Faucette wins council seat by eight votes (The Times News.com)
Ronnie Wall will serve a second term as Burlington’s mayor and former mayor Stephen Ross will be back on Burlington’s council.
But the election-day surprise was that perennial candidate Celo Faucette squeaked into elected office Tuesday.
Faucette edged out Larry Sharpe — a 20-year county commissioner and one of the county’s best-known political names — by a mere eight votes to take the second available council seat. Faucette got 1,465 votes. Sharpe got 1,457 votes.
The results are based on an unofficial vote count by the Alamance County Board of Elections. Votes will be canvassed for an official count Tuesday, and provisional ballots will be included in that count.
The unofficial count doesn’t include any provisional ballots, which would be included when votes are canvassed next Tuesday.
“I’m elated. If the vote holds up, I’m elated,” said Faucette, who unsuccessfully ran for council twice. “I can’t thank the citizens of Burlington enough. I think voters really wanted a change.”
Sharpe didn’t expect the outcome to change once provisional ballots are counted, and wished Ross and Faucette the best in their terms Tuesday night.
About 11 percent of voters, or 6,057 people, cast ballots Tuesday.
Ross finished first in the council race, with 1,728 votes. Former city manager Buddy Baker rounded out the list with 793 votes. There were 39 write-in votes in the council race.
Wall received 2,611 votes. He was challenged for his seat by Wade Preston Salmon Jr., who got 252 votes. There were 15 write-in votes.
Wall’s priorities for his second two-year term include creating a policy for filling vacant council seats, making more effort to reach residents through community meetings and better communication, and making sure the city can keep up with new state water regulations.
Ross, a financial adviser with Smith Barney, touted his experience in economic development during the run-up to the election. Ross was mayor when Honda Aero cemented its deal to locate near Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport in 2007. He believes voters want someone experienced in bringing industry and job creation to Alamance County.
Faucette, 62, ran on a platform of bringing more varied thought and experience to the council. The retired LabCorp manager wanted more transparency in council decisions and believes electing someone from a different area of town, with a different background, better serves Burlington’s diverse population.
The area’s public transportation debate also weighed into the race.
The Burlington council has been in talks with the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation to provide express park-and-ride bus service to and from Alamance County along Interstate 85/40. The city would use state and federal money to begin bus service to at least three parking lots planned for the western, central and eastern portions of the county.
Ross saw the implementation of park-and-ride service as a good first step toward the fixed-route bus system Burlington might need in the future. He also said bus service might increase the chances of larger companies locating in the area.
Faucette was more skeptical. During the campaign, he said he would want to see studies about ridership numbers and statistics on who would use the service before he would be in favor of it. Sharpe was also on the fence about bus service, but thought PART service might be a good way to gauge interest in a bussing system here.
Baker said the city might need bus service, but remembered when Burlington’s old bus system went belly-up for lack of riders and high costs.
Before PART service could begin, Alamance County commissioners would have to pass a $1 addition to vehicle registrations here or a 5-percent tax increase on rental cars. The commissioners haven’t yet held a debate on the increases.
November 03, 2009 10:41 PM
Michael D. Abernethy / Times-News
