Election 2023: Here are results for Wake Forest, Apex, Cary & more Wake County towns
Unofficial results are in for the 13 Wake County towns electing new mayors and council members and voting on bond referendums.
Eighty-one polling precincts opened at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and closed at 7:30 p.m. Absentee and early voting totals were counted with most results posted on the Board of Elections website by 11 p.m.
Cary
The town council race continued in Cary with a runoff between Sarika Bansal and Rachel Jordan to represent District D. The winner will add another new voice on the town council behind District B-elect Michelle Craig, who defeated Don Frantz, on Oct. 10.
▪ Sarika Bansal: 2,746 votes, 50.6%
▪ Rachel Jordan: 2,679 votes, 49%
Apex
In Apex, the town’s mayor, Jacques Gilbert, ran unopposed for re-election while incumbents Terry Mahaffey and Arno Zegerman ran to keep their seats.
Mayor
▪ Jacques Gilbert: 7,531 votes, 94%
Town Council
▪ Terry Mahaffey: 5,385 votes, 30%
▪ Arno Zegerman: 3,950 votes, 22%
▪ Dylan Hale: 3,176 votes, 18%
▪ Gregory Lyon: 2,787 votes, 15.9%
▪ Tayon Williams Dancy: 2,132 votes, 12%
Morrisville
In Morrisville, voters elected members for three open council seats, including one at-large and Districts 1 and 3. Liz Johnson, the representative for District 3, ran unopposed.
At-large
▪ Satish Garimella: 1,637 votes, 75%
District 1
▪ Anne Robotti: 1,281 votes, 57.6%
▪ Subba Madireddy: 935 votes, 42%
District 3
▪ Liz Johnson: 1,964 votes, 97%
Fuquay-Varina
Fuquay-Varina’s mayor, Blake Massengill, ran unopposed for another term while a couple of familiar faces attempted to make a return to the Board of Commissioners, including Jason Ora Wunsch and Charlie Adcock. On the ballot this year is a $60 million bond referendum for parks and recreation projects.
Mayor
▪ Blake Massengill: 3,929 votes, 84%
Board of Commissioners
▪ Marilyn Gardner: 3,353 votes, 23%
▪ William Harris: 3,142 votes, 21%
▪ Charlie Adcock: 3,049 votes, 20%
▪ Nolan Perry: 2,750 votes, 18%
▪ Mike Ferig: 2,240 votes, 15%
Unexpired terms
▪ Jason Ora Wunsch: 2,886 votes, 50%
▪ Elizabeth Parent: 2,858 votes, 49.5%
Holly Springs
Nine people ran for three open seats on the Holly Springs Town Council. The fast-growing town will have new voices on the board as several candidates are newcomers to politics. Voters in Holly Springs also voted on a $100 million bond referendum for parks and recreation projects.
▪ Chris Deshazor: 3,864 votes, 27%
▪ Danielle Hewetson: 3,461 votes, 24%
▪ Brian Dennis: 3,232 votes, 22%
▪ Jack Turnwald: 3,141 votes, 22%
▪ Staci Almquist: 529 votes, 3.7%
Unexpired terms
▪ Annie Drees: 3,409 votes, 46%
▪ Brian Norman: 3,047 votes, 40%
▪ Scoop Green: 616 votes, 8%
▪ Travis Groo: 312 votes, 4%
Garner
Garner Mayor Ken Marshburn decided against seeking another term, clearing the way for political newcomer Buddy Gupton.
There were three seats open on the Garner Town Council with incumbents Demian Dellinger, Phil Matthews and Elmo Vance looking to keep their seats. They were challenged by Rex Whaley.
Here are results is with all 14 precincts reporting.
Mayor
▪ Buddy Gupton: 1,948 votes, 95%
Town Council
▪ Demian Dellinger: 1,628 votes, 27%
▪ Phil Matthews: 1,338 votes, 22%
▪ Elmo Vance: 1,844 votes, 31%
▪ Rex Whaley: 1,125 votes, 19%
Knightdale
Nothing is changing in Knightdale. Mayor Jessica Day was re-elected without a challenger and neither Town Council incumbents Ben McDonald nor Stephen Morgan faced opposition.
