Write-ins fill Winton seats

Published 9:56 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2013

WINTON – Unofficial results from Tuesday’s municipal elections in Hertford County show that three write-in candidates will fill seats on the Winton Town Council.

Winton’s incumbent Mayor Tiffany Lewis did not file for re-election, but still was the top choice to fill that seat as she was named on 32 write-in ballots. Another write-in, Whitney L. Farmer, was named on 24 ballots for mayor. There were 89 total write-in votes for mayor.

Five seats were available on the Winton Town Council, but only three filed – incumbents McCoy Pierce (82 votes), Will Liverman (68) and Wesley Liverman (60). Of the 135 write-in votes for Winton Town Council, Emily Winstead, a current council member who did not file for re-election, topped that list with 47 votes. Blake Blythe was next with 32 votes.

In Cofield, a write-in candidate, Dacia Sutton-Morales, has unofficially earned a seat on the Town Council. Sutton-Morales received 37 votes, just barely edging incumbent Nettie (Teen) Combo Brickers with 33 votes.

Incumbent Cofield Town Council members Anthony Archer (57 votes), Stephen Lassiter (55 votes) and June S. Wynn (52) will return to office, based on the unofficial results. Meanwhile, incumbent Councilman Darrell Partlow opted not to seek another term, but was the top vote-getter on the write-in ballots with 44.

Incumbent Cofield Mayor Hermea Pugh Jr. was unopposed and received 51 votes.

All five incumbents on the Murfreesboro Town Council will return to office, as well as the Mayor, as none faced opposition. Mayor John Hinton garnered the most votes as he was named on 233 ballots. Topping the vote for Town Council was incumbent Mayor Pro-Tem Sarah Whitley Wallace with 197 votes. Incumbents Hal Thomas (194 votes) Gloria C. Odum (193), Randy Roberts (177) and Craig L. Dennis (173) were elected to another term. There were 96 write-in votes.

In Harrellsville, incumbent Councilwoman Deborah Baker was the leading vote getter with 15 and will return to office. There she will be joined by incumbents Mary Thompson (14 votes) and Roy Worrells, Jr. (13). One newcomer on the ballot was Lisa Ann Hunnicutt, who collected 13 votes. There were a total of 12 write-in votes for the Council. Harrellsville Mayor Robert Dantz was also returned to office with 14 votes.

The four incumbent commissioners in Como were all returned to office. There, Susan Kennington led the ballot with 11 votes, followed by Stephen Frank Pearce with 10 and nine votes each for Lorie A. Higbee, and Ann E. Spruill. Incumbent Mayor Irvin Lee Stephens, Sr. returns to office with 10 votes.