Pitts: Fayetteville write-in candidates try again, after losing in primary

Janene Ackles and William Milbourne III both lost in the May primary races for Fayetteville City Council.

Now they are giving city voters another shot. They have announced write-in candidacies for the July 26 general election — Milbourne in District 1 and Ackles in District 2. Early voting is underway in city races.

I have followed local politics for some time. Formal write-in campaigns are not too common. Write-in campaigns where the candidate already lost in the primary are even less common. It is like taking a second bite at the apple. But here we are.

Winning as a write-in candidate is a long shot. Milbourne and Ackles’ names will not appear on the ballot, where only the top two vote-getters will be listed.

More: Early voting in Fayetteville City Council races is underway Here's what to know.

In District 1, that is Kathy Keefe Jensen, the incumbent and the mayor pro-tem, and challenger Alex Rodriguez.

In District 2, that is Shakeyla Ingram, the incumbent, and challenger Tyrone Williams.

I reached out to Ackles and Milbourne to see why they are throwing their hats in the ring again, with voters having made their choice less than two months ago.

Ackles, who placed fourth in a field of five in the primary, said she looked at the numbers and sees a path for her to win the general. She said third-place finisher Bear Dewberry drew votes from one of her potential strongholds, the Haymount Hill area. She said she split the Savoy Heights area with candidate J.V. Peterson, who finished fifth.

Ackles said she was additionally inspired by Mable Smith, a former city councilwoman and a longtime advocate for the part of District 2 located east of the Cape Fear River.

“Our folks across the river were not happy with the results at all,” Ackles said about the primary. “After talking with Ms. Mable, and we all talked, we all decided the write-in would be the right choice — to affect history and letting people know the folks across the river do have a say.”

Milbourne said he had been fielding phone calls from people asking him to run as a write-in. He said he believes in the voting process, and when he campaigns he hands out cards of his opponents, Jensen and Rodriguez, as well as his own.

Writing in candidates is part of that process, he says. He says in the past he has written in candidates himself and people want a choice.

“It’s like a lady that came down here, she said she’s been writing in Donald Duck,” he says. “This is a lady in District 5, because she feels like she doesn’t have a choice, she doesn’t have an option. She told me she wishes that she had a write-in.”

Write-in candidates often have little effect on the overall outcome. But this time may be different, for these two districts.

District 2 had the second-closest final result in the primary, among the top two vote-getters. Ingram had 598 votes, which was 26.3% of the total. Williams took 556 votes, or 24.5% of the total.

Ackles drew 357 votes for 15.7% of the vote. If she pulls from one candidate or the other, the race could be dramatically altered — even if her own bid falls short again.

In District 1, Jensen comfortably outpaced her two opponents with 47.2% of the vote and 913 overall votes. Alex Rodriguez finished second with 578 votes, 29.9%, and Milbourne drew 445 votes, 23%.

Rodriguez was already facing a tall order to close the gap before Milbourne’s reentry as a write-in candidate.

In response to Milbourne's candidacy, Rodriguez sent out an email that included a post from one of his supporters, resident Fred Caruso, which Caruso posted on the social media site NextDoor.

“I thought we just had a primary?” Caruso asked.

He said a vote for Milbourne is a vote for Jensen.

Jensen on Thursday said she was going to continue to run her race. She said she was the best candidate for District 1, which includes part of north Fayetteville and the Ramsey Street area.

She said the district would continue to experience dramatic growth “as we are slowly and surely becoming the bedroom for Wake County.”

She said experience was needed to deal with all that’s coming.

In District 2, I left a voice mail for Ingram but had not heard back.

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Williams, a former council member, said of Ackles’ candidacy that he is a firm supporter of following the will of the people. He said if Ackles runs as a write-in candidate and wins he will support her.

“But I know I’m the best candidate,” he said.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Pitts: Fayetteville write-in candidates try again, after losing in primary