Polls close as Raleigh looks to name new mayor

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Polls closed Tuesday for municipal contests in Wake, Durham, and Cumberland counties.

Stay with CBS 17 as results begin to come in.

Polls opened at 6:30 a.m.

In Raleigh, the biggest race is the one for the city’s next mayor.

Current Mayor Nancy McFarlane decided not to seek reelection and six candidates vying to take her place.

Mary-Ann Baldwin, Zainab Baloch, Charles Francis, George Knott, Justin Sutton and Carolina Sullivan are hoping to become the capital city’s next mayor.

Francis supporters began to gather at Cantina 18 while Mary Ann Baldwin was watching results Players’ Retreat.

Voters in Raleigh also cast ballots for who will represent them in the city council. Multiple candidates are running for reelection, but some newcomers are also hoping to get elected and help shake things up in the city. There are a number of important topics ranging from downtown development to police accountability to affordable housing that the next council will have to make tough decisions on.

Over in Cary, there’s a challenge in the mayor’s race. Incumbent Harold Weinbrecht is facing off against Dero-Asha Davis-Weeks. There are also three races for city council and $200 million in bonds to be voted on.

One bond involves transportation in town and the other pays for improvements to parks. If voters approve the bonds, projects will begin in the next decade. Officials say there’s a backup plan if the bonds fail.

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Further west, in Durham, Mayor Steve Schewel is up for reelection and there are also three city council spots open with 10 candidates who are looking to fill them. Javiera Caballero, Jillian Johnson and Charlie Reece are the incumbents for the city’s at-large council seats. The six city council candidates that receive the most votes will move on to next month’s elections. Schewel is being challenged by Sylvester Williams.

Down in Fayetteville, there are two open city council seats with three candidates voters can choose from for each seat. The top two vote-getters will go on to the November election.

Charlotte will also be holding elections for mayor and city council.