Rolesville
Rolesville Mayor Ronnie Currin, who was seeking a second term as mayor, was challenged by Scott M. Wagoner, a teacher at Rolesville High School.
Two seats were open on the Rolesville Board of Commissioners with incumbent Sheilah Sutton not seeking another term. The three candidates for the two seats were incumbent Michelle Medley and challengers Lendwood Long Jr. and Michael Paul.
Here are results with all four precincts reporting.
Mayor
▪ Ronnie Currin: 1,109 votes, 72%
▪ Scott Wagoner: 429 votes, 28%
Board of Commissioners
▪ Michael Paul: 920 votes, 35%
▪ Lenwood Long: 858 votes, 33%
▪ Michelle Medley: 809 votes, 31%
Wake Forest
There are three seats open on the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners with six candidates running. Incumbents Jim Dryer and Chad Sary are both not seeking re-election.
That leaves incumbent Adam Wright and challengers Tom Ballman, Ben Clapsaddle, Faith Cross, Joe Kimray and Jim Thompson.
This is as of all 14 precincts reporting.
Board of Commissioners
▪ Adam Wright: 2,957, 23%
▪ Ben Clapsaddle: 2,621 votes, 20%
▪ Faith Cross: 2,343 votes, 18%
▪ Joe Kimray: 1,984 votes, 15%
▪ Tom Ballman: 1,886 votes, 15%
▪ Jim Thompson: 1,104 votes, 8%
Wendell
Mayor Virginia “Ginna” Gray, first elected in 2015, ran unopposed for another term as mayor.
The Wendell Board of Commissioners has seven candidates seeking two seats. The candidates include incumbents Joe DeLoach and Philip Tarnaski and challengers Jorge Cordova, Braxton Davis Honeycutt, Jon Olson, Kris Rixon and Taylor Ullrich.
Wendell voters also considered a $38 million parks and recreation bond and $12 million transportation bond. Potential projects in the parks and recreation bond include improvements at the Wendell Athletic Field Complex, a new recreation center, Main Street Greenway Project and Buffalo Creek Greenway Project.
The $12 million transportation bond could include road widening, bike and pedestrian improvements, intersection improvements and improvements at the Wendell Falls Parkway and Eagle Rock Road intersection.
Here are results with all five precincts reporting.
Mayor
▪ Virginia “Ginna” Gray: 1,281 votes, 94%
Board of Commissioners
▪ Joe DeLoach: 610 votes, 20%
▪ Braxton Davis Honeycutt: 575 votes, 19%
▪ Philip Tarnaski: 461 votes, 15%
▪ Kris Rixon: 453 votes, 15%
▪ Jorge Cordova: 382 votes, 12%
▪ Jon Olson: 307 votes, 10%
▪ Taylor Ullrich: 293 votes, 9%
Zebulon
Six candidates were seeking three seats on the Zebulon Board of Commissioners. Candidates included incumbents Shannon Baxter, Jessica Harrison and Larry Loucks and challengers Curtis Cotton III, Amber Batiste Davis and Michael Germano.
This is with all two precincts reporting.
Board of Commissioners
▪ Jessica Daniels Harrison: 407 votes, 21%
▪ Shannon Baxter: 373 votes, 21%
▪ Amber Batiste Davis: 372 votes, 19%
▪ Michael Germano: 317 votes, 17%
▪ Larry Loucks: 264 votes, 14%
▪ Curtis Cotton III: 171 votes, 9%
2023 Bonds
▪ Holly Springs $100 million Parks Bond
Yes: 4,652 votes, 63%
No: 2,683 votes, 36%
▪ Fuquay-Varina $60 million Parks and Recreation Bond
Yes: 2,457 votes, 42%
No: 3,486 votes, 58%
▪ Wendell $38 million Parks and Recreational Bonds
Yes: 1,121 votes, 68%
No: 526 votes, 31%
▪ Wendell $12 million Transportation Improvement Bonds
Yes: 1,198 votes, 73%
No: 450 votes, 27%
