By Catherine M. Welch & Megan Williams
Wilmington, NC – Pat Delair beat J.C. Hearne in the special election for the Wilmington City Council seat.
Unofficial numbers Tuesday night gave Delair 61% of the vote, taking 27 out of 31 precints.
Delair says she's concerned about re-zoning in the city, but her first priority is to actively involve Wilmington in an attempt to block the proposed Hugo Neu landfill in Brunswick County.
"By perhaps not allowing the trucks to bring garbage through our neighborhoods. Not allowing it to come into the city at all, and they'll have to figure something else out after that."
Delair will take her seat on the Wilmington City Council in December.
This summer the council tapped her opponent J. C. Hearne to fill the term started by Councilman Bill Saffo, who moved over into the mayor's seat when Spence Broadhurst left for Greensboro.
J.C. Hearne
Hearne says he's sorry he didn't win but he feels okay with the results.
Hearne conceded the race at around 8 o'clock Tuesday night when with 21 of the 31 precincts in showed him trailing by roughly a thousand votes.
Hearne says Delair ran a positive campaign and wishes her luck on the city council.
"She's going to be bombarded with paper and issues and campaign rhetoric, will put that aside and she will start working on the issues."
Ask whether he will run once Delair's term is up, Hearne said he wasn't ruling it out but at this point wasn't ruling it in.