Nancy Vaughan leads at-large contest in Greensboro

At-large Councilman Robbie Perkins watches returns at the Old County Courthouse with fellow candidate Nancy Vaughan and Perkins' campaign manager, Ross Harris (right).

Incumbents performed strongly in the Greensboro municipal primary election yesterday, with only a modest 6 percent of registered voters casting their ballots.

Nancy Vaughan, a challenger who served two terms before retiring from the Greensboro City Council in 2001, led polling in the at-large race, with 17.2 percent of the vote, followed respectively by incumbents Robbie Perkins and Sandra Anderson Groat. The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers, respectively, were Danny Thompson, Gary Nixon and Marikay Abuzuaiter. The six candidates will appear on the general election ballot on Nov. 3.

There was a wide margin — 1,643 votes — between Abuzuaiter and the seventh place finisher, Ryan Shell. Others who failed to advance to the general election include former Yvonne Johnson campaign manager Julie Lapham, Latin King leader Jorge Cornell, DJ Hardy and Max Benbassat.

District 1 incumbent Dianne Bellamy-Small dominated polling in her race, nailing down nearly half the vote, with 597 votes in her favor. Luther T. Falls Jr. edged out rival Daron Sellars by only three votes to secure the second place position.


District 1 incumbent Dianne Bellamy-Small confers with District 4 candidate Joel Landau as Landau's campaign manager, Nick DiVitci (left) and Landau's wife, Barbara, look on.

Jim Kee took more than half the vote in the contest for the open District 2 seat, and Nettie Coad placed second.


District 2 candidate Jim Kee (left) speaks to District 3 candidate Jay Ovittore, who was eliminated from the running.

District 3 incumbent Zack Matheny won more than half the vote, with 1,893 ballots cast in his favor, and George Hartzman placed second with 32.6 percent of the vote.


District 3 incumbent Zack Matheny watched the returns with stepson Cameron Harrington.


Mary Rakestraw, who currently serves at large, won almost half the vote in the District 4 race, while Joel Landau placed second with 35.3 percent.


District 4 candidate Mary Rakestraw celebrates with political consultant Bill Burckley.