WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Three candidates are hoping for your vote to become the Mayor of Wilmington.
Wilmington's longest-serving mayor, Bill Saffo, wants to extend his run in the city's top political office with another two-year term. However, this year's election presents him with a new challenge: he's facing two opponents for the first time.
Saffo, who has served nine consecutive terms as Wilmington Mayor, is hoping the results of Tuesday's election will mark the start of his tenth term.
Saffo, a Democrat, became mayor in 2006 after serving one term on Wilmington's city council. He is also a real estate broker with Caldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty in Wilmington.
His campaign website highlights his main issues as affordable housing, the environment, and public safety.
A recent WECT investigation revealed that Wilmington's 2025 municipal election has been record-breaking in campaign donations, with Saffo bringing in more than eight times the amount his opponents raised.
Jonathan Barfield is another Democrat hoping to become mayor. He announced his campaign in February.
Barfield, like Saffo, is no stranger to local politics. He served as a New Hanover County Commissioner for 16 years. In the 2024 election, he lost a tight race to retain his seat. Since then, he has served on Governor Josh Stein's transition team.
Barfield's campaign website says his main priorities for Wilmington are housing affordability, public safety, protecting the environment, and business growth and economic development.
The New Hanover County Democratic Party had not endorsed Barfield after losing a straw poll to Saffo in July. Barfield called the straw poll a "process of exclusion" that reminded him of the "Democratic Party of 1898."
Barfield's decision to run was met with frustration by some in the Democratic Party, who were concerned that having two Democrats against a Republican could split the vote and lead to a Republican taking the top office.
Republican Billy Craig is also hoping to become Wilmington's mayor. Craig is a political newcomer and a former police officer. Currently, Craig works as a private investigator, an adjunct professor at Cape Fear Community College, and a real estate broker.
According to his website, his campaign "prioritizes public safety, infrastructure improvements, smart growth management, and city workforce recruitment and retention."
You can watch the mayoral candidates answer questions from WECT, WHQR, and Port City Daily at our candidate forum by clicking here. The mayoral candidates begin speaking at 1:21:37.