Incumbents holds back challengers for council
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on November 7, 2007 1:47 PM
Goldsboro City Council will have many of the same names when the new year begins after all three incumbents held off challengers to retain their seats Tuesday.
The numbers weren't a surprise, they said.
For councilmen Charles Williams Sr. and Jackie Warrick, their jobs were easy.
They ran unopposed, and won, with only a few write-in votes bringing them down from receiving 100 percent of the votes.
Williams received 97 percent of the votes in District 4 with 226 votes, and Warrick received the same percentage in District 6 with 431 votes.
Warrick said he focused on campaigning for the incumbents in contested races -- Mayor Pro-tem Chuck Allen and council members Don Chatman and Bob Waller, as well as Mayor Al King.
"I went about the campaign this way: I went out and worked for Al, Bob, Don and Chuck," he said. "That was my goal."
District 2's race was close at first, with the first unofficial votes coming in at 49 votes for Waller and 12 votes for challenger L.J. Stanley.
But the votes got even closer toward the middle of the night with only 24 votes separating the two candidates from the council seat.
By 9 p.m., Waller's 390 votes overtook Stanley's 147.
Waller was happy to see that citizens in his district had confidence in what he does, he said.
"I feel good. I feel good. I appreciate the people in District 2 for voting for me," he said.
He will continue to listen and do what is in the best interest for the city, he added.
Stanley knew his job was going to be a hard one from the start.
"It's always hard to get an incumbent out of office," he said. "We just had different visions. Maybe some day I can be in that council seat."
He won't stop his civic service either. "I am here to help Goldsboro," he said.
In District 3, Chatman and challenger Jerry Broadhurst had a tight race.
Most of the night, the two nearly split the vote 50-50.
In the end, the unofficial tally was Chatman with 56 percent of the vote at 172 and Broadhurst with 128 votes and 42 percent.
Broadhurst said he knew voters in the third district were not usually strong voters, but he thought it was "an exciting race."
Chatman said he wasn't really sweating it out, but he was "glad it's over."
"I was just waiting for the final numbers," he said.
Broadhurst said he will continue to work in the community to get people more involved, and Chatman said he will continue his work on council to "take the city forward."
District 5 incumbent Chuck Allen won over write-in candidate Susan Farfour with 80 percent of the votes.
But Ms. Farfour put up a good effort.
"I did the best I could," she said. "I knew it was going to be difficult being a write-in candidate."
She said she had no negative words for Allen.
"I wish Chuck the best of luck, and hope Goldsboro continues to grow," she added.
Allen said he was "elated" to find out he had won.
"I feel very honored that the folks came out and voted for me," he said.
He said he plans on working with the council to continue the "progress and the projects" they are working on.
"I really believe they see a good team on the council," he said. "We will keep working every day to make the city all we can make it."