought about serving under this situation."
In a Democratic wave, Peacock said his success was due to his willingness to work with Democrats.
"I don't look at the issues through a partisan lens," he said.
Dulin said Monday night that he hopes to work with Foxx to scrutinize the budget.
"Anthony ran on finding efficiencies in government," Dulin said. "I'm looking forward to having his help."
Voter Pat Kearns, a therapist, cast a straight Democratic ticket at Quail Hollow Presbyterian Church on Park Road.
"I really support Foxx," Kearns said. "And I want him to have support on council."
Burgess received the most votes by getting some Republicans to cross over and support her. With all 169 precincts reporting, Burgess received 59,323 votes - more than Foxx's 54,676. Burgess, 63, was running for a fifth term, a string interrupted by an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2001.
Voter Nick Voelker, a lawyer, generally supported Republicans. But he also voted for Burgess because he said she would help the Wilmore community association.
"I generally don't vote with Democrats," Voelker said. "But she's been responsive."
Cannon, 42, waged a comeback campaign after four years off the council. First elected at 26, he served 12 years, the last four as mayor pro tem. He left office after starting and then leaving the mayor's race in 2005.
Howard, 39, was chairman of the planning commission. He's a vice president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership. He has served on a transportation study group and a county environmental panel.
Howard said he tried to appeal to independents as well as the Democratic base.
"We went places where we thought we could get some extra votes," he said. "We worked it. We had an incredible ground force today. We had over 70 people who volunteered."
Peacock, 39, is in the insurance and investment business. He's following in the footsteps of his father, who was a county commissioner and City Council member.
Burgess finished with 15 percent, Cannon with 13.6 percent, Peacock with nearly 13 percent and Howard with 12.6 percent.
The top four finishers were among the top money raisers. Peacock pulled in the most, $61,509 as of the last filing.
The other Democrat in the race was Darrin Rankin, and the Republicans were Tariq Scott Bokhari, Matthew Ridenhour and Jaye Rao. They each received around 11 percent of the vote. Libertarian C. Travis Wheat got less than 2 percent.
