Votes are in for Mecklenburg County municipal elections. Here are the results.
New town board members were elected in several Mecklenburg County towns, and Huntersville has a new mayor, according to unofficial elections results Tuesday.
Voters in the seven Mecklenburg County communities — Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville and Stallings — voted for their mayors and town board members.
In Mint Hill, a Black woman won a seat on the Mint Hill town Board of Commissioners, which is currently comprised of all white men.
“I believe it speaks to Mint Hill desiring change, which is very hopeful for our future,” said Twanna Henderson Tuesday night.
She said she believes she is the first person of color to be elected to the town’s board.
“It’s huge,” she said, adding that the Board is now closer to representing “our entire community, so that everyone who is part of our town feels that they have a voice.”
Tuesday’s election was unusual in that, ordinarily, the municipal elections are paired with other elections like City Council, School Board or Board of County Commissioners.
This year, however, delays to the U.S. Census caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed redistricting efforts that are required before those other elections. The municipal elections are non-partisan and did not require redistricting.
Primary elections for the Board of County Commissioners, the city of Charlotte, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the state legislature are scheduled for March 2022, though the date could change as redistricting continues, the Observer has previously reported. A general election for the City Council and the school board is scheduled for April or May 2022, along with a possible second primary for federal offices.
The only Mecklenburg County elections in fall 2021 are for the towns.
Nearly 7,600 voters cast their ballots early this year, with varying levels of interest in the towns. Cornelius, with a population of about 30,000 people, saw 2,196 people vote early. Pineville, with just over 9,000 people, saw less than 100 early voters.
Here are unofficial election results reported Tuesday night with all precincts reporting.
Cornelius
▪ Mayor Woody Washam Jr. ran unopposed.
▪ Every member of the town’s Board of Commissioners ran for re-election, and all but one of them. Denis Bilodeau will keep his seat. The unofficial election results indicate a near complete sweep of Cornelius’ town board, with non-incumbents Colin J. Furcht, Dave Gilroy, Michael Osborne and Todd Sansbury all securing seats.
▪ The losing members of the town’s Board of Commissioners are: Michael Miltich, Tricia Sisson, Jim Duke and Thurman Ross.
Davidson
▪ Mayor Russell B. “Rusty” Knox Jr. ran unopposed.
▪ The winners of the town Board of Commissioners are incumbents Commissioner Autumn Rierson Michael and mayor pro tempore Jane Campbell, and non-incumbents Matthew Dellinger, Tracy Mattison Brandon and Ryan Fay. They defeated Dan Ryan, Jeff Boyd and Tim Neal.
Three of the five town Board of Commissioners — Matthew Fort, Jim Fuller and Dave Sitton — did not run for re-election, meaning Davidson will see a largely new board.
Huntersville
▪ Huntersville was the only town in Mecklenburg County with a contested race for mayor this year. With Mayor John Aneralla not running for re-election, two candidates — Melinda Bales and Jill Swain — competed for the seat.
The unofficial results showed a relatively close race, but Bales took home 144 more votes than Swain, winning by about 2 percentage points.
▪ The winners of the town Board of Commissioners were incumbents Dan Boone, Lance Munger and Stacy Phillips, along with non-incumbents Amber Kovacs, Derek L. Partee and Rob Kidwell.
Nick Walsh was the only incumbent to not secure a seat, according to Tuesday’s unofficial results.
A combined 13 candidates vied for six seats. Those who lost were Walsh, Eric Rowell, Jenn Davis, Taylor Brock Hutto, Patrick Chance Thomas, Joe Sailers and Nancy M. Reed
▪ Bales is the current mayor pro tempore and was first elected as a commissioner in 2011. In 2019, she won more votes than any other candidate for the Board of Commissioners. Swain is the former mayor, serving from 2007 to 2015, when she lost to Aneralla. She currently serves as the executive director of the Huntersville Chamber of Commerce.
Matthews
▪ Mayor John Higdon ran unopposed.
▪ On the town Board of Commissioners, incumbents Renee Garner, Ken McCool, John Urban and Larry Whitley all won, along with Mark Tofano and Gina Hoover.
Danielle “Dani” Burnham lost to Hoover by five votes, according to the unofficial election results. Heather Spicer Laws also lost.
Mint Hill
▪ Mayor Brad Simmons ran unopposed.
▪ The Board of Commissioners winners were Dale Dalton, Patrick Holton and Tony Long, who are all incumbents, as well as Henderson.
Beverly Blake Cannaday, Scott Fandel, Richard “Fig” Newton and Rhonda Walker all lost, according to the unofficial election results.
▪ Henderson, a Black woman, will add racial diversity to a board that is currently comprised entirely of white men. About 87% of Mecklenburg County, including Mint Hill, has become more diverse over the past decade, according to U.S. Census data released this year.
Pineville
▪ Mayor John “Jack” Edwards ran unopposed.
▪ Christopher McDonough and Ed Samaha were the only two candidates on the ballot for Town Council and will keep their seats.
▪ Pineville has staggered elections for its Town Council. Two members, Amelia Stinson-Wesley and Les Gladden, still have two more years to serve. Council members Melissa Davis and Joe Maxim, though, are seeing there terms expire but are not running for re-election.
Stallings
▪ Mayor Wyatt Dunn ran unopposed.
▪ Here are the winners for the Town Council: In District 1, Graham Hall; in District 2, David Scholl; in District 3, Taylor Rae Drake; and in District 6, Brad Richardson.
▪ Stallings’ Town Council is made up of district representatives. While the officials must live in their district, the entire town votes for each district. In many other places, a voter only votes for the representative from his or her district.
▪ Candidates who did not win were: Brad Craver in District 1, Rocky Crenshaw in District 2, Kevin Lindsay in District 3 and Gina M. Palandri for District 6.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 8:11 PM.
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