Saffo to stay in mayor’s office

WILMINGTON — Bill Saffo stays in the mayor’s office. He pulled away from former Mayor Harper Peterson in convincing fashion as the night went on. Justin LaNasa finished a distant third.

People cleared out of the government center at about 10:30 Tuesday night. It took a little longer than usual to get the vote totals because this year, the Board of Elections had poll workers drive the votes in instead of phone them in as in years past.

With the vast majority of votes counted it looks like Bill Saffo will be the next mayor of Wilmington.

There was plenty of cheering going on for Mayor Saffo. He faced a strong challenge from Harper Peterson, but Saffo certainly got all the votes he needed to win tonight.

Peterson still won close to 6,000 votes in this election. He left the government center early, declining media requests for interviews. But he did stop to shake hands with Mayor Saffo and congratulate him on the win.

Some of the big issues driving voters out to the polls this year were the convention center and the sewer system. From the way people voted tonight it looks like the majority of voters like the track the city is on.

Of course, these votes won’t be final until they’re canvassed on Friday. But it sure looks like Mayor Saffo is staying.