Melinda Bales has narrowly won election for mayor of Huntersville. She defeated former Mayor Jill Swain by 144 votes — or about 2 percentage points.
In a brief video statement, Bales sad she looks forward to taking over for current Mayor John Anarella, who opted not to run for reelection.
“I just want to take a moment and thank each and every one of you for coming out to vote on Nov. 2," Bales said. "I just am looking forward to serving your — our — community and being your next mayor.”
Bales has been a town commissioner since 2011 and is currently mayor pro-tem.
Swain conceded the race on Facebook. She said it was a privilege to run and she hopes she was able to show elections don’t have to be full of tension and angst. She thanked the town’s voters and asked them to give Bales their support for the next two years. Swain was mayor of Huntersville for eight years. Anarella defeated her in 2015.
Huntersville was the only town in Mecklenburg County with a contested mayoral race this year. Elections in Charlotte, the county's largest municipality, were delayed until 2022.
See results for all 2021 Charlotte-area municipal elections here.
