The votes are in for municipal elections within Gwinnett County. Voters didn’t cast ballots for county commission seats or referendums this year, but contested elections took place in most cities.
An incumbent mayor and several incumbent councilmembers faced challengers this year. No one challenged the current mayors of three cities. Allison Wilkerson of Grayson, Craig Newton of Norcross and Kenneth Waycaster of Rest Haven will continue leading their cities.
Here are the results, many of which still need to be certified by election officials:
Mayor of Dacula
Trey King, the only incumbent Gwinnett mayor who faced a challenger this year, is set to continue leading Dacula. Political newcomer Wade Anthony hoped to unseat King.
King received 65% of the vote, while Anthony received 35%. This was the first time that voters cast their ballots in a mayoral election for King, following his appointment to office in 2019 after the death of former Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks.
Mayor of Braselton
Kurt Ward bested Hardy Johnson for the role of mayor in Braselton, a small town on the edge of Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall and Jackson Counties.
Ward received 78% of the vote, while Johnson received 22%.
Bill Orr, the current mayor, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection.
Richard Harper defeated incumbent Peggy B. Slappey in a race for District 2 on Town Council. James Murphy beat Jeff Gardner for the District 4 seat.
Suwanee City Council
A run-off for Post 5 on Suwanee City Council between incumbent Pete Charpentier and David Martinez is scheduled for Nov. 30.
Martinez received 48.4% of the vote, Charpentier received 39.5% and Jonathan Marcantonio received 12.1%.
The absence of a candidate garnering 50% plus one vote triggers a runoff between the top two contenders. Early voting for the runoff will begin Nov. 20.
Peachtree Corners City Council
Joe Sawyer defeated incumbent Jeanne Aulbach in the race for Post 4 on Peachtree Corners City Council.
Aulbach is one of the earliest councilmembers in Peachtree Corners, incorporated as a city in 2012. Sawyer received about 59% of the vote, while Aulbach received 41%.
Loganville City Council
One incumbent and two new faces will take three at-large seats on Loganville City Council. Anne Huntsinger, Melanie Long and Branden Whitfield received the most votes out of seven candidates.
Long received 19.16% of the vote, Whitfield received 18.99% and Huntsinger received 17.19%.
Terry Parsons received 15.56% of the vote, James Wilson received 10.97%, Rosa D. Steele received 9.08% and Shenia Rivers-Devine received 9.05%.
The candidates’ stances on growth and redeveloping Loganville’s dilapidated downtown area were key issues going into this year’s elections. Skip “Lee” Baliles will become the city’s next mayor, as no one else qualified in the race.
Lawrenceville City Council
Austin Thompson and Marlene Taylor-Crawford will shortly step into seats on Lawrenceville City Council. They replace Keith Roche and Bob Clark, both of whom announced earlier this year they would not seek reelection.
For Post 3, Thompson received 51% of the vote, Katrina Fellows received 40%, and Edwar Aviles Mercedes received 9%.
For Post 4, Taylor-Crawford received 52% of the vote, while Bruce Hardy received 48%. Jenn Young, who initially qualified to run for the seat, withdrew her candidacy weeks before the election.
Duluth City Council
Brandon Odum and Manfred Graeder will face off in a runoff election for Post 4 on Duluth City Council.
Odum captured 41.72% of the vote, Graeder captured 37.68% and Ray Williams received 20.6%. The absence of a candidate garnering 50% plus one vote triggers a runoff between the top two contenders.
The runoff election will take place Nov. 30 with early voting from Nov. 22-24. The victor of the runoff will replace longtime Councilmember Kelly Kelkenberg, who died earlier this year while in office.
In the Post 3 race, Lamar Doss defeated incumbent Billy Jones. Doss received 52.5% of the vote, while Jones received 47.8%.
Sugar Hill City Council
Two new faces will join Sugar Hill City Council, and a few familiar faces will remain behind the dais.
Incumbent Nic Greene defeated Amber Chambers for Post 4 on City Council. Greene captured 64% of the vote, while Chambers captured 36%.
Jenn Thatcher won against Tiffany Hale Carter in the special election for Post 3. Thatcher received 52% of votes, while Carter received 48%.
Mason Roszel will also take the Post 1 seat on council as he was the only candidate who qualified. Roszel and Thatcher will replace Susie Walker and Brandon Hembree, who both stepped down from office earlier this year.
Hembree will become the next mayor, following the city’s disqualification of his opponent in September. Longtime Mayor Steve Edwards did not run for reeelection.
Taylor Anderson will also remain on City Council, as no one challenged him for Post 5.
Lilburn City Council
Michael F. Hart will take the Post 3 seat on Lilburn City Council, while incumbent Emil Powella remains in his Post 4 seat.
For Post 3, Hart garnered 62.2% of the vote, Daniel J. Bollinger II garnered 26.7% and Calum Lewis garnered 11.1%. Incumbent Eddie Price did not run for reeelection.
For Post 4, Powella received 61.6% of the vote while his opponent Sherrie Villa received 38.4%.
Yoon-mi Hampton took office in September. She was the only candidate who qualified in a special election for Post 1 on City Council to replace Lindsay Voigt, who resigned due to relocating outside Lilburn’s city limits.
Auburn City Council
Incumbent Robert Vogel and Taylor Sisk will fill two at-large seats on Auburn City Council. Sisk edged incumbent Bill Ackworth by just four votes.
Vogel received 60% of the vote, while Sisk and Acworth each received 20%.
Voters also passed a referendum that will let Auburn, located on the edge of Barrow and Gwinnett counties, issue licenses that allow businesses to sell liquor.
Norcross City Council
Incumbent Matt Myers will remain in his at-large seat on Norcross City Council. He received 71% of the vote, while his opponent Sophie Gibson received 29%.
Snellville City Council
Incumbent Tod Warner will remain in the Post 5 seat on Snellville City Council. He received 56% of the vote, while his opponent Catherine Hardrick received 44%.
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