JC Lyle, Cassidy Santaguida, and Chakema Clinton-Quintana elected to Wilmington City Council

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —  A tight race for 3 seats on the Wilmington City Council is finished as JC Lyle, Cassidy Santaguida, and Chakema Clinton-Quintana have been elected to fill those seats.

7 candidates ran for the 3 seats.

With all 27 precincts reporting, Lyle received 17.22% of the vote, Santaguida with 16.78% and Clinton-Quintana with 16.63%.

Current Councilman Luke Waddell, who was seeking re-election, finished with 15.33%, while current Mayor Pro-Tem Clifford Barnett had just 9.64%.

Councilman Charlie Rivenbark did not seek re-election.

For Lyle and Clinton-Quintana, this was their first time running for public office, with both saying the process had been fun, but also challenging.

Santaguida ran for County Commissioner last year, and said it’s special that the city council will soon have a female majority.

“I think it’s a pretty incredible statement to make in terms of having a female majority on council,” Santaguida said. “Folks know that the reason that I’m running for office is to make this a great city for my daughter and knowing that she is going to grow up with that example is just, that’s really personal for me and it’s just really wonderful to see.”

Waddell congratulated the 3 winners at their watch party at Tempo 33 in downtown Wilmington.

He said he has been proud of the work he has accomplished over the past 4 years and looks forward to getting more work done during the remainder of his term.

Following Tuesday’s results, every member of the City Council will be a Democrat once Lyle, Santaguida, and Clinton-Quintana are sworn in.

NHC Democratic Party Chairwoman Jill Hopman said she looks forward to seeing what this council can achieve in the future.

“It’s amazing that our women are now dominant on city council. I think, we also have amazing Mayor Bill Saffo, David Joyner, Kevin Spears, I think the 7 of them will make a phenomenal team, and I really look forward to seeing what we can accomplish policy-wise.”

Some such policies include a focus on affordable housing, responsible growth, and the need for more parks and green spaces in the city.