Fayetteville City Council District 5: Lynne Greene, Johnny Dawkins go to general election

Paul Woolverton, Fayetteville Observer
Updated ·3 min read

In a heated race, Fayetteville City Council candidate Lynne Bissette Greene ran ahead of incumbent Councilman Johnny Dawkins in the District 5 primary race and will face Dawkins in the City Council general election in November, according to unofficial returns on Tuesday night.

Greene and Dawkins left behind two other candidates: Justin Herbe and Fred G. LaChance III.

Early sign of an upset?

Tuesday's results give Greene a head start over four-term incumbent Dawkins in the Nov. 7 general election. She got 46.69% of the vote, to Dawkins’ 35.57%, among 1,906 ballots.

Greene in an interview late Tuesday said her voters want a change on the City Council. Herbe, too, said his supporters want a change, and he anticipates many of them will vote for Greene.

“I think people are concerned about having better representation,” Greene said. “They're not satisfied that ... he’s working for the district. And, you know, there's all the question about where he lives, and him spending his time full-time here, and I think that that's been a big concern of everybody.

“It was the single one thing I kept hearing over and over and over again,” she said.

Greene was referring to Dawkins’s move to a rental home in Fayetteville from a larger home, and his purchase of a larger home in Raleigh for his mother-in-law. It fueled claims among critics that the councilman had moved away.

And it's not true, Dawkins said Tuesday night.

“My wife and I live and work in Fayetteville. And we pay property taxes right here in Fayetteville, and I've never voted for a property tax increase on the city budget, ever,” Dawkins said. “And of course, that was implied differently by my opponent.

“So I've got to work hard to get our message out,” Dawkins said.

Dawkins was not surprised he came in second, he said, because “I felt like the — the false information probably was going to work” on voters who have busy lives and can't get all the details.

More primary results: Mitch Colvin and Freddie de la Cruz will face off for mayor in Fayetteville general election

The results

According to initial and unofficial returns with the state Board of Elections:

  • Greene was the top vote-getter with 890 votes, or 46.69%.

  • Dawkins came in second with 678 votes, 35.57%.

  • Justin Herbe was third, with 211 votes,11.07%.

  • And Fred G. LaChance III, who ran against Dawkins in 2022, came in fourth place with 127, 6.66%.

More primary results: Ingram, Davis advance to general election for Fayetteville District 2 Council race

Herbe to run again, LaChance is done

Herbe plans to run again in two years, he said. “And I'm going to join some boards this winter" and be involved in the elections in 2024, he said.

LaChance said he won’t run again.

“I’m done. That’s it,” LaChance said. “I did it twice. Fayetteville spoke, and they're not interested in what I got to say.” He wished the best of luck to Dawkins and Greene in the November election.

Senior North Carolina reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@fayobserver.com.

District 5 council member Johnny Dawkins speaks to a voter at Max Abbott Middle School on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
District 5 council member Johnny Dawkins speaks to a voter at Max Abbott Middle School on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
City Council District 5 candidate Lynne Greene speaks to a voter before she goes into Glendale Acres Elementary School to vote on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.
City Council District 5 candidate Lynne Greene speaks to a voter before she goes into Glendale Acres Elementary School to vote on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville City Council: Greene, Dawkins lead District 5 primary