Wrightsville Beach
With Mayor Darryl Mills choosing not to run for re-election, there was an open seat in the mayor’s office. McKinley (Ken) Dull was the only candidate to throw his hat in the ring, and won with nearly 92% of the vote — the rest going to write-ins.
Long-time Alderman Hank Miller lost his bid at re-election — challenger Margaret E. Baggett was the top vote-getter, with challenger Todd Schoen coming in second for two open seats. Miller lost by just 16 votes — slightly outside the margin for a recount. By state law, the recount margin is 1% of the total votes received by the two candidates in question (in this case, for Miller's 453 votes and Schoen's 469 votes, it's 1% of 922, or roughly 9). It's possible that additional ballots accepted leading up to the county canvass on Friday, November 14, could push Miller into recount range.
Carolina Beach
The town of Carolina Beach kept its mayor, incumbent Lynn Barbee. He won with 76% of the vote, beating out challenger Yousseff Hassan.
Carolina Beach Town Council was straightforward: there were two open seats with Mike Hoffer and Joe Benson choosing not to run for re-election. Only two candidates registered to run, and both made it in. Wayne Rouse was the top vote getter, with Vince Losito also elected to council.
Kure Beach
In Kure Beach, Byron Ashbridge was top vote-getter with Mark Dirks close behind. Tracy Mitchell trailed in the polls. Ashbridge and Dirks will replace Commissioners Dennis Panicali and John Ellen, neither of whom ran for office again. Mayor Allen Oliver had no challenger and won his seat with 96% of the vote.
