Saffo cruises to re-election in Wilmington mayoral race (Star News)
Bill Saffo will lead the city into the next decade.
The incumbent Wilmington mayor won another two-year term Tuesday, handily defeating his only challenger, Paul Knight, in a race in which fewer than 20 percent of the registered voters cast ballots.
“I think the people have spoken very clearly that they like the job that I’ve done,” Saffo said shortly after the results were displayed at the New Hanover County Board of Elections.
According to unofficial results, Saffo received 8,368 votes, or 61 percent. Knight garnered 5,329 votes, about 39 percent.
Knight congratulated Saffo with a handshake at about 9:40 p.m.
He said the low voter turnout was more disappointing than losing the race. The outcome might have been different – or at least closer – if more people had exercised their rights, Knight said.
“I just feel like people don’t care anymore,” he said. “Whatever’s given to them, they just take it and go with the flow.”
Saffo said the council’s progress on parks and transportation projects, as well as its ability to manage a budget through tough times without raising taxes, helped secure the victory.
“We’re getting things done,” he said.
Saffo said he also believes voters recognized his dedication to the city he grew up in.
“I’m passionate about this community, and I want to make it one of the greatest cities in America,” he said. “That’s my goal.”
The mayor’s race featured Saffo, a Democrat and seasoned politician, and Knight, a Republican and political newcomer.
Knight’s campaign focused on reducing crime, holding the line on taxes and reducing what he perceives as wasteful city council spending.
Saffo has said his top goal would be to bring jobs to Wilmington, while continuing to invest in parks, transportation, downtown and the arts.
Knight opposed involuntary annexation of county residents into the city, while Saffo voted to annex residents and businesses in the Monkey Junction area, which is scheduled to take effect next year.
Knight said during his campaign that the political climate was good for challengers, as the mayor and city council continue to make decisions that upset residents.
Focusing on city issues early on, the personal and professional pasts of the candidates were eventually aired as the election neared. Saffo’s opponents criticized him recently because his real estate company was suspended by the N.C. Department of Revenue in 2007 for failure to pay a few hundred dollars worth of taxes and fees. Knight’s 2005 arrest on a charge of interfering with a 911 call, which was ultimately dropped, also came to light, as did the fact that he’s been married six times.
Knight, 52, is vice president and general manager for Sea-Comm Media, which operates radio stations The Penguin, The Bone, and The Big Talker FM. Saffo, 49, owns Hanover Realty.
Saffo was first elected to city council in 2003 and was appointed to the mayor’s seat in 2006, when former Mayor Spence Broadhurst left town mid-term. In the 2007 mayor’s race, Saffo defeated former mayor Harper Peterson and tattoo parlor owner Justin LaNasa.
He will be sworn in again next month.
Patrick Gannon: 343-2328
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By Patrick Gannon
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Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 1:16 p.m.
