Steele Creek voters pick their voices

With the March 15 primaries complete, here’s how the votes in North Carolina shakes out for Steele Creek.

▪ Democrat Commissioner Vilma Leake won a three-way race for Mecklenburg’s Board of County Commissioners District 2, with almost 66 percent of the vote. The four-term commissioner won’t face opposition in November. Trailing Leake were Angela Edwards with almost 18 percent, and Lula Dualeh with 16 percent.

Leake won all 29 precincts in her district. She gained the most support from the southeast and northeast parts of the district, in places up to 80 percent of votes cast. The four precincts bordering Lake Wylie supported her with 49 to 56 percent of ballots cast.

District 2 covers the Steele Creek area north of N.C. 49, except for a small area east of Steele Creek Road which falls in District 6.

▪ Republican Bill James defeated Joel Levy in District 6, gathering more than 63 percent of the vote. James is 10-term commissioner. He won all 29 of his precincts, which run the southern border of Mecklenburg County including its borders with Lake Wylie and York County. Those Steele Creek precincts produced roughly the same winning margin as the overall contest.

James won’t face a challenger in November, either.

▪ Three incuments for at-large seats on the Mecklenburg County Commission all advanced to the November election. Commissioner Ella Scarborough paced the Democratic primary with almost 33 percent of the vote, followed by commissioners Pat Cotham at 27 percent and Trevor Fuller at 25 percent. Those three will face Republican Jeremy Brasch this fall.

Steele Creek voters in those contests largely voted along the same lines as voters countywide.

▪ N.C. Sen. Joel Ford and Roderick Davis ran a tight race in N.C. Senate District 38, which covers some of the northern parts of Steele Creek. Ford won 52 percent in the Democratic primary, less than 1,000 votes ahead of Davis. Ford won 19 precints and Davis 15, splitting the Steele Creek ones.

An incumbent, Ford now will face Republican Richard Rivette this November in the Democrat-heavy district.

▪ Steele Creek voters helped state Rep. Charles Jeter squeak by Tom Davis in a N.C. House of Representatives District 92 race so close, a recount will be needed. Jeter won the Republican primary by just 28 votes. More than 7,000 votes cast in the race. The margin of 50.19 percent across 15 precincts was close enough to warrant the recount.

Jeter won nine precincts, all but one coming in the middle stretch of the district along the lake and York County borders. Davis won the five northernmost precincts, and one along the southeast edge. Jeter won 52 to 65 percent of the vote in Steele Creek precincts.

▪ Sen. Richard Burr ran away with the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, winning all but three of 195 county precincts in a four-way race. Burr earned more than 60 percent of the vote, followed by Greg Brannon with 24 percent and Paul Wright and Larry Holmquistat less than 10 percent each.

Burr will face Deborah Ross in November, after she won a four-way race for the Democratic primary. Ross won more than 68 percent of the vote in Mecklenburg County, followed by Chris Rey, Kevin Griffin and Ernest Reeves about about 10 percent each.

▪ County voters also passed a public improvement bond vote at more than 70 percent. The $2 billion bond will fund capital needs at colleges and universities, along with other public infrastructure needs.

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Steele Creek voters pick their voices."