In an extremely tight race, Betty Lou Ward and Caroline Sullivan edged out their competitors for seats on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
James West ran unopposed and retained his seat.
Democratic incumbent Betty Lou Ward secured a seventh four-year term on the board. She’s been on the board for more than 20 years.
Ward beat Republican challenger Paul Fitts with 56 percent of the vote. This is Fitts’ second time running for political office. He lost to Democrats Mary-Ann Baldwin and Russ Stephenson in last year’s City Council elections.
Political newcomers Democrat Caroline Sullivan and Republican Dale Cooke ran for Commissioner Erv Portman’s seat as he made a run for a State Senate position.
Sullivan beat Cooke with 56 percent of the vote.
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Portman lost the District 17 State Senate race to Republican Tamara Barringer, who secured 54 percent of the vote.
The board will remain in Republican control until at least 2014 when commissioners Paul Coble, Tony Gurley, Phil Matthews and Joe Bryan are up for reelection.
The Wake Tech Community College bond was approved by 73 percent.
The $200 million bond will be used for construction and renovation projects county-wide.
The bond will pay for the construction of a general education classroom building, an IT and business building, and a health sciences building at the Northern Wake campus, renovations at the Public Safety Education Center, construction of the first two classroom buildings at the RTP campus and other general renovations.
The total cost of all the projects is $210.2 million. The additional $10.2 million in cash will come from the county.
