Voters returned Vernon Bryant and Rives Manning to office, while electing former Roanoke Rapids Rapids School Board member Patrick Qualls to office.
The three will still face opposition in November when they face Republicans Sammy Webb and John Whichard.
Bryant ended up as the top vote-getter in the race, collecting 24.46 percent of the vote. Qualls came in second, collecting 20.57 percent. Manning was third with 20.26 percent.
Pierce collected 17.70 percent of the votes while Sykes finished last with 17.01 percent.
“I think they've made a strong statement they're not interested in a substantial, large tax increase supported by the two losing candidates,” Manning said late Tuesday evening. “I want to thank everybody that worked hard to put on an honest election and vote their conscience.”
Manning also took a jab at several vocal proponents of merger, saying, “I want to especially thank those, who without their help I would not have won — David Harvey (president of the county chapter of the NAACP), John Espenshade, James Mills and Gary Grant because without their strong voices I would not have been able to come through like I did.”
Manning said he realizes there is still another hurdle coming in November and will work to retain his seat. “I'm going to do what it takes to get elected.”
Bryant was jubilant. “I'm so excited I don't know what to do. I'm happy the voters have spoken. It's time to move on to the next step.”
Bryant dedicated his campaign to the late Buck Jones, who was an ardent supporter of his quest to regain his board seat. “I just want to say a special thank you.”
Bryant said this was a pivotal race for Halifax County. “I'm ready to embark on a lot of things for Halifax County. I want new jobs. I want to work toward improving education. I want everyone to join with us. The thing I plan to do is continue my role as commissioner, I look forward to that, I'm going to relax for the next month or so and in the fall prepare for that election.”
He said he hopes the results of the election signal the county is headed in a new direction. “I want to make Halifax County a better place for all our citizens. It was a very pivotal and critical election. I feel confident and really feel good about the working relationships. I just want to get past November so we can move this county forward.”
He said he feels the county needs to look closely at the Evergreen Report, one which suggests savings of around $11 million to the county. “We've not been giving it enough attention. One of the things we need to talk about is an alternative school. We need to talk about that. I will have that on my mind. I think we need to look at that more closely. It has a lot of things that will save us money.”
Qualls said he felt his campaign began to gain momentum within the last couple of weeks. “I'm very excited. I was hesitantly confident; talking to a lot of people within the last couple of weeks. I'm very happy. I'm ready to get ready for November and move the county forward. We have a good chance to do a lot of good stuff. I hope we can work together to get through November and after that work to get the county moving.”
He said teamwork was a big factor in sending the anti-merger candidates into the November general election. “We worked together campaigning. I think we did a good job. For sure, we were on the right side of the issues. The county cannot stand the funding requirement of a commissioner-initiated forced merger. We need jobs, not higher taxes. Higher taxes hurt jobs. I think that message resonated with the voters.”
