Raleigh Mayor Nancy MacFarlane was the clear choice of voters in yesterday’s municipal election, but did not get enough votes to avoid a runoff.Macfarlane got 48 percent of the vote, 11 points ahead of her nearest challenger, Charles Francis. McFarlane needed more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff in November. Francis is expected to call for one.
Raleigh voters also voted overwhelmingly for a transportation bond. The $206 million bond will be used to improve roads and build new bike lanes and sidewalks.
In Durham, Steve Schewel and Farad Ali were the top vote-getters in the race for mayor. They will move on to a November runoff.
Mayor races are also set for Greensboro and Fayetteville. In Greensboro, incumbent Nancy Vaughan got 62 percent of the votes. Her opponent will be Diane Moffett.
And in Fayetteville, Mitch Colvin and incumbent Nat Robertson will face off in November.