ROCKINGHAM — Two candidates won a council seat in one Richmond County town following Tuesday’s municipal elections.
Nancy Paxton and Renata Mann will join Stephen Cranford on Norman’s Town Council after each receiving 15 write-in votes, according to unofficial results. Cranford received 20.
Cindi Murray, who was on the ballot, garnered 14 votes.
One of the three seats up for grabs was left by Tonia Collins, who was elected the town’s new mayor over challenger Adrian Robson. Collins will replace Kenneth Broadway, who decided not to run again.
Although they weren’t technically enough for him to be named, Broadway received four write-in votes for the council and two for mayor.
Down the road in Ellerbe, current Councilman Freddy Cloninger was elected mayor with 113 votes. There was only one write-in.
Joe Grooms garnered the most votes (79) for the two council seats on the ballot. Councilman Jeremy McKenzie won the other beating out Elsie Freeman by 10 votes.
The Ellerbe Town Council will have to appoint someone to fill out the rest of Cloninger’s unexpired term, according to Elections Director Connie Kelly.
Two new faces will also join the Hamlet City Council, with Terry Moore and Oscar Sellers joining Maurice Stuart.
Stuart was appointed earlier this year to replace David Lindsey, who resigned. Lindsey ran as a write-in candidate in this election and received 134 votes.
Mayor Bill Bayless, who ran unopposed, was re-elected with 94.17 percent of the ballot.
Of the 42 write-in votes, 12 of them were for current councilwoman Wendy Massagee, who decided not to run again this year.
There was no change in Rockingham or Hoffman.
Rockingham Mayor Steve Morris, who ran unopposed, was re-elected with 738 votes and only 18 write-ins.
Council members Bennett Deane, Anne Edwards and John Hutchinson were also re-elected, defeating challenges by John Carter and Cameron Wright-Hairston.
Hoffman Mayor Tommy Hart and council members Riccardo “Ricky” Anderson, Rory Jones, Daniel Kelly, Cynthia A. Northcutt and John Taylor all ran unopposed.
All votes are unofficial until approved. Canvassing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 15.
