She did it in 2001 and then in 2005 and again in 2009, 2013, 2017 and now she has won in 2021, making – once again – Vivian Jones the winningest mayor in Wake Forest history by a mile or more.
Jones had 3,294 votes or 54.29 percent and Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon had 2,732 or 45.03 percent in yesterday’s town election.
In the commissioner race, Keith Shackleford with 2,881 votes and Nick Sliwinski with 2,806 both won seats on the town board, meaning that once again there will be two newcomers. The other candidates and their vote tallies were 2,770 for Michael Molinaro, 2,191 for Liz Simpers and 590 for Patrick Griffin. If the Wake County vote is certified by then, Shackleford and Sliwinski will be sworn in during the town board meeting on Nov. 16.
Jones had this to say Wednesday morning: “I am so excited to have the opportunity to continue serving as Mayor of Wake Forest. There are so many things on the horizon that will take our community to the next level and I look forward to our working together to make these things happen.
“I want to thank all the candidates for being willing to put themselves out there and being willing to serve the community. It takes courage to run for public office and I admire anyone who does that. My congratulations to Keith Shackleford and Nick Sliwinski and I look forward to working with them.
“My sincere thanks to everyone who voted. As always, the residents are what make our community great. Thank you for your interest in and dedication to our community.”
Sliwinski also responded to an invitation to make a statement: “I want to first thank all of the volunteers, friends, family, and voters who have shown their support over the last several months. I am honored that the residents of Wake Forest have placed their trust in me to be one of their new Commissioners. I would also like to congratulate Vivian and Keith on their victories.
“I look forward to working together with the other commissioners, mayor, and town departments to help shape the future of Wake Forest. I know it won’t always be easy, but I am ready to do the hard work for the residents of this great town.”
If you voted in the town election yesterday, you can think of yourself as part of a very select group, the 18 percent of the eligible voters, 33,265, in Wake Forest who make decisions about how are town is run. The editor arrived at that number by adding the votes for the two mayoral candidates – 5,996 – and dividing by 33,265.
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Because of the election on Tuesday, the Wake Forest Town Board’s work session was postponed until Thursday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m. You can watch it on Channel 10. The Wake Forest Planning Board meeting and public hearings were cancelled.
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