ELECTION RESULTS: In Winston-Salem’s mayoral and city council races, a few familiar faces win re-election as one popular restaurant owner unseats an incumbent

By 10:45 p.m., all 108 precincts in Forsyth County had reported in, showing that the city will retain its longtime mayor and many of its incumbents in three of its wards while bringing one new representative into the fold. Another seat will be filled by a newcomer, and that race will be decided in November.

MAYOR – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Joines runs unopposed in November and is the prospective winner of this race.

Winner: Allen Joines

Numbers: By 10:45 p.m., with all precincts counted, Joines garnered 73 percent of the vote with 15,903 votes. Joines’ opponents, JoAnne Allen and Frankie Gist were a distant second and third with 20 and 7 percent of the vote, respectively. Allen had 4,400 votes while Gist had 1,477.

Analysis: Joines has a long history with the city. His first city job started in 1971 as assistant to the city manager. His other positions include evaluation director, public safety coordinator, development director and deputy city manager. Joines unseated incumbent Mayor Jack Cavanagh in 2001 with 78 percent of the vote and has served as mayor ever since. Joines ran unopposed in the 2005, 2009 and 2016 general elections. In 2013, Joines swept 84 percent of the vote compared to Republican James Lee Knox’s 15 percent, and in 2020 he gathered 71 percent of the vote as opposed to Republican Kris McCann’s 27 percent.

NORTH WARD – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Adams runs unopposed in November and is the prospective winner of this race.

Winner: DD Adams

Numbers: Adams secured nearly 65 percent of the vote with 1,452 votes.

Analysis: Incumbent Adams defeated Eunice Campbell, who had 23 percent of the vote and 518 votes, and Kymberli Wellman, who received 240 votes and nearly 11 percent of the vote.

Before the election was called, Adams told TCB at the Forsyth County Democrats watch party at ROAR that she hoped to get the chance to do more for her ward. She’s been focused on housing during her time in office, and her ward recently secured 180 units of affordable housing. 

NORTHEAST WARD – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Burke runs unopposed in November and is the prospective winner of this race.

Winner: Barbara Hanes Burke

Numbers: Burke secured 62 percent of the vote and 1,787 votes. Her sole opponent was Paula McCoy, who took more than 38 percent of the votes with 1,119 votes. 

Analysis: This is incumbent Burke’s second time running for the seat, which she has held since 2020. During the primary election in March 2020, Burke rallied the Northeast Ward’s support with 57 percent of the vote, defeating challengers Morticia “Tee-Tee” Parmon and Keith King. Burke ran unopposed in the general election, garnering 84 percent of the vote. 

EAST WARD – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Burke runs unopposed in November and is the prospective winner of this race.

Winner: Annette Scippio

Numbers: Scippio garnered more than 58 percent of the vote and 1,093 votes.

Analysis: Incumbent Scippio was challenged by Phil Carter, who received 21 percent of the vote and 396 votes, Christopher Taylor, who garnered 16 percent and 309 votes and Jared Lamkin, who received 4 percent and 76 votes.

Scippio has been in office since 2018 when she replaced former Councilmember Derwin Montgomery, who had just been selected as the state’s representative for the 72nd District. She secured the Democratic nomination in the 2020 primary and ran unopposed in the general election. 

SOUTH WARD – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Burke runs unopposed in November and is the prospective winner of this race.

Winner: Vivián Joiner

Numbers: By 10:45 p.m. with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Joiner had secured 35 percent of the vote and 960 votes.

Analysis: Joiner unseated incumbent Larson, who collected nearly 30 percent of the vote and 814 votes. Adrian Smith received nearly 20 percent and 534 votes and Carolyn Highsmith received nearly 15 percent and 407 votes. With no Republican primary, Joiner will sail through to victory in November.

Joiner, who has lived in the city for 25 years, is the owner of the southern comfort food destination Sweet Potatoes, nestled in downtown Winston-Salem. 

Joiner told TCB that she plans to spend the next months until she takes office “working with folks in the city, learning more about the projects that are ongoing and coming up with a plan to hit the ground running.” When she takes office, she wants to work vigorously toward bringing more affordable housing to her ward and the rest of the city.

NORTHWEST WARD

Incumbent Jeff MacIntosh, D, announced in January 2023 that he would not seek re-election. MacIntosh ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections in 2020. He told TCB that he hoped announcing early would bring candidates out of the woodwork. And it did.

Democratic primary

Winner: Regina Ford Hall

Numbers: Hall garnered nearly 63 percent of the vote with 2,197 votes.

Analysis: Hall faced Bob Hartwell, who secured nearly 37 percent of the vote and 1,309 votes.

Hall is the executive director of Boston-Thurmond community network. She previously worked as the reintegration and youth development manager with the city and helped coordinate the Winston-Salem Urban Food Policy Council. She also worked as a program administrator for Successful Outcomes After Release, or SOAR, a city program that temporarily employs former offenders and gives them work experience in routine labor and clerical jobs.

Hall told TCB on Tuesday night that she was excited to continue working with her team of volunteers. With her long history working for the city, she knows “far too well about how decisions that councilmembers make affect city staff.”

“I’m excited about being able to bring that perspective to council,” she added.

Republican primary

Winner: Jimmy Hodson

Numbers: Hodson garnered nearly 59 percent of the vote with 1,225 votes.

Analysis: Hodson faced off against Herbert Burns who gathered 41 percent of the vote and 857 votes. Hodson told TCB that he’s “really excited” and is “looking forward to continuing the conversation with all the voters and the Democrat candidate until November.” Hodson said that he hopes to convert unaffiliated voters to vote Republican, and feels that the Northwest Ward needs a Republican in that seat because “there’s eight wards in the city and only one of them have a Republican,” referring to Robert Clark’s West Ward. “It’s doing a disservice to the voters,” he added.

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