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City Council candidates during a forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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Jon Evans, with WECT News, leads a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate J.C. Lyle during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate Richard Collier during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate and current Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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Luke Waddell, a current City Council member and incumbent candidate, speaks during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate Chakema Clinton-Quintana during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate Cassidy Santaguida during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
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City Council candidate Kelly Roberts during a city council and mayoral candidate forum hosted by WHQR, WECT News, and Port City Daily at the MC Erny Gallery on October 8, 2025.
Madeline Gray/Madeline Gray / WHQR
It’s election season, which means WHQR and our news consortium have come together to put the candidates head-to-head.
We held our Wilmington City Council forum earlier this month, with seven candidates, including three Republicans — incumbent Luke Waddell, and challengers Richard Collier and Kelly Roberst — and four Democrats — incumbent Clifford Barnett, Sr., and challengers J.C. Lyle, Cassidy Santaguida, and Chakema Clinton-Quintana.
We asked them challenging questions about infrastructure, affordability, and the police department, among other issues we know you care about. Now we’re taking the next forty minutes to run through their most interesting answers, and explain and analyze what they mean. Plus, we’ll give you the rundown of the endorsement situation as the local Democratic and Republican parties tried to manage more candidates than open seats.
Video: The candidates forum
