Democrats sweep all 9 seats on Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners
Democrats held on to all nine seats on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Tuesday, led by Pat Cotham, Leigh Altman and Arthur Griffin Jr. racing out to an easy victory in the at-large race.
Mecklenburg voters cast ballots for all nine county commissioner seats. That included three at-large seats, positions that represent everyone in the county, and six district seats, which only represent specific areas.
More than 200,000 people in Mecklenburg County voted early, a slight decrease from 2018 early voting totals, and a significant dip from 2020.
Cotham, the top vote-getter with all precincts reporting, said the win is rewarding and she’s grateful her work resonates with voters.
Cotham said communication among board members has been poor and with most incumbents keeping their seats, she hopes it will get better.
“I mean, I don’t know a lot of my colleagues,” Cotham said. “I’m an optimist, so I’m always rooting for things to get more collegial but I can’t control other people.”
Here are unofficial election results reported Tuesday night with all 195 precincts reporting. Some mail in ballots still have not been opened or counted and some provisional ballots exist. The county board intends to certify the election on Nov. 18.
At-large
Cotham, Altman and Griffin won at-large seats, with 28.72%, 27.38% and 27.27% of the vote, respectively. Republican Tatyana Thulien had 16.63% of the vote. Cotham and Altman are incumbents; Griffin and Thulien are challengers.
Altman, 50, practiced public interest law for 17 years before moving to Charlotte and becoming a guardian ad litem for seniors and children. This would be her second term on the board.
Cotham, 72, works as a senior recruiter, and is seeking her sixth term on the board.
Griffin, 74, served as chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education from 1997 to 2002 and says he’ll use that experience to build intergovernmental relationships.
Thulien, 57, was the sole Republican at-large candidate, seeking public office for the first time.
Commissioners allocate funding to county entities such as the sheriff’s office and health department, make decisions about where new developments are allowed to build and decide on policy matters such as source of income protections.
District 1
Democrat Elaine Powell won the District 1 seat against Republican Ross Monks 56.72% to 43.28%, unofficial election results show with all precincts reporting.
Powell, 59, serves as vice chair of the board in her second term and has been a strong advocate for parks and recreation.
Monks, 60, is a businessman and retired U.S. Army officer who served in the Gulf War and is seeking elected office for the first time.
District 1 covers northern Mecklenburg County.
District 2
Incumbent Vilma Leake ran unopposed. She’s received 39,000 votes, or 100%.
District 3
Democrat incumbent George Dunlap beat Republican Dianna Benson, 83.74% to 16.26%.
Dunlap, 66 is the current chair of the Board of County Commissioners, the first district representative to be elected chair of the board and has an extensive background on the CMS board.
Benson, 63, is self-employed and has never sought public office
The District 3 seat covers northeast Mecklenburg County.
District 4
Democrat Mark Jerrell defeated Republican Ray Fuentes, 74.49% to 25.51%.
Incumbent Jerrell, 52, is seeking his third term, and said he prioritizes social justice and equity.
Fuentes, 58, works in environmental compliance and previously served on the planning and zoning board and air quality commission. He seeks public office for the first time.
District 4 covers parts of east Charlotte.
District 5
Democrat Laura Meier won the District 5 seat against Republican Matthew Ridenhour, 52.37% to 47.63%, unofficial election results show with all precincts reporting.
The District 5 race was a rematch of a 2020 contest.
Incumbent Meier, 53, is serving her first term on the board. She previously served as co-president of Charlotte Women’s Movement.
Ridenhour, 45, is a risk manager who served as a commissioner from 2012 to 2018.
District 5 serves south Charlotte.
District 6
Democrat Susan Rodriguez-McDowell won the District 6 seat against Republican Jeremy Brasch, 52.25% to 47.75%, unofficial election results show with all precincts reporting.
Incumbent Rodriguez-McDowell, 58, is finishing her second term on the board, where she advocated alongside Meier for more funding for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.
Brasch, 48, works in information technology and is an Air Force veteran. He’s running for the District 6 seat after two past attempts for an at-large seat.
District 6 covers southern Mecklenburg County.
Mecklenburg judicial races
Voters also decided two Mecklenburg Superior Court judge seats.
Unofficial election results show District Court Judge Matt Osman, a Republican, beating Democratic Superior Court Judge Kimberly Best, appointed to the seat by Gov. Roy Cooper, 50.41% to 49.59%, with all precincts reporting. Osman led by 417 votes out of more than 51,000 cast. The difference was less than 1% of votes cast, which could lead to a recount.
Results also show Democrat Donald Cureton Jr. beating Republican Paulina Havelka, 50.7% to 49.3%, with all precincts reporting. Cureton led by 790 votes with more than 56,000 votes cast.
That race was a rematch from 2018, when Havelka beat Cureton for a district judge seat.
Soil and water
Nancy Carter and Barbara Bleiweis won races to be soil and water conservation district supervisors.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 7:51 PM with the headline "Democrats sweep all 9 seats on Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners."
