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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

New Hanover County Voters Add Democrats To Board Of Commissioners And Education

New Hanover County voters added three Democrats to the Board of Education: (top l-r) Stefanie Adams, Judy Justice, Nelson Beaulieu and Republican newcomer Bill Rivenbark. (bottom l-r) Rob Zapple (D) won a 2nd term; Julia Olson-Boseman (D) beat Watkins.

New Hanover County voters have created a Democratic majority on the Board of Commissioners.  And they’ve added a few to what was a fully Republican Board of Education.

Democratic incumbent Rob Zapple won a second term on the Board of Commissioners as the top vote-getter.  But it was a close race.  Democratic challenger Julia Olson-Boseman ousted Republican incumbent Skip Watkins with a lead of one-thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight votes.  That’s slightly more than one percentage point. 

The Board of Education, which has been all Republican, will now seat three Democrats:  Stefanie Adams, Judy Justice, and Nelson Beaulieu.  The fourth spot goes to Republican newcomer Bill Rivenbark who edged out incumbent Bruce Shell by 929 votes.  

All results are unofficial until the vote canvass later this month.

Rob Zapple is a member of WHQR's Board of Directors, Friends of Public Radio.

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.