By Liz Moomey
liz.moomey@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — More than two weeks after Election Day, canvassing of municipal races shows the results largely unchanged.

Canvassing is the process by which election results become official.

Some municipalities had close races with fewer than a dozen votes separating winners and losers. Pat Sledge, who ran for Spencer Board of Aldermen, squeaked by with 223 votes, becoming the sixth board member. Rashid Muhammad finished seven votes behind Sledge and did not make the board.

Four votes separated Travis Summitt and Bryan Little in the Cleveland Board of Commissioners race. Summitt is now a commissioner.

For the unexpired term of an East Spencer alderman, newcomer Albert J. Smith won by 10 votes, beating another first-time candidate, Travis Carter.

In the Salisbury City Council race, Councilwoman and former Mayor Karen Alexander remains the highest vote-getter, and by tradition she will likely be mayor again. She received 2,750 votes.

In second was Mayor Al Heggins with 2,559 votes. Mayor Pro Tem David Post followed with 20 fewer votes than Heggins.

Councilman Brian Miller will remain on the council for his fifth term. He received 1,352 votes. Councilwoman Tamara Sheffield received 2,122 votes to be re-elected.

Candidate P.J. Ricks was 256 votes shy of Sheffield’s total.

John Struzick received 1,307 votes, with Gemale Black finishing five votes behind him. Giannina Monzon received 1,081 votes. Ladale Benson, who discontinued his campaign before voting started, still got 237 votes.

There were 91 write-in votes.

East Spencer candidate Shawn Rush was unsuccessful in his bid, but received a sizable number of his votes — 46 of his 140 — during the early voting period. Curtis B. Cowan picked up 53 votes; Deloris V. High, 46; and John G. Nobel III, 34, during early voting.

Winning candidate Cowan received 202 votes. High and Noble, who also won, received 169 and 164 votes, respectively

Mayor Barbara Mallett received 171 votes. Challenger and alderman Tony Hillian received 110 votes.

In the Landis mayoral race, though loaded with five candidates, Meredith Smith received 490 votes. Alderman Bobby Brown, who died Sunday, had the second-highest total, with 145. Mark Connell followed with 53 votes. Former Alderman Dorland Abernathy got 16 and Alby Stamey got 11.

Landis aldermen candidates Ashley Stewart and Katie Sells won the two open seats comfortably. Stewart received 548 votes and Sells received 508 votes. Darrell Overcash followed with 201 votes. Write-in candidate Shirley Martin received 74 votes. Landis Police Department officer Buddy Porter Jr. got 39 votes.

While Overcash did not win a seat on the board in the election, he was appointed Wednesday to serve time remaining on Brown’s term.

Spencer mayoral candidate Jonathan Williams, with 431 votes, breezed by David Brown Doby Sr., who received 58. Patti Seacreast, Steve Miller, Sharon Hovis, Bob Bish, Sam Morgan and Sledge will join Williams as members of the Board of Aldermen.

Ryan Dayvault, Darrell Jackson and Tom Kincaid won seats on the Kannapolis City Council.

China Grove will have a new mayor. There were 242 votes cast for Councilman Charles Seaford, who defeated Mayor Lee Withers, who got 204 votes. The town council race was not competitive; Rodney Phillips and Steve Stroud were re-elected.

Granite Quarry Mayor Bill Feather was re-elected with 168 votes. Andrew Poston tallied 146. Doug Shelton and Jim Costantino were elected aldermen.

Cleveland Mayor Pat Phifer garnered 54 votes to remain in office. Vera Avery, who was a write-in candidate, received 21 votes.

Travis Summitt will be joined by John Bradford on the Cleveland Board of Commissioners.

Beau Taylor will continue as Rockwell’s mayor after receiving 153 votes, beating out challenger Chris Stiller’s 75 votes.

Rockwell’s alderman race had no competition. Chris Cranford, Chuck Bowman, Lizz Johnson, Timothy Crews and Stephanie Walker will be on the board.

The Faith Board of Aldermen election also was not competitive. C.J. Moody, Randall Barger, Gary Gardner, Brian Campbell and Matt Lyerly will serve terms on the board.