New Hanover County Board Chair Beth Dawson Loses Primary by Half a Point; Woody White Leads the Pack

There are three open seats on New Hanover County’s Board of Commissioners. The top three Republican candidates will now battle it out with Democrats Jonathan Barfield, Julia Boseman and Nelson Beaulieu in the general election. Incumbent Woody White came in first – with more than 24% of the vote among seven candidates. Beth Dawson, also running for reelection and the current Board Chair, fell to fourth place which means she won’t be on the ballot in November. Patricia Kusek and Derrick Hickey took the second and third spots, respectively. Kusek says she’s looking forward to a more positive campaign with a focus on the issues. "I sincerely hope that with the way this primary has been and the way that certain candidates have conducted themselves that moving forward that we can all decide that it’s best for our county and for everyone to do what my mom always said – treat people like they want to be treated. We can still discuss issues. And we can still agree to disagree because that’s why