WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Seven candidates are running for three seats on Wilmington City Council.
Winning candidates earn four-year terms on council. Longtime incumbent Charlie Rivenbark, a Republican, declined to run again after six terms on council.
Incumbents Luke Waddell and Clifford Barnett are seeking reelection, with challengers Cassidy Santaguida, JC Lyle, Chakema Clinton-Quintana, Richard Collier and Kelly Roberts also running. Sean Guerrero dropped out of the race in September, but will still appear on ballots.
The race was the most expensive ever for Wilmington City Council, with candidates raising over $300,000. Republicans Waddell ($132,081) and Collier ($85,352) were at the front of the fundraising race. Waddell, Collier and Roberts received endorsements from the New Hanover County Republican Party.
Waddell, an incumbent elected in 2021, runs a local realty group. Collier, a civil engineer, hasn’t held elected office, but has served two terms on the county planning board and three terms on the Wilmington Planning Commission. Roberts is a security engineer who was running for office for the first time.
Lyle, Santaguida and Clinton-Quintana – the three candidates endorsed by the New Hanover County Democratic Party – followed with the most money raised, ahead of Barnett.
Santaguida, a software product manager, had unsuccessfully run for New Hanover County Commissioner in 2024. Lyle is a former planning commission chair and leader of a nonprofit real estate firm. Clinton-Quintana is the director of Live Oak Bank’s small business center, and has served on the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Commission for African American History. Barnett has served two terms on council, and is currently Mayor Pro-tem.
In their July straw poll, county Democrats opted to endorse the three newcomers, declining to support Barnett despite two terms on council. That poll wasn’t a full primary, but consisted of roughly 600 delegates, primarily county party leaders.
Barnett still opted to run again, though New Hanover County Democratic Party Chair Jill Hopman said running against the party would be an uphill battle. County Democrats put all of their resources – including volunteers, marketing blitzes and blue ballots – behind Lyle, Santaguida and Clinton-Quintana.
Key issues discussed during the campaign included balancing development and growth with housing affordability and green space, improving the city’s homelessness issue and addressing problems within the Wilmington Police Department.
During a candidates forum hosted by WECT, WHQR, and Port City Daily, Republicans like Waddell and Roberts said it’s important to not build everywhere in Wilmington, while Democrats like Lyle and Santaguida said responsible growth is the answer. Candidates emphasized the need for more parks and green space around the city.
Candidates also said the city needs more affordable housing and offered different ways to do that and reduce homelessness in Wilmington. In October, council approved a watered-down version of a public camping ordinance Waddell originally introduced that banned sleeping or camping on city property during overnight hours.
While Waddell pointed to the ordinance as a substantive way to help homelessness, Barnett believed it criminalized homelessness, and ultimately flipped his vote to “no” after multiple readings. During the forum, Santaguida said the city needs more emergency shelters and long-term options for homeless people. Clinton-Quintana said there needed to be more collaboration with city partners to address the issue, while Collier said the city needs to hire more social workers.
The elected council members are entering a transition period for the city, with new city manager Becky Hawke taking over earlier this year, and new police chief Ryan Zuidema sworn in just weeks ago.
Candidates said Wilmington Police officers deserve better pay, and emphasized the need to improve retention within the department. A WECT Investigates report last year revealed over 200 departures during former Chief Donny Williams’ time leading the department, with over 80% resignations, many citing pay and burnout as prominent issues within WPD.
Internal strife has plagued the department, too, with an April survey by the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association showing 93% of responding officers saying WPD isn’t a good place to work.
Candidates like Barnett and Clinton-Quintana said council needs to empower the new police chief to address issues, while others like Lyle, Santaguida and Roberts said improving pay and retention should be specific priorities. Waddell and Collier said improving the culture within the agency is critical, too.
